Park Street Church Sermons: Recent Episodes
Park Street Church
Mark Booker | Colossians 3:15 | In contrast to a world filled with conflict and division, the new life to which we are called in Christ is to be ruled by the peace of Christ. This sermon explores the nature of this peace, what it means for this peace to rule over us, and why this is fitting given that we are one body.
Mark Booker | Colossians 3:14 | As part of a series on the new life we have in Christ in Colossians 3.12-17, this sermon explores the defining virtue of the Christian life: love. We examine the priority of love, the definition of love, and the ways we can grow in love.
Mark Booker | Colossians 3:13 | This sermon explores the radical call to forgiveness in the Christian life, examining both the inner work of forgiveness and touching on the journey toward reconciled relationships. God's lavish forgiveness is the foundation for extending grace to those who have wounded us—not as advanced spirituality, but as the essential heartbeat of new life in Christ.
Mark Booker | Colossians 3:12 | This sermon explores what it means to "put on" the character of Christ through five qualities that reshape our posture toward others: compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. These are not automatic changes but intentional ways of living that we are to develop daily—like putting on a new uniform for our new life in Christ.
Mark Booker | Colossians 3:12 | We begin a new sermon series on Colossians 3:12-17 to explore the new life in Christ. This opening sermon demonstrates that our identity is not defined by our careers or roles, but by what God has done for us through his love, grace, and mercy. God's action in Christ changes our hearts and fuels our transformation into the new life. This transformation comes not through self-help effort, but through embracing and believing the reality that "the old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Sandy Willson | Acts 1:1-8 | Sermon given by guest preacher and Interim President of The Gospel Coalition, Sandy Willson, on Acts 1.
Adam Herndon | John 10:11-18 | Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, knows the sheep, and gathers them into one flock.
Randall Wetzig | John 20:19-31 | For many of us, Thomas is one of the most relatable people in the Bible. How does Jesus respond to Thomas' request for evidence of the resurrection? And what does it mean for us to to believe in the resurrected Son of God?
Mark Booker | Luke 24:1 - 12 | This Easter message explores the question that the two angels ask the women at the tomb on the first Easter morning: why do you seek the living among the dead? Jesus is the only source of abundant, indestructible life, and we are invited to stop seeking the living among the dead and to turn to him for life.
Mark Booker | John 18:1 - 19:37 | Who is on the cross and what does he have to do with me? Through the lens of the Gospel according to John, this sermon explores how Jesus' death was not merely a tragic event but a deliberate act of divine love—bringing cleansing, liberation, and abundant life to all who recognize the personal nature of His sacrifice.
Mark Booker | Revelation 3:14-22 | This final message on the book of Revelation (delivered on Palm Sunday) considers Christ's challenging but gracious words to the church in Laodicea. Jesus lovingly offers what we truly need through His sacrificial death, inviting us to open the door to intimate fellowship with Him.
Mark Booker | Revelation 2:8-11, 3:7-13 | Jesus's messages to the faithful churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia encourage them to walk by faith and not by sight, acknowledging their true spiritual wealth in the midst of tribulation. We look at the core conviction of faith and how that is to work itself out in our lives.
Mark Booker | Revelation 3:1-6 | This sermon examines Christ's urgent message to the church in Sardis that appeared alive but was spiritually dead. We consider the remedy Jesus gives for this condition as well as the call to avoid the subtle compromises that gradually numb our hearts to the gospel.
Mark Booker | Revelation 2:18-29 | Jesus exhorts believers in Thyatira to "hold fast" amidst teaching that is leading some of them to conform to the culture. This sermon considers several ways that we are tempted to compromise and calls us to see and behold Jesus - in his power, love, and mercy - as the key to remaining faithful.
Mark Booker | Revelation 2:12-17 | This sermon explores Jesus's message to the church in Pergamum and its relevance for Christians today who face pressure to compromise with cultural norms. It offers practical questions to help believers examine areas where they might be accommodating worldly values rather than remaining faithful witnesses.
Mark Booker | Revelation 2:1-7 | In this sermon exploring the first of seven messages to the churches in Revelation, we discover how Jesus both commends the Ephesians for their commitment to doctrinal truth while rebuking them for abandoning the the love they had at first. The message invites us to examine our own hearts with regard to love even as we remain zealous to defend the truth.
