Les Newsom Audio: Recent Episodes
Les Newsom
Looking BACk to Advent is only part of the meaning of Christmas. Looking FORWARD to Jesus' second coming was his main fixation. (Special thanks to Rev. Elliot Cherry of Midtown Fellowship Church- 12 South Site- in Nashville, TN for the insights provided here. Check Elliot's pulpit ministry out here.)
God is now ready to mark Abram out as a unique family of God, his agents of transformation in a broken world. But the manner and means that he does that will strike many as bizarre, but when you understand the meaning of circumcision, the purpose of the church emerges.
As God makes big promises to Abram, the patriarch asks a perfectly natural question, "How can I know this is all going to work out." God's response to that simple question results in one of the most astounding passages in all of Scripture, and the key to what we mean by "grace."
Genesis 12 is the break-through point in the "story thus far." Suddenly, God calls a childless pagan to be the head of a new family that'll carry the mission of God through to completion. It's a commission that God's people still have even in our day, to remake the world for his glory.
We live in a world that totters on the brink of collapse, it seems, from a lack of certainty about the world. But God's covenant (contract) with Noah shows that God's people can have a radical foundation for our relationship with the world, with justice, and in our own hearts.
There is a very strange tidbit of a story in Genesis 6:1ff that is so odd that many are tempted to consign the Bible over to an absurd document of superstition. But if you dig into its meaning, you might find it opens us up to an unseen realm where God orders the world.
How do you embrace the effects of evil in life and the dire consequences of sin but look to forgiveness as God's only remedy. This is something in our culture that we don't do very well, but if we don't figure out how to love forgiveness, we'll splinter into oblivion.
There are few things like human sexuality to polarize our secular culture's opinions of Christians. But rooted in Genesis 2 is a profound confession by Adam as he looks at Eve about God, and how he's going to save the world that will likely shock you.
We live in a day when sex and gender have been torn apart in the culture's imagination, only to suggest that our sexual differences are merely skin deep. Genesis 2 says otherwise. Quite the contrary, our sexual differences are a window into the very love of God for his people.
For most adults, the singular formational activity in which we are engaged is our jobs. Which is probably why our work is so fraught with opportunities for difficulty in life. But Genesis 2 lays out a framework for how God intended for his image bearers to think about their work.
The opening book of the Bible reveals a God who speaks things into being with a majestic artistry that forms the foundation of humanity's search for what is good, true and beautiful.
Genesis 1:1 cuts across our present Western context with a clear and radical proposition: there is a God and he is the creator of all things. From that one premise comes the foundation of a Christian view of the world.
The average "person on the street" doesn't have a fair knowledge of the vast amount of scholarship that has been spent on establishing an undeniable fact: the Bible is the most reliable document of antiquity existing today. "Why," is our topic in this sermon.
Perhaps the reason why we are disinterested in the Bible is because we don't fully apprehend what the Bible claims to be. The truth is: if you are committed to the status quo in your life, then by all means don't dive into the transforming power that is the Scripture.
More times than not, we want to read the Bible like an answer book, looking for a technique that always produces a good result. But the Bible is wisdom literature. It teaches us to be wise, only as we immerse ourselves in its story and truth.
So is the Bible a book created by God or by the hands of sinful men? While we often say the correct answer, "Both!" oftentimes we fail to realize how differently that conviction leads us to look at the world around us and how we picture a Christian's mission in the world.
The vast majority of the objections our secular world has with accepting the Bible for what its come from the failure to understand the kind of tool the Bible is. Getting clear on the nature of Scripture is essential to growing in the wisdom it wants to impart.
Paul says that there is a life altering metamorphosis that changes every Christian into a servant of Christ. But HOW that transformation happens very succinctly gathers together all the grace Paul has unpacked throughout the book and shows us that it all happens, "by the mercies."
Paul says that there is a life altering metamorphosis that changes every Christian into a servant of Christ. But HOW that transformation happens very succinctly gathers together all the grace Paul has unpacked throughout the book and shows us that it all happens, "by the mercies."
Paul cares so deeply for his fellow Jewish countrymen that he writes an extended explanation of exactly HOW they are to come to faith, if they do. In so doing, he provides modern believing people with a new way of thinking about the challenging topic of evangelism.
Paul entertains a question about God's faithfulness to "bring us all the way home" that is potentially undone by Jewish rejection of the Gospel. The answer takes us deep into the mind of God and his purposes in election and a "love that will not let me go."
Insecurities plague us everyday and are often the root cause of the anxieties that shorten our lives. But Paul's exposition at the end of Romans 8 gives us a picture of a totally secure and convinced life, resting in the certainty of the Christian vision of the future.
Romans 8 is a chapter that is preoccupied with the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christians. But what exactly does the Spirit do? How does he drive home the "no condemnation" that Paul pronounces at the beginning of this magnificent chapter?
The law of God has picked a fight with believing people. Because what was started by grace can never be completed by law. This inevitably leads to conflict. Understanding and locating this conflict is THE key to Christian growth and sanctification.
It is the express intention of the Christian faith to bring about a change of life in the believer. The whole forward motion of the Bible is to fix the world from sin's destruction. HOW Paul leads us through that in Romans 6 is revolutionary for the doctrine of sanctification.
Justification by grace through faith is the medicine that cures believing people of doubting lives. Paul wants the Romans to live assured lives. So in Chapter 5 he unpacks the logic of assurance of salvation and how we can really know that we are standing in his grace.
Paul has hung a lot of theological weight on the doctrine of justification, but the means by which those benefits come to Christians is through "faith." But what does it mean to "have faith?" Turns out that imbedded in the life of the Jewish patriarch Abraham is the powerful answer!
Paul says that no one will be justified by the "works of the law." That was his way of confronting Jewish people for their adherence to exclusionary cultural norms. But we still have those ourselves. What are the ways we seek to justify ourselves in OUR day?
We LOVE to catalogue the details of good news! How much more does Paul revel in the precision and details of God's provision for his people in Christ. Three massive concepts: justification, redemption and propitiation, are all laid out for God's people to mine for joy.