Mark Booker | Revelation 22:6-21 | This sermon explores how Revelation calls us to urgent, faithful, worshipful, Christ-centered, and hope-filled witness amidst conflict as we wait for Christ to return. The epilogue remind us that this book is not primarily a puzzle to decode but a manual of discipleship for followers of the Lamb whose are empowered by the grace of God.
Mark Booker | Revelation 5:1-14 | We continue looking at John's vision of the heavenly throne room and we see the lamb standing as slain through whom God's kingdom is established. This sermon examines how he conquered and what this means about God and for us.
Mark Booker | Revelation 4:1-11 | This sermon considers John's vision of the core of reality: the heavenly throne room in which there is unceasing worship of the one seated on the throne. Through this breathtaking vision, we are invited to think more deeply about - and to enter into - that worship for which we were made.
Mark Booker | Revelation 1:9-20 | The book of Revelation begins with a powerful, evocative vision of the glorious Christ, a vision which comforts and encourages disciples as they seek to walk faithfully with Jesus through the challenges of life. This sermon explores this vision in the context of tribulation and considers how it provides unshakeable hope and real comfort, leading to responses of worship and witness.
Mark Booker | Revelation 1:1-8 | Revelation can be a haven for sectarian thinking and for Christian disagreement. Why would we preach and engage this book? This introductory message for a new sermon series on the book of Revelation offers seven reasons to engage with Revelation that arise from the prologue to the book: Revelation 1.1-8.
Mark Booker | Matthew 6:33 | As we begin a new academic year in Boston, we examine Jesus's exhortation to seek God's kingdom and righteousness as the top priority in life, above all other pursuits. We are liberated from an anxious life because our heavenly Father knows our needs and promises to meet them.
Mark Booker | Ephesians 6:18-20 | This is the third and final sermon in a short series on Ephesians 6.10-20. This message considers Paul's exhortation for us to pray at all times and the importance of prayer in helping us to put on the armor and stand firm. It also addresses the key reason for our struggles in prayer.
Mark Booker | Ephesians 6:14-17 | This second sermon in a three-part series on Eph 6.10-20 examines the armor that God supplies us so that we might stand firm against the devil. It considers the different pieces of armor and then reflects on how to put the armor on.
Mark Booker | Ephesians 6:10-13 | In this opening sermon in a short series on Ephesians 6.10-20, we look at vv.10-13 and consider the following: 1) that we are in a battle, 2) the need to know our enemy, and 3) the call to stand.
Jonathan Gibson | Luke 10:38-42 | In this encounter between Jesus, Martha, and Mary at Martha's home, we are encouraged to order the many important things in life by the one necessary thing.
Scott Sunquist | Colossians 4:2-6 | Guest preacher Scott Sunquist, President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, examines the call to prayerful watchfulness, wisdom, and witness to the mystery of Christ, found in Paul’s letter to the Colossians.
Sandy Willson | Titus 3:1-11 | Guest preacher Sandy Willson, interim president of The Gospel Coalition and pastor emeritus at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee, opens Pauls' considers Paul's letter to Titus. As Christians, we are called to be different because of the grace that God has shown to us.
Leonard Mosiah | Psalm 23 | Those whose shepherd is the Lord have provision, salvation, restoration, and life everlasting.
Mark Booker | Psalm 33 | We look at the exhortation to shout for joy from this psalm and at the reasons given for doing so. Living a life of joyful praise flows out of who God is and the fact that he is for us.
Mark Booker | Acts 2:42-47 | In this sixth and final message in a series on Acts 2, we consider the earliest Christian community which is the fruit of the gospel. We look at the hearts of the earliest community, their devotion, and what they are devoted to.
Randall Wetzig | Psalm 65 | In this psalm, we see how God abundantly provides for his people, turning the waters of chaos into good.
Mark Booker | Acts 2:37-41 | This sermon considers the response to Peter's preaching of the gospel in Acts 2 under the headings of conviction, actions, gifts, and fruit.
Mark Booker | Acts 2:22-32 | Peter's sermon stays focused on the crucified and raised Jesus and drives to the declaration that this Jesus is both Lord and Messiah (Christ). This has implications for his original hearers, for us, and for Christian witness.
Mark Booker | Acts 2:22-32 | Christian witness is all about Jesus. As Peter turns to Jesus, he initially addresses his life, death, and resurrection. We also see some deeper dimensions of the way that God works in the world in these verses.
Mark Booker | Acts 2:12-21 | As Peter begins his Pentecost sermon, he declares that this event is the fulfillment of Israel's great hope that God would pour out his Spirit in a fresh way. This sermon explores the texture of this fulfillment through Peter's quotation of the prophet Joel.
Mark Booker | Acts 2:1-13 | We look at the the giving of the Spirit on Pentecost in this first message in a new series on Acts 2. We consider the context of the call to witness and the provision of God's Spirit who enables us to fulfill that call.
Ronnie Collier Stevens | John 2:1-11 | Pastor Stevens shared the story of Jesus' first miracle, turning water into wine. He encouraged us to follow Mary's command, to do whatever He tells you.
Leonard Mosiah | Jonah 1 | God is the main character in redirection, restoration, repentance, and grace.
Mark Booker | John 21:20-25 | As the Gospel according to John comes to an end, Peter learns not to compare his situation to John's but rather to stay focused on Jesus and to follow him. This message explores our tendency to compare and invites us to trust Jesus, the good shepherd, as he leads us down our particular path.
Mark Booker | John 21:15-19 | Do you love me? In this poignant encounter with Peter, Jesus demonstrates the centrality of love for the life of discipleship. We look at the larger context of this question and consider what a life of loving Jesus looks like.
Chris May | John 21:1-14 | Jesus still invites us for breakfast on the beach, meeting us in our emptiness by the power and compassion of his strong right hand.
Randall Wetzig | Colossians 3.1-4 | Christ has risen from the dead, and Paul claims in Colossians that if we are united with Jesus in faith, we have died and have been raised with him as well. What does that mean? And what are we to do as resurrected humans?
Mark Booker | Mark 16:1-8 | Alleluia! Christ is risen! This Easter sermon considers the reactions of the women to the resurrection to help us think about our own reactions to this life and world altering event that is at the foundation of the Christian faith.
Mark Booker | Mark 14:32 - 15:47 | As Holy Week begins, we look at Jesus's prayer in Gethsemane and consider the calling to yield to the Father's will. This means dying to ourselves and taking up the cross.
Walter Kim | Ezekiel 47:1-12 | This sermon calls us to see, experience, and live into the river of God's renewing, new creation work in our lives and communities.
Mark Booker | Hebrews 12:25-29 | Run With Endurance | Hebrews 12 finishes with a warning not to refuse him who is speaking. In this final sermon in the series, we explore this warning, the rationale for it, and the response that occurs when we heed it. This is a call to faith in our holy, powerful, transcendent, majestic God, and this is the key to being able to run with endurance the race marked out for us.
Mark Booker | Hebrews 12:18-24 | Run With Endurance | One key to enduring well is being oriented to reality. This passage orients us to the place that we are in Christ, not under the law at Mt. Sinai but under grace at Mt. Zion. In Christ, we are awash in the grace and mercy of God. Can we, then, extend that grace and mercy to one another?
Mark Booker | Hebrews 12:15-17 | Run With Endurance | This passage issues a call to the church to see to it that no one falls short in the race that we are running. We can fall short by sin and unbelief, and the author gives us a few specific areas to watch out for. This message was given on the same day as the Annual Meeting of the members of Park Street Church.
Scott Arbeiter | John 15:1-11 | The promise Jesus gives is that we will bear fruit as we remain in him, the true vine. This sermon, on a Sunday when we are celebrating our partnership with World Relief, explores the nature of the fruit we bear and the false vines and artificial fruit that tempt us. The invitation to remain in Jesus is not only an invitation to bear fruit but also to have true joy.
Mark Booker | Hebrews 12:12-13 | Run With Endurance | When we're weary and tired in the Christian race, these verses call us to keep our form so that we can endure. This message examines the exhortations to strengthen our form and make our paths straight, and then it considers what motivates us to do so.