Nothing can break up the ordinariness of our day quite like an insult can. And yet, Paul unpacks a sweeping condemnation of all people (both religious and irreligious) in the middle part of Romans 3. This week, we look at the Christian doctrine of Total Depravity.
Having broadly condemned the irreligious in the latter half of chapter 1, Paul then turns his sights on the religious community, who demonstrate their own depravity through their condescending to others, while they do the very same things themselves.
Paul says that the Gospel is about salvation, but salvation from what? His answer is not one that this generation wants to hear: we need salvation from the very present wrath of God. But is that an archaic way of talking about God? What good could possibly come from this idea?
Paul opens his letter to the Romans announcing his overwhelming desire to preach the Gospel to the Romans. The energy behind his message is a powerful antidote to the mundane and ordinary versions of the faith that occupy "Christ Haunted" churches in the South.
The last years of Paul's life bring some of the most dramatic suffering he'd ever experienced. There is no triumphalism in the last chapters of Acts. But how do Christians face the inevitability of suffering in this life? How can Paul's last years of missionary work instruct us?
In the latter half of Acts, Paul is seen engaging in the most effective long term evangelism strategy ever conceived...church planting. This pattern of establishing Jesus Communities is the model for all those seeking to be faithful to be Jesus' witnesses in whatever generation.
Many people think that in order to embrace Christianity you have to check your intellect at the door. But Paul marches right into the epicenter of Greek culture and goes toe to toe with the philosophy of the day and shows how only the Creator God can make sense of life.
One of the more compelling traits of the Christian faith is the fact that it is not locked into one culture or people group. A remarkable diversity is seen in Acts 16 of Philippian converts. Yet, through it all, the Gospel remains the same message of the Cross.
One of the more compelling traits of the Christian faith is the fact that it is not locked into one culture or people group. A remarkable diversity is seen in Acts 16 of Philippian converts. Yet, through it all, the Gospel remains the same message of the Cross.
Paul's first sermon is a master class on how the young missionary begins to present the Gospel to religious people. He roots his message in the relevance, facts and overwhelming joy of the work of Jesus on the Cross.
The action in the book of Acts leads to a dramatic vision by Peter who begins to see that Jesus' mission in the world will not be limited to a Jewish revolution. Instead, he is creating a worldwide, multi cultural, multi racial people of God worshipping around the Throne.
The story of Saul (soon to become named "Paul") is repeated no less than three times in the book of Acts. Clearly, Luke wants Christians to relate this powerful conversion. But how can we do that when we rarely see so many fireworks surrounding our own experiences?
The execution of Stephen looks to our modern eyes as ludicrously extreme. What could have caused this rioting mob to go to these extremes? Only when the Gospel exposes your deepest commitments, and threatens them, can we hope to see its freedom.
The early church was growing! But no sooner does it start than the problem of divisions in the church arise. But rather than make the new converts feel guilty about it, the Apostles appoint a new office to insure that the ministry of the Word and Deed remain together.
Opposition from outside the church is one thing, but hypocrisy from within is equally (if not more) dangerous. Only the fearlessness of a Spirit filled community could create the integrity needed to firmly establish this new revolutionary movement.
Jesus' mission to repair the world from the effects of sin meets almost immediate opposition from the religious elite. Their opposition to the disciples message still resonates with attacks on Christianity even our day.
Many people who traffic on the outskirts of Christianity have weird notions of what it looks like to live a "Spirit filled life." But in the wake of Pentecost, there were tangible signs that the Spirit had come in power to transform a fledgling group into a worldwide movement.
The coming of Holy Spirit at Pentecost was the "shot heard around the world" for the Kingdom of God. This was the decisive event for the church, but it can be hard to understand the meaning behind it. What does Pentecost mean for us today?
The mission of Jesus continues with him taking his place beside his Father at the Throne of the universe. Without this key insight, God's people can (and often have) severely missed his purposes for what his kingdom is like AND how it's going to advance.
The book of Acts is the second part of Luke's Gospel, so it's not a new movement that's being started, but God's advance into the world to plant Jesus Communities and heal the world. Father, Son and Holy Spirit working together to advance a Kingdom.
There are few greater questions that a Christian can get answered than the question of "How do I change?" The world offers many paths to transformation, but Christianity is unique when it says that we only change when we abide in Christ. What does that mean?
Peter lays out the foundation for a life of service for God's people with a simple premise: we serve because we have been served. That means a unique gifting for all of God's people to be hospitable to the strangers around them. This is where real healing starts.
Paul makes an assumption that Titus and the people he leads need to be "trained" to renounce ungodliness and live upright lives. But the whole project has to be powerfully rooted in the grace of God that has appeared in my past and will appear again in my future!
When John starts to unpack the reason for his letter, he uses a power packed word that we (weakly) translate as "fellowship." But he's talking about so much more. He's talking about a powerful connection that exists among God's people.
The writer of Hebrews makes a dramatic statement about how essential it is that we be aware and commit to being together in public worship. Truth is: we take on the attributes of our Tribe. Why that's the case is the topic for this week's discussion.
We should be curious about any church we join "what do you want to see in me? What do you want to shape me into as a person?" We call this topic "spiritual formation" and Paul gives us some fascinating insight into how a Christian uniquely thinks about it.
Jesus ends the sermon on the mount by walking his followers through three barriers to genuine faith. False teachers, self-deception and bad foundations can all keep us from being what Jesus is forming in us. How can we make it through?
The pandemic has taken a dramatic toll on Americans anxiety and depression. But Jesus tells us not to worry. Turns out, he then proceeds to give his followers powerful tools to erode their worry from the inside out.
It's easy to get over-spiritual as Christians and assume that God isn't interested in the "mundane" things of life: jobs, hobbies, recreation, relationships. But the second half of the Lord's Prayer leads us directly in Jesus' take on our day to day lives.
The integrity of the Good Life requires that our prayers be more than self interested grocery lists. But how do we do that? Jesus model prayer gives his followers a framework for praying that keeps us focused on WHO exactly we're praying to.
Jesus knows us very well. The minute that genuine piety enters our daily practice, the sinful heart looks for ways to take credit for it. Before long, all our piety is nothing but a show. But Jesus has great wisdom for hypocrites and genuine faith.
The greatest threat to the Good Life is the interruption of wholeness by those who hate us. If we can't figure out what to do about our enemies, how can we ever be truly blessed? Jesus' teaching is powerfully radical on this score.
No vision of the Good Life is complete without some emphasis on protecting married individuals from the pervasive, erosive effects of their OWN sin. So Jesus lays down a dramatic vision for the permanence of marriage AND hope of relief to the suffering.
No vision of the Good Life is complete without some emphasis on protecting married individuals from the pervasive, erosive effects of their OWN sin. So Jesus lays down a dramatic vision for the permanence of marriage AND hope of relief to the suffering.
Jesus' warnings against lust go way beyond external explanations for our sexual behavior. Searchingly, he encourages us to go into the very depth of our motivational centers to uncover the heart of lust.
Jesus begins his catechism of the Good Life by zeroing in on the most destructive force to human flourishing: our hatred for each other. His teaching lays us bare for what is really motivating our anger and how to heal it as well.
Jesus is ready to launch into his description of the inner life of his followers, but first clarifies his relationship to the reigning source of truth of his day, the Old Testament Law. But Jesus is not an innovator, but a fulfiller.
For the better part of the last few decades, the church in America has struggled to get clear on the question of what it means to be a faithful witness to Jesus in the world. But Jesus gives us two powerful images to begin a better conversation about it.
The Christian life is one of "moving in" but then "moving out." In other words, you know when the humility of the first half of the Beatitudes has landed when the last half of them begin to come out of your life.
Jesus begins his deep dive into his definition of the Good Life by heading into the far reaches of our humanity where our pride, our callousness, and our power grabs live and keep us away from true human flourishing.
As Christ Presbyterian Church in Oxford, MS completes their 3 yr examination of HOPE, HOME, and HEALING, Les preaches through Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount. There, he lays out his vision for his Kingdom and what it means to "live the good life."
When the angels appear to Joseph and Mary, you can almost hear the quivering excitement in their announcements. What exactly has the angels as excited as they are? What do they have to tell these seemingly insignificant people?
Peter says that the salvation that is announced at Christmas is something that the angels LONG to LOOK into. What is so fascinating to these heavenly creatures that would cause them to fixate on it for Christmas? Turns out, it's grace that grabs them.
The Ten Commandments uncover a deep seated desire to be "right" with the world around us. We long to be "enough." But the law undoes us and exposes our failures. How can someone have peace when studying the 10 Commandments?
At the core of every human being’s motivation is the presence of desire. Emanating from what the Bible calls our heart, disordered desires are the root of all evil and death. Today, we see what it means to “covet.”
The commandments go directly to the most fundamental aspect of human existence and it turns out that the words we say and think are powerful indicators of both the nature of our hearts and the direction of our lives.
The commandments go directly to the most fundamental aspect of human existence and it turns out that the words we say and think are powerful indicators of both the nature of our hearts and the direction of our lives.
Sex like fire. When used properly, it can warm and fascinate you. But when it is misused and abused, it can burn and scar you. What are the ways in which the Bible addresses sexual dysfunction in our day?
We live in a time of greater confusion about sex and gender than ever in our nation's history. Slicing through the fog, however, is God's simple: No Adultery. What seems hopelessly quaint to some is a window into Jesus' desire to be intimate with his poeple.
The image of God present within the constitution of every single person, places a great burden on every OTHER person not only to avoid damaging that image, but also to do everything within our power to bless that image bearer.
There are few things more complicated in people’s lives than the relationships with our family. God’s design is for legitimate lines of authority to be “honored” by all, while realizing that HE is the only true Father of us all.
For most of us, the rhythm of life is a chaotic and frenetic mess, scrambling around trying to stay ‘productive’ and have your ‘head above water.’ In this chaos, the 4th Commandment enters and invites God’s people into a deep rest of the soul.
The 10 Commandments forbid us to "take God's name" in a worthless manner. His "name" is the summation of his character, his reputation. But how do we guard the reputation of the God of the Universe?
On Sunday, September 20, 2020, Christ Presbyterian Church dedicated its new church building on Sisk Avenue in East Oxford. The Biblical themes of building and cornerstone unveil a beautiful image of how God works in and through actual buildings, showing us the nature of the building Jesus is presently building in the heavenly places.
God takes our relationship with him seriously. But in order for it to be a real relationship we must honor who he REALLY is and not what we would like for him to be. The Second Commandment urges us to leave his self-revelation up to him.
Once you've worked through the existence of idols in general, the hard work is then exploring the idols within your own heart and community. What are the prevailing idolatries of the Oxford MS community? And how do they inform the struggles going on inside my own heart?
The Bible has a very specific way of explaining you to YOU. That is, it shows how we are, by manufacturer’s design, motivated and changed. Without question, the first commandment is the most important plank in that explanation.
God’s law is not a list of “suggestions.” Law is deeply connected to creation as the means by which his creatures can flourish. The law forms the very fabric of reality and therefore, the “air we breath” for people desiring their full humanity.
Ezekiel’s vision of the Temple has a river flowing out of it. What will flow out of Christ Pres in the years to come? We will “Launch A Healing.” When God come “in,” he immediate sends “out” to show people how they were intended to flourish, by obedience to God’s will.
Ezekiel’s vision of the Temple has a river flowing out of it. What will flow out of Christ Pres in the years to come? We will “Build A Home.” God is not saving isolated individuals. He’s saving a corporate entity called the Church. But life together is not easy nor natural. It takes work.
The beginning of a three-week mini series on CPC's core values, we look at what we mean when we say that we "Proclaim a Hope." The Bible (and more specifically what the Bible talks about) is the heart of what we're about here. The Bible's authority, it's subject, and it's power is our topic this morning.