Mark Booker | Hebrews 12:14 | Run With Endurance | We're urged to strive for two things: peace and holiness. This message considers what it means to strive and addresses several dimensions of the call to strive for peace with everyone, especially in a context of conflict and tension.
Mark Booker | Hebrews 12:1-4 | Run With Endurance | In the call to run with endurance, we are urged to be constantly looking to Jesus. This sermon considers Jesus as the great exemplar for the life of faith and calls us to follow in his footsteps as we seek to endure through hardships and trials.
Mark Booker | Hebrews 12:1-11 | Run With Endurance | Another key to running with endurance is accepting the course that God sets before us. This includes accepting the hardships and adversity that this passage encourages us to view as God’s fatherly discipline. This message explores how we walk by faith by accepting what God allows in our lives.
Mark Booker | Hebrews 12:1 | In a series on Hebrews 12 and running with endurance, this message considers the admonition to lay aside weight and sin. We consider these two realities that can hinder us from enduring and then consider how we might remove them from our lives.
Mark Booker | Hebrews 12:1 | This is the first message in a series on Hebrews 12 that will consider the call to run with endurance. We begin in v1 by considering the encouragement we are to derive from the great cloud of witness by which we are surrounded. Their examples of faith continue to speak and offer us encouragement to cling to God and his promises.
Adam Herndon | Isaiah 40: 1-11 | In a life full of certainty and hardship, God brings comfort to his people in His coming. During the Advent season, we are reminded that God will bring justice and righteousness and the renewal of all things at his Second Advent. We can take comfort in that Jesus has made a way, Jesus is true to his Word, Jesus brings Good News, and Jesus is our Good Shepherd.
Mark Booker | Titus 2:11-14 | This Christmas Eve sermon explores this passage in Titus which shows that God's grace in the gift of his son does two things: 1) it rescues and fixes us, and 2) it gives us a regimen for living into the new life we are given through Christ. Merry Christmas!
Mark Booker | 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 | The Cross: The Power and Wisdom of God | We close our five-week series on the cross with a return to Paul's preaching which was a subject of debate in Corinth. We contrast the role of a persuader with that of a herald and unpack why this matters to Paul. The sermon considers some implications for the ministry of God's people and concludes with a thought on weakness as the means through which God's power is made known.
Mark Booker | 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 | The Cross: The Power and Wisdom of God | Paul directs the Corinthians' attention to the gift of God in Christ crucified and to the benefits we receive from Christ. As we make much of Christ, we will make little of ourselves. This sermon explores the gift of the man on the cross, that he is our home, our provision, and our boast.
Mark Booker | 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 | The Cross: The Power and Wisdom of God | The gospel liberates us from the need to pursue glory, praise, status or honor from the world. God's choice of the lowly Corinthians humbles the wise and the strong and demands an end to our boasting. The people of the cross are not marked by worldly status but by the boast-less freedom and humility that come through the love of God for sinners like us.
Mark Booker | 1 Corinthians 1:1-25 | The Cross: The Power and Wisdom of God | Paul explains that the way God acts - in the cross and in the proclamation of the cross - subverts the systems of worth, value, honor, and status of the culture. Those who view the cross from the lens of the world perceive it as merely foolishness and weakness. In contrast, those who view the cross through the lens of faith understand it to be the power of God and the wisdom of God. This is something - the only thing - to build our lives on.
Mark Booker | 1 Corinthians 1:17 | The Cross: The Power and Wisdom of God | This is the first message in a series that is reflecting on the cross through a study of 1 Cor 1.17-2.5. Paul immediately brings the attention of the troubled church in Corinth to the cross of Christ. This is the remedy for their troubles. In truth, the cross is the remedy for every matter in the Christian life. In this sermon, we examine the two halves of verse 17, considering 1) the priority of proclaiming the cross and 2) how not to pursue that priority.
Michael W. Goheen | Matthew 5:13-16 | Dr. Goheen exorts us through an exploration of Matthew 5:13-16 and Isaiah 2:1-5.