David has been shown a joy that makes him forget himself. So much so that he willingly lays aside his kingly robes to dance with the most disenfranchised of his community. But it's not without opposition as the daughter of Saul quickly rebukes him.
David's question would be a good one for us all to ask, "How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?" Turns out, there IS a way back into the Presence of God, the way of blood, sacrifice, and atonement.
It is not enough to WANT the presence of God in your midst. HOW you approach him is vitally important, as King David is about to learn in a violent and terrible way. But why would Yahweh choose to do this? What could possibly be the reason for Uzzah's death?
David's first official act as King of Israel was to bring a smallish, portable worship container, the Ark of the Covenant, back into the Tabernacle. In so doing, he signifies to the people of God the most central act of his administration: the pursuit of the Presence of God.
Christ Presbyterian Church in Oxford resumed public worship on June 7, 2020 after a 3 month hiatus due to the COVID-19 Quarantine. Upon return, Les preached from Isaiah 49 and the gleanings he had from a sermon preached by Tim Keller in 2010.
Paul wraps up his discussion with a discourse on the inevitable conflict that Jesus' followers will encounter. Unfortunately, this passage has so much cultural encrustation around it, it can be hard to see what he's really saying. But once you do, the way you look at the world will never be the same.
There are few things like our relationship to our work that’ll bring out the spiritual struggles inside all of us. Some of us love our jobs, while others of us hate them. Regardless, Paul instructions were powerfully countercultural and can help us even today.
There is not the slightest notion in Paul that the Gospel truths he’s been unpacking can stay safely in a “non-public” place. Rather, it shows up in the most fundamental relationships of human life: children and parents.
The Church, Paul has said, is the most conspicuous place where God is going to show his intentions for the universe. Marriage is the other place where he will do that. Turns out, men and women have different roles to play in this cosmic drama.
Paul takes the next step in his unpacking of what it means to "imitate God" when he turns to the topic of human marriages. Marriages are hard because we are trying to use them for purposes for which they were never intended. Only when we see God's larger mission can we get a sense of how our marriages can be a blessing.
The models we pattern our lives after are powerful shapers of the human personality and action. So Paul exhorts them to “imitate God.” But HOW he unpacks this and the direction his teaching takes us is going to surprise you.
There is so much to fear in the midst of this pandemic. But the disciples found themselves in a similar quarantine in the days after Jesus' crucifixion that is remarkably similar to our own. But when Jesus appears, it changes everything. How the resurrection addresses our fears in our topic.
Paul expects that the new life that has been won for Jesus’ people will penetrate into the deepest levels of motivation. Namely, to be given a “new self.” How that works and what that looks like is our topic today.
It might strike you as odd that immediately after this extraordinary exposition of the Christian Gospel, Paul turns to the topic of our UNITY as God's people. Why he does this and how we can achieve it is our topic in this sermon.
Paul reaches the end of his exposition of the Gospel and pauses to pray for the Ephesians. In so doing, he speaks into his understanding of the ideal man, a person who has been strengthened by love and made full. Nothing comes close to this.
The word “evangelism” can conjure up all kinds of anxious and oftentimes negative feelings in the lives of believing people. But Paul wants to get the message out about the “mystery” of Christ for entirely different reasons.
In the second half of Ephesians, Paul gives his readers the highest expression of the church in the whole of the New Testament. The vision of our fellowship that he gives there is unlike any human institution that could exist.
In the second half of Ephesians 2, Paul gives his readers the highest expression of the church in the whole of the New Testament. The vision of our fellowship that he gives there is unlike any human institution that could exist.
The second half of Ephesians 1 is a passage that will give you a nosebleed, it’s such high doctrine. Paul unveils God’s secret to reunite all things: people, races, nations…even heaven and earth, in Christ. What that means for us is our topic: the restoration of all things.
One of the more puzzling revelations Paul makes in this passage is that being chosen by God from before the foundations of the Earth, the doctrine of predestination, is actually a blessing. How can this be when it feels like the doctrine is fraught with so much confusion and fear?
Paul takes the gem of God's salvation of sinners and holds it up to the light to see the many ways in which the beauties of God's grace can be seen. It roots the entirety of the Christian life in joy.
We begin a new sermon series through Paul's letter to a much beloved congregation in Ephesus. It is a power-packed theological discourse on God's Big Picture for the universe. But he opens up the whole letter by focusing on the word "Blessed." What could this mean for our study?
Every song that we've looked at that was sung by the first recipients of the news of Jesus' Advent has had hope as its central theme. But that hope is tempered by a bracing realization that the journey for those who choose to follow this baby can be hard and full of longing. Simeon's Nunc Dimmitis is the topic this morning
The angels sing because they are seeing the culmination of an eternity of longing and looking into what is being announced on the plains. The Shepherds transformation into singing and praising people show us what they were singing about. Mary's reaction should be ours as well.
When Mary has the news that the angel gave her confirmed by her relative Elizabeth, something "clicks" inside her and she bursts into song. But it's not a song of Christmas sentimentality that she sings. Instead, she talks about revolution and the overthrow of tyranny.
Revelation 14 finds the people of God standing around the Lamb, embattled by fighting the Dragon and the Great Beasts from the land and the sea. What are they doing? They are singing. Turns out there's curious power in our singing, so much that central to the mission of God's people will be found as we sing.
Finally, Moses stands before the completed Tabernacle. The people view the awesome cloud and fire above. The anticipation could not be greater. But the problem is: Moses is hindered from coming in! What does this say to us who long for the home that only God's presence can afford?
Exodus 32:1-14, 30-35; 33:1-6, 15-17 After all of the minutia of the plans for the Tabernacle, it's almost inconceivable that the Hebrews would betray YHWH this way. God's reaction is so strong in response, it deserves a careful look at what went wrong with the Golden Calf Incident.
The people of God, up until this time, haven't really been told to do anything. But now, at their arrival at Mt. Sinai, they are given LOTS of things to do. How do we account for the endless tedium included in these passages about the architectural blueprints of the Tabernacle?
We come to the "seam" of the book of Exodus where we find out exactly what God has been intending to do with these people he has redeemed. His intention? To create a "kingdom of priests." But what does that mean for the people of God?
Exodus 17:8-16; also Dt. 25:17-19, Things get weird when Christians begin to talk about 'spiritual warfare.' But Moses confrontation with the Amalekites in Exodus 17 shows us how much those who are going to be a part of the people of God should expect opposition, but also how to do proper battle with the enemies of healing.
Exodus 16:1-15, 22-26. The story of God's feeding with the manna became enigmatic in the lives of the people of God. It presupposes a deep spiritual hunger that only the enjoyment of God can truly satisfy.
Exodus 14:10-31. Moses has led the people directly into a trap it seems. With an uncrossable body of water behind them (interesting in its own right) and the most formidable military force known to man before them, how will God save his people? And what does this have to do with being the people of God today?
It's one thing to encounter violence in the world around us, but what do we do when we see that violence in the pages of our Bibles? What did the slaughter of the Egyptian first born and the death of little lambs have to do with God's purposes for his people?
The plagues are a violent outbreak against the oppressive Egyptians, all orchestrated...by YHWH himself. We are not used to hearing about this kind of visible wrath and judicial hardening coming from the Lord's hand. But if we don't, we'll miss how God is going to walk his people through their own sanctification.
No sooner does God launch his great rescue of his people through Moses than opposition arises. Opposition from the outside is one thing, but it turns out that the Hebrews have just as much opposition coming out of their own enslaved hearts.
Exodus 4:18-31. Such an odd passage! Is YHWH trying to kill Moses only moments after commissioning him to free the Jews? If not, then what does this passage mean? The answer is something that would become one of the most dear truths of the Christian faith, the Fatherhood of God.
Exodus 3:1-6, 4:10-13. As Moses approaches something that he can't make sense of in the Burning Bush, he gets his first impressions of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob there in the fire. And in so doing, he sets the pattern for what generations will experience when they meet God for the first time.
What happens when God's people reach a turning point? Almost always it's because He raises up a deliverer, a Redeemer who'll lead the rescue of his people by learning how to live in submission to God's will. Moses is a type of Christ.
How is it that the phrase "people of God" can go with the word "enslaved?" The people of God have pretty inauspicious beginnings in the opening chapters of Exodus. But even here, we see that God works through our slavery to show us the humility we need to really follow him.
Exodus 1:1-7 We begin a brand new series this week with a study through the book of Exodus. Here we learn all the essentials of what it means to be the people of God. The birthplace locates itself in a story already being told from Genesis, unveiled in an eternal conflict, but guaranteed by the grace of Yahweh.
Sometimes it's necessary to fathom the bad news before the good news of the Gospel really "lands" in the hearts of Jesus' followers. However, with the breaking of the covenant of works, God institutes a new and better "covenant of grace" to redeem his people.
No worldview is helpful that does not address the questions surrounding the problem of evil in the world. In Genesis 3, we find that evil emerges from the human heart, yes, but there is also a malevolent personality behind it that is pushing us to self-destruction.
A story is only as good as its plot. And the plot leads the reader into the meaning behind the action of the story. It explains why the characters make the choices they do. "Covenant" is the essential element of the Bible's storyline that does just that.
Character development in a good story is what draws you in and helps you relate to what's being told. Mankind is the crown of God's creation and is created with a purpose and a mission.
In a well told tale, the setting of the story is the most important element to guide the listener into the meaning of the story. What does it mean that we are introduced to a supernatural universe in God's Word?
One of the biggest problems with Bible interpretation is getting the Bible's perspective on ITSELF before you start reading it. The Bible comes to us as a Story. And that dramatically changes how we read it.
Walking together out of Jerusalem on Easter Sunday, Cleopas and his companion had no idea the magnanimity of what they had just experienced. But the most astounding small group Bible study ever taught would powerfully transform them to discover the true nature of The Compelling Christ.
The crucifixion was THE central event in the Christian Story. All of the (seemingly) disparate elements of Jesus' life and ministry culminate here. But what does that mean for his followers?
Injustice is a daily struggle for most of the populated world in our time. How we react to oppression and injustice, whether we sin or are sinned against, lies at the heart of Christianity's unique vision of life.
As Jesus languished in the Garden of Gethsemane, he got a glimpse of what was to come as he would bear the sins of his people...and it terrified him. That abandonment was then embodied in the betrayal of Judas and Peter.
The simplicity of Jesus' words of institution of what has become known as The Lord's Supper hides the immense profundity behind the rite. Christians for generations have explained the meaning of the Cross here. But what does it mean?
The historical claims of Biblical Christianity represent the heart of what is compelling about the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Everything the disciples came to preach afterwards centered on this fact. But can a modern person honestly find this story compelling?
Jesus early followers recognized him as the long awaited King of Jewish historical anticipation. But what in the world would that have to do with me who lives so separated from that worldview? Turns out, a lot.
Everyone's obsessions is to know the future. Whether because you've had bad things happen to you or you are longing for good things, an investment into where we're going is always on our mind. Jesus talks about our future in Luke 21.
Neither the religious nor the irreligious really understand what Jesus is talking about when he insists that his followers have "faith." What does it mean, in the final analysis, to really "believe?"
It's one thing if someone deceives me from the outside of myself. But what can we do if the deception we face originates from ourselves? Jesus walks us through how to penetrate this lie.
There are, as it turns out, TWO ways to run away from God. There is the irreligious way, the way of the younger brother. But what is often missed is the religious way, the way of the elder brother. But Jesus is the elder brother we really need.
Is Jesus a cult leader? The demands he makes on his followers lives leave little room for half-hearted allegiance, making many nervous that he is a religious "extremist." Is he?