Ruth Padilla DeBorst | Isaiah 55:1-3, 56:4-8 | Dr. DeBorst provides a view of God's invitation to all of us through the text of Isaiah 55:1-3, 56:4-8.
Tom Petters | Hosea 6:1-6 | Dr. Petter looks at the book of Hosea, as he delves into the topic of Repentance.
Damian Long | Luke 15:1-10 | I am the one who has wandered from the fold. We are the ones who have wandered. He is the Good Shepherd who puts us on his shoulders and bring us back into him, household and restored and rejoicing loving relationship.
Barry Kang | Esther 8:1-2 & 8:15-9:2 | Dr. Kang examines the book of Esther, discussing the sovereignty of God.
Jeffrey Arthurs | Psalm 67 | Psalms of Jesus | Dr. Arthurs exhorts us to share the prayer of Paul in Ephesians 1:15-23, that the church would have a spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Adam Herndon | Psalm 34 | Psalms of Jesus | We live in a culture where we are constantly comparing ourselves to others. We have a fear of not measuring up to worldly standards. In Psalm 34, we are invited to overcome our fears with fear. We are instructed to fear the Lord. As we seek him, and follow his word we will taste the goodness of God in our lives.
Julian L | Psalm 57 | Psalms of Jesus | How do you navigate storms? Do you shut down ‘emotionally'? Do you get hijacked with anger? Psalm 57 provides a path of wisdom with twists and turns from David’s experience.
Damian Long | Psalm 139 | Psalms of Jesus | To be known fully and completely is to be undone. Jesus as the very known-ness, knowability, and all-knowing God, searches our hearts and humbles us, as he leads us through the death to self to life everlasting in Him.
Julian L | Psalm 81 | Psalms of Jesus | What is an authentic community? How do you belong to or contribute to an authentic Christian community? Psalm 81 tells us we need to separate ourselves from our 'false' self, a deformed, projected image we communicate to others, and to develop our 'true' self based on the inner life of the Spirit re-shaping our souls. An authentic community needs both praise and silence, shouting and listening, singing and hearing, otherwise it is merely replicating the false-self of individuals writ large.
Adam Herndon | Psalm 118 | Psalms of Jesus | God's steadfast and enduring love delivers his people from their sin through Jesus Christ. We are apart of God's redemptive story in this world. We are called to go out and share our own song (story) of God's deliverance in our life.
Mark Booker | Psalm 110 | Psalms of Jesus | The earliest Christians - and Jesus himself - saw the events of Jesus's resurrection and ascension through this psalm. This sermon explores three points about Jesus and two points about us that arise from this psalm. What we learn in this psalm can renew our worship and service of Jesus, our victorious king and eternal priest.
Mark Booker | Psalm 96 | Psalms of Jesus | Psalm 96 is a summons to all the world to praise the God of Israel who reigns. This sermon considers that summons, why it is given, and the effects of praise in the life of those who follow Jesus.
Mark Booker | Psalm 94 Psalms of Jesus | We regularly face circumstances of dissonance and disorientation, circumstances in which it seems that God is not ruling over our lives or the world. These circumstances can make our faith dwindle, but Psalm 94 gives us a blueprint for how faith can be exercised, and even strengthened, in these situations.
Randall Wetzig | Psalm 72 | Psalms of Jesus | God's vision for a good king is one who rules with God's own justice and righteousness, rules for the flourishing of the people, and whose kingdom extends across the earth and through all time. No earthly king or government can measure up. We need a good king. Jesus is that king.
Tim Leary | Psalm 40 | Psalms of Jesus | The Lord blesses the man who trusts in Him. Jesus's sacrifice is enough for salvation. References to U2 and C.S. Lewis were the fun part of the message.
Damian Long | Psalm 31| Psalms of Jesus | God as Our refuge and good and spacious place, has rescued us by His mighty powerful and perfectly loving hand. Jesus entrusted his Spirit on the cross as he uttered the pray from this Psalm - the embodiment and perfect expression of committing completely in submission to God. And we now, as embraced and belonging people can entrust our entire lives in response, for He has redeemed us as our faithful God!
Michael Balboni | Psalm 22 | Psalms of Jesus | Psalm 22 offers six practices to help us travel through life's afflictions and the experience of God's absence.