Jesus would have sounded so much more modern and tolerant had he framed his message as "one way to heaven among many." But he didn't. What could possibly be compelling about this "narrow" way of salvation?
People just don't want to talk about money. But Jesus talked about money all the time as a window into our hearts true treasure. Maybe that's why we don't want to talk about it.
Jesus' confrontation with the Pharisees and religious order of his day shows us that Jesus despises hypocrisy. This fact usually surprises those who choose to leave Christianity because of "all the hypocrites in the church."
Where is our nostalgia taking us? If the definition is to "long for home" then what is that "home" like? Revelation 21-22 give us a vivid picture of the future of Christian joy.
It's one thing to say that Jesus will redeem our nostalgia at Christmas. It's quite another to understand HOW he will do so. Popular sports movie Hoosiers will help us uncover the meaning of John 1.
Nostalgia comes from a Greek word meaning "homesick." Today we use Luke chapter 2 to shine a light on the Christmas phenomenon of a Hallmark Christmas Movie. No, seriously.
The Christmas season can bring a wash of warm feelings and expectations of wonder and magic. But it can also bring a longing in the heart for something so much more.
Luke 10:25-37. After concentrating on the nature of who Jesus is, Luke turns in chapter 10 to the kind of life that Jesus expects his followers to live. And the first of these lessons is deeply transformational.
Who was Jesus? There were lots of opinions going around during his day, but his disciples said it correctly: he was the incarnate Son of God. But what does that mean for us?
Luke 8:22-25. You can't be certain of anything unless you're in possession of the power to make something so. Jesus is compelling for the very reason that is he is all powerful
Luke 8:4-18. Luke records the first story Jesus ever told, what we call "parables" as a story that explains HOW we are supposed to hear Jesus' stories.
Luke 7:1-10. The religious leaders told Jesus that the Centurion was "worthy" to have him heal his servant. But that's not how the Centurion sees himself. What does this have to do with Biblical "faith?"
Luke 7:18-50. Jesus is going to come to you in a form that you don't expect. But when you realize the terms in which he will realize your relationship, you can be deeply encouraged.
Luke 6. Luke presents his version of Jesus' famous "Sermon on the Mount." Here we find that Jesus puts a radical new vision of the Christian life before his followers.
Without a doubt, the wonder working miracles of Jesus were at the top of the list of why people followed him, right? Actually, it's slightly more complicated than that.
Jesus battles Satan at the outset of his ministry proving that he is the New and better Adam, surviving temptation where Adam failed. This teaches us how to handle temptation in our lives.
What could a genealogy possible say to us that would establish the compelling nature of Jesus? A lot, actually. Today we look at how Jesus transforms our own broken personal history.
Jesus comes with Hurricane strength into life of his followers. And there's only one posture they can maintain to withstand it. That posture: repentance.
Christians throughout the ages have insisted that Jesus of Nazareth was the very Son of God, a clear claim to his Deity. However, the qeustion remains: why would have have been such an important thing. This morning, we consider why.
It may sound obvious to say, but Jesus was a real person. This truth has been under attack more than we know throughout church history and the effects of it are downright dangerous.
Jesus was the long expected King. And if he is King, we hold the key to understanding our role in the world as followers of Jesus.
Luke wants for Theophilus to have certainty about the things he's being taught. And yet HOW that certainty is going to come is surprising. What would make Jesus compelling for so many generations of people to leave it all to follow him?
Just on the other side of the veil, there is God's space. And there's a party going on there. So if we are to be an outpost of heaven, we have to learn how to celebrate.
Sanctification is not merely an inward, private affair. Far from it, Jesus mission on earth was to launch a worldwide, global healing which means that we are required to think about change beyond the four walls of our hearts.
Everybody has something about themselves that they want to change, but how do you do that. Jesus presents us with a unique way of approaching change in our lives that is long lasting and God honoring.
Today we look into the question of what Justification does in changing the way we look at ourselves and the world around us.
This week we look into the topic of how a church that is a "place of grace" sets the Gospel at the center of its joy.
We begin our summer series with an exercise in preparation for lots of transition that's ahead for Christ Presbyterian Church in Oxford, MS. That is, we will work to consider what kind of church we want to be. This week, we look at what it means to have the Bible at the center of the church's life.
On writer recently stated, "...the sexual revolution is over." What do they mean? Are they correct? How should Christians think about the #MeToo movement? What about the churches care for the LGBTQ community?
How should a Christian engage in the Arts? What should be the guiding principles as Christians make and consume the artistic expression that is presented to them from the world around them?
We are finally ready to consider how careful Christians must be as they examine what it means to be missional in a society that grows less and less familiar with the basics of the Christian message.
This week, our attention turnst to the activity of evangelism in the world today. Tim Keller write extensively about the topic from this morning.
Lots of people are writing and thinking about new challenges to Christian thinking on how to be the church in the world. Today we will consdier the contributions of Andy Crouch and James Davison Hunter.
So how to the Church and the Kingdom relate to one another? At the intersection of someone's answer to this question lies the source of our present social anxiety in Western Christianity today.
The Church is the fundamental social institution for Christians. However, the Bible talks also about the importance of something called the "kingdom of God."
The most basic social understanding of a Christian is that he is a member of Jesus' "church," his "called out ones." Any discussion about how to live as a Christian in this world must begin here.
You're not paying attention if you don't see that HOW Christians are supposed to live in a world that is changing as rapidly as it is has become a GIANT question for the Christian church in America.
John says that God's people will suffer for "time, times, and half a time." What does he mean? And how can we be encoruaged to endure it?
The series through Revelation continues with a look at the four hoursement of the Apocalypse and why they are riding even today.
Les continues his study through the heart of the book of Revelation by looking at chapter 5, the Lion and the Lamb.
Les had a chance to preach at Grace Evangelical Church in Memphis, TN and conduct a series through the heart of the book of Revelation.
What a way to end this series! The beauties described at the end of Revelation are some of the most encouraging in the whole Bible.
This week, we consider the doctrine of adoption from the book of Galatians. Clearly one of the more encouraging concepts in the plan of salvation.
Les led worship for Christ Presbyterian Church, Oxford, MS and preached on the Meaning of Forgivness from Matthew 18.
Les Newsom returns for one last night of RUF Ole Miss preaching on the Transfiguration of Jesus
Former RUF Ole Miss Campus Minister, Les Newsom ('99-'11) returns to kickoff a series called "Conversations With Jesus."
This week, we consider the "pillar on which the church stands or falls," the doctrine of justification.
What does it mean to believe? If we don't get this question correct, our remedies to troubled souls will be misguided and, sometimes, dangerous.
God does the calling, and when he does, he brings new life where there is death. But what does it mean to be "born again?"
The doctrine of election causes many to bristle. But if you'll let go of the philsophical questions for a moment, some real sweetness can be found in this description of Christian salvation.
We continue our discussion on the order of Christian savlation with Part 2 of "Union With Christ."
Les begins a series on the historic "order of salvation" (Lt. "ordo salutis"), a study we're calling "Turning the Gem." The jewel of our salvation is looked at each week in a different turning on each of the aspects in the Order. This morning, we look at the overarching truth of the Order of Salvation that doesn't really fit the "order." Union with Christ is THE defining characteristic of the Christian life.
Les begins a series on the historic "order of salvation" (Lt. "ordo salutis"), a study we're calling "Turning the Gem." The jewel of our salvation is looked at each week in a different turning on each of the aspects in the Order. This morning, we look at the introduction to the history of the Ordo Salutis.
RUF student Laura Treppendahl was struck by an oncoming car in February of 2004. Les was privileged to speak at her memorial service. This audio was recorded at First Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge, LA.
If we live in the light of the Divine Story, what does it mean for the way in which we look at our world?
Mankind has cast himself into ruin and alienation. How will God resolve his intentions to bless his image bearers?
Every good story has an antagonist to contest the protagonist. Satan appears in the Christian story full of lies.
If Genesis is a story, what is that story about? What will be the larger story arcs of the plot? Tonight we see why the covenant is important to understanding that question.
No story works without interesting characters. Humanity is the crown of God's creation and the major player in his intentions.
Why do stories have such an ability to move us? What if God is telling a story that is the very fabric of life itself?
Paul's image of our bodies being offered as "living sacrifices" recalls the OT "hola" offering which required the offering to be totally spent.
Is is possible to overcome the bottomless well of insecurity that constantly wells up within us? Paul shows us how to do it.
Few doctrines are more joyously transformational than the doctrine of adoption. What are the benefits of adoption?
The most foundational description of the Christian life is that of struggle. Tonight we consider why.
There are few more mysterious doctrines than a Christians union with Christ, but Paul hinges so much on our understanding it.
Of all the struggles confronting a Christian, the question of assurance of salvation is at the top.
The doctrine of justification by faith is more than Reformation truth; it's the heart of the good news.
The Christian doctrine of total depravity is intended to close our mouths. Can this be a good thing?
Chapter 2 of Romans is a great 'gotcha' moment, when you think you have the moral high ground...you don't.
No sooner has Paul announced "good news" than he suddenly starts to talk about God's wrath.
Paul has big news that he's not ashamed of about how to be right with God. Such is the message of Romans.
Of all the concepts that Christians need to understand to have a grasp on the nature of their relationship to God, covenant stands alone.
This chapter in Leviticus represents some of the most radical moral and social philosophy in the entire Bible.
It is one of the more counter-cultural aspects of Christianity that God insists that holiness begins in learning to rest.
There are few more insisted upon Christian attributes than the topic of holiness, but few more burdensome Christian virtues.
The Bible's position on the controversial topic of homosexuality is neither a stance of accommodation nor revulsion.
At the very center of the Leviticus Universe is the Day of Atonement. Here God assures his people of real forgiveness.
Of all the immediately offensive passages in Leviticus, the chapters detailing the clean laws are the most disturbing. Can it possibly have anything to do with us?
The very idea of the priesthood seems hopelessly quaint most evangelical Christians, but the concept is closer to our humanity than you might first think.
The Sin Offering explores the human psyche with an eye to its dysfunction. Here we see how the people of God deal with their lapses.
There are all kinds of parallels in relating to God and relating to each other. When we see the link between sacrifice and intimacy, we understand the progression of the ancient rites listed here.
So...in order to approach this God, I have to kill an animal? To modern ears, the sacrifical system is primitive, even brutal. What does it have to do with us?
There's a bit of irony in the fact that though Leviticus is almost universally disregarded among religious and irreligious, it is still used frequently to take issue with the Bible. Does this book have anything to do with me?
Gluttony: More than just simple vices concerning food and drink, gluttony is the outworking of idolatry in the life.
Envy and Anger: Get dissatisfied with your life and lust after what others have and you'll start to get angry.
Sloth: So much more than mere laziness, sloth is the sin that plagues the terminally unmotivated, a loss of purpose and meaning.
Pride: CS Lewis calls pride the chief of all the sins because it reverses the natural order of the universe where God is most important.
So is Christianity anti-sexuality or are our cultural appetites wildly out of sync with reality?
Christian history has identified seven great sins that plague the human heart. What is the problem with sin and how are we to look at it?
The Bible is a story about Jesus. He is the ultimate hero. So what does it mean when Paul says "for me to live IS Christ"?
If God has begun a work of grace in the world, what does that mean for what our world looks like? Tonight we consider wisdom.
If our sin has left us in despair, where are we to go for help? What will God do to redeem his image?
In view of our previous discussions, one would think that being in the image of God was near perfection. But the Fall distorts the image of God in us.
Our "being" and our "doing" are intimately related in the Bible's calculus about ourselves. Tonight we consider God's view of our work.
More and more researchers are discovering that human beings make sense of their lives through the idea of "story." But what does God say about our story?
Rev. 21-22- Followers of the Lamb have a glorious destiny, glorious enough to see them through the Death itself.