Mark Booker | Psalm 16 | Psalms of Jesus | We are called to walk by faith and not by sight. This sermon explores the life of faith through the lens of Psalm 16, going on to show that Jesus is the greatest illustration of this life.
Raymond Kam | Psalm 8 | Psalms of Jesus | This is the third sermon in the Psalms of Jesus series.
Julian L | Psalm 2 | Psalms of Jesus | This sermon explores the path of true blessedness and invites us to consider what we truly love. Do we delight in God's instruction and so live a life of fruit-bearing and substance? Or do we stop up our ears and go our own way? This psalm confronts us with that choice, and Jesus, of course, shows us how to choose well as he embodies this psalm in his life.
Mark Booker | Psalm 1 | Psalms of Jesus | This sermon explores the path of true blessedness and invites us to consider what we truly love. Do we delight in God's instruction and so live a life of fruit-bearing and substance? Or do we stop up our ears and go our own way? This psalm confronts us with that choice, and Jesus, of course, shows us how to choose well as he embodies this psalm in his life.
Mark Booker | Galatians 4:4-7 | This Trinity Sunday sermon considers the doctrine of the Trinity, its source, and why it matters and is central to the life of every Christian.
Michael Balboni | Ephesians 5:18-21 | Sermon focuses our attention on Ephesians 5:18, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit."
Mark Booker | Acts 18:1-17 | The World Right-Side Up | We all fight discouragement in the Christian life and in engaging the mission of God. We need encouragement! This sermon, which concludes our 6-week examination of Paul's second missionary journey, considers the encouragement that God gives to Paul during his encounter in Corinth.
Mark Booker | Acts 17:16-34 | The World Right-Side Up | We seek to learn about bearing witness by examining how Paul bears witness to Jesus and the resurrection in the city of Athens.
Julian L | Acts 17:5-10 | The Word in the Synagogue: Scrutiny and Belief | Luke's description of the Word of God proclaimed in a Jewish synagogue in Greece illustrates how the gospel is both received and rejected by Jews. Whatever our context for mission today, we may face acceptance or hostility. We need to dialog with our neighbors and colleagues and declare the Word in ways that address their real questions. We also need to have a deeper desire and delight in the Lord himself to undergird our mission otherwise some other influence will corrupt our mission.
Mark Booker | Acts 17:1-9 | The World Right-Side Up | This sermon considers the dynamics at work in the expansion of the kingdom of God through conversion by examining the conversion of the jailer in Philippi.
Mark Booker | Acts 16:16-34 | This sermon considers the dynamics at work in the expansion of the kingdom of God through conversion by examining the conversion of the jailer in Philippi.
Mark Booker | Matthew 27:62-28:15 | Easter Sunday | The resurrection of Jesus is a display of the power of God that is for life. Matthew's account shows two responses to this act of God: opposition or embrace. This Easter sermon considers both of these responses and the word of reassurance to those who embrace God's prevailing power: "Do not be afraid."
Mark Booker | Matthew 26:36-27:61 | Becoming Like Jesus | This Palm Sunday sermon considers Jesus as an exemplar of the life grounded in Scripture. Scripture is his anchor throughout his life and especially during his suffering and death. To become like Jesus, to walk on the way of the cross, the way of love, necessitates lives that are grounded in the word of God. This is the sixth and final sermon in a series exploring how we become like Jesus.
Mark Booker | 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 | Becoming Like Jesus | God is a missionary God and he invites us to join him on his mission. From this text in 2 Corinthians 5, we consider the nature of God's mission and what it looks like for us to participate in it. This is the fifth sermon in a series exploring how we become like Jesus.
Mark Booker | Ephesians 4:4-16 | Becoming Like Jesus | Community is essential to becoming like Jesus. In Ephesians 4, Paul paints a picture of the church as a community of unity in diversity that produces maturity. This fourth sermon in the series explores the fact that we belong to and are needed by this community, though we resist and doubt this in various ways.