Rev. 20- There are few more challenging chapters in the Bible to digest than Revelation 20. Tonight, we try to get through the muddle to the beauty within.
Rev. 19- Worship and praise dominate our existence in heaven. But what do those terms mean? And what could possibly induce God's people to praise for all eternity?
Rev. 17-18- Worldliness is incarnated in Babylon the Whore in John's revelation. Her destruction is self-destruction in God's sovereign plan. The followers of the Lamb are told to "come out."
Rev. 13- Satan, it turns out, does not work alone...at least he doesn't manifest his presence in only one way. He comes to us as two beasts.
Rev. 12- What is behind the overwhelming evil of the 20th century? John explains that the rage of Satan is to blame for it, and tells how Christians can stand.
Rev. 6-7 The nature of the seven seals and the identity of the 144,000 are discussed tonight. Turns out John is preparing us for suffering.
Rev. 5 What would cause the eruption of the hosts of heaven into rapturous praise? A Lion who looks like a Lamb.
Rev. 4 Jesus stands at a "door" and knocks. In Chapter 4, we get to travel through that door and see what is on the other side...the very Throne Room of God.
Rev. 2-3 It is not enough simply to change the thinking of Jesus' people. Their behavior must also be challenged and charged..but with an incentive to obey.
Rev. 2-3 King Jesus has a word for his people. He has things he can commend him people for and things that he must condemn in them.
Rev. 1:9-20 While "in the Spirit" John looks up and sees the Risen and Exalted Jesus. And he is where he promised he'd be: with his people.
Rev. 1:1-8 John is more than a theologian; he is a poet. And his masterpiece is the book of Revelation. Here we see God's sovereignty on display through fantastic images.
Only in defining faith as the working activity of the human heart can you understand James' insistence that faith always brings about change.
Faith is the "evidence of things not seen." Faith has its locus in the imagination, the primary facility of believing.
The very heart of believing involves a deep despair over one's own ability to please God and a dependence upon him to save alone.
It is a decidedly modern view of faith that pits faith and reason when in fact all reasoning relies on some kind of faith.
How would you explain what it means to "believe" if asked? How do I know if I am a believing person?
The Holy Spirit so cooperates with the rest of the Trinity that man's salvation is as secure as God's declaration is certain.
So did Jesus die to make my salvation possible contingent upon my believing, OR did he come to actually save me.
Whether or not you agree or disagree with The Five Points will largely be determined by what you think of Total Depravity.
There was a significant controversy during the Reformation of the doctrines of grace. Here we are introduced to the history behind the controversy.
It is supremely naive to think that God's Plan will be enacted without Demonic opposition. Understanding that opposition is how Paul closes out this letter.
In the Christian life, there is no "sacred" part of life separated from the "secular" part of life. All of Christ under the Lord of all.
The Church is God's most conspicuous institution to bring about his plan. Our marriages are given for the same reason.
We naturally imitate the things we are closest to. God expects his people to imitate him because of how closely he has moved to us in Christ.
Having walked through the great doctrines of the faith, Paul turns to the most pressing application of those truths...unity.
Good news, by its nature, wants to get "out." That is, it longs to be told. Paul made it the point of his life to tell the world about God's "secret."
God's intention with the universe was NOT to make a disconnection collection of individuals, but a new humanity.
God's description of his people outside of Christ? Dead. But the life he brings to dead people is astounding (NOTE: POOR AUDIO QUALITY).
We are doing it all the time. It is instinctive to form frames of reference to understand our world. What is God's frame of reference for us?
Of all the things you can say about Paul's letter to the Ephesians, you have to admit that he's clearly excited about something.
The work of the Holy Spirit is eventually to transform our earthly bodies into heavenly ones, and establish a new creation.
The work of the Holy Spirit is to create a people of God, full of forgiveness for one another.
The work of the Holy Spirit is to create a people of God, a holy community called the Church.
The Holy Spirit is mysterious and therefore our thinking about him can invite much confusion.
It is counterintuitive to think that Jesus' being a Judge would be comforting, but to early Christians, it was downright transformational.
Without the resurrection, Christianity loses its power. Paul says if we don't have this, we don't have hope.
The undeniable center of Christian belief is the death of its leader, Jesus. How strange.
The Incarnation, Jesus' taking on human flesh, is a cataclysmic event in human history. Tonight we see why.
CS Lewis said it best: Jesus either has to be a liar a lunatic or the Lord of all creation. His claims demand as much.
The Apostles Creed begins its message with the great thought of God, Triune, Fatherly, Almighty.
For many people, sex and marriage are a severe disappointment. Could it be that we have brought unrealistic expectations to our married sex lives?
Is it possible to help from the Bible that goes beyond mere moralism and dubious biology? We explore the Bible's view of sex tonight.
This is the third part in a three part series on the modern dating ritual. Tonight we look at a case study of a good dating relationship.
This is the second part in a three part series on the modern dating ritual. Tonight we discuss the three definitions of relationships.
This is the first part in a three part series on the modern dating ritual. Tonight we discuss the fact that relationships fall out into roles.
The simple lesson tonight: marry your best friend. But what is true Biblical friendship? and how do I cultivate it with my significant other?
The Bible's prescription for real womanhood is beyond the capability of any woman. How does the Gospel recreate women and what would it look like?
The Bible's prescription for real manhood is beyond the capability of any man. How does the Gospel recreate men and what would it look like?
Change, in the view of Christianity, is not a task done in isolation. When we enter, as John says, the light of Christian fellowship, real light comes into our lives.
In one of the more dramatic passages in the OT, God describes his relationship with his people in some...disturbing terms. Hosea is told to marry a whore.
What's wrong with our relationships? Lots, it turns out. Genesis 3 leads us through what exactly happened to us in the Fall.
Two competing trends have created what Peter Lebovitz calls a "powerful confusion in our souls" about relationships. Does the Bible off any hope?
What's wrong with our relationships? Lots, it turns out. Genesis 3 leads us through what exactly happened to us in the Fall.