Mark Booker | John 4:7-26 | Becoming Like Jesus | With this third sermon in the series, we begin looking at four key trajectories in the Christian life which, when taken up together, help us to grow into Christlikeness. We start with worship, considering the biblical understanding of worship in a broad and narrow sense. As we seek to grow in worship, we consider several insights from Jesus's encounter with the woman at the well - as well as Isaiah's vision in Isaiah 6 - about what fuels true worship.
Mark Booker | Mark 10:46-52 | Becoming Like Jesus | This is the second sermon in a six-week series that examines the aim or goal of a follower of Jesus. We look at Bartimaeus as a model disciple as he encounters Jesus and follows him on the way. We look examine this way in the context of the gospel according to Mark - the way of the cross, the way of love - and consider how we can walk on it more and more and, in so doing, become like Jesus.
Mark Booker | Acts 10:34-43 | Becoming Like Jesus | As the first sermon in a six-week series, this sermon looks at the gospel that Peter declares in the house of Cornelius. We see that the gospel is about a person (Jesus) in a position (Lord of all) with a particular purpose (peace through forgiveness / reconciliation and renewal). This good news is the foundation of our lives in Christ.
Mark Booker | Leviticus 26:1-26 | God With Us: Be Holy | This concluding sermon in a series on Leviticus considers the covenant blessings and curses of chapter 26. We consider the way of blessing, which is obedience. We also consider the greater blessing promised in verse twelve of this chapter which points beyond the bounds of Leviticus to the work of Jesus and the new creation: God walking among us.
Mark Booker | Leviticus 25:1-24 | God With Us: Be Holy | This sermon considers the year of Jubilee legislation and what it reveals about the heart of God, how it is fulfilled in Jesus, and how it informs our ongoing Christian mission as a mission of both action and declaration.
Mark Booker | Leviticus 24:1-9 | God With Us: Be Holy | With the lampstand and the loaves in the holy place, God gives Israel a picture of his continual presence at the heart of their weekly, Sabbath worship. God's presence was the key to Israel's life, and it pointed toward the expansion of his presence in and through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We consider this fulfillment and think about how we can be more attentive to God's continual presence in our lives.
Mark Booker | Leviticus 23:1-44 | God With Us: Be Holy | God takes charge of Israel’s calendar, giving them a weekly and annual rhythm that reinforces and renews their covenant relationship with him. This sermon explores that rhythm and considers how it works and what we can learn from it, in how we approach time, as the people of God today.
Michael Balboni | Luke 23:34 | We need to forgive others like Jesus, by forgiving in prayer, with deepening understanding and compassion, and with expectation that forgiveness will heal the victim and touch many others.
Michael Balboni | Luke 23:34 | Divine forgiveness of sins is accomplished on the cross as Jesus says, Father, Forgive them.”
Raymond Kam | Luke 12:13-21 | An examination of idolatry, and our role as stewards in living a life dedicated to God, free from the love of riches and possessions.
Adam Herndon | 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 |Jesus initiates the arrival of God’s Kingdom on Earth. In Christ, we become a part of the God’s new creation, living on mission until Christ returns and heaven and earth are one.
Adam Herndon | Luke 1:26-53 | Jesus became a great King by becoming low. He had to suffer before he entered his Glory. He is now the King of the universe and his reign is to be made know through his Church. Jesus is King, let the earth rejoice.
Mark Booker | Leviticus 19:1-2,9-18 | God With Us: Be Holy | The wide range of laws in Leviticus 19 teaches us that there is no dimension of our lives that is not included in God's call to holiness. In this final message in a four-part Advent series, we examine the foundation of love, the specific case of care for the poor and vulnerable, and a general principle that undergirds our growth in holiness.
Mark Booker | Leviticus 18:6-23 | God With Us: Be Holy | We continue our consideration of being holy as the Lord is holy by looking at the call to holiness in our sexual lives. This is a challenging topic but one on which the church needs to speak courageously, clearly, and compassionately into the confusion of our culture. This sermon considers God's design for sex in contrast to the culture's dominant paradigm for sex, the specific instructions in Leviticus 18 regarding sex, and the implications of this for our lives.
Mark Booker | Leviticus 18:1-5, 24-30 | God With Us: Be Holy | In this second message during the Advent series Be Holy, we look at the call to worship God alone as the highest value among God's people for a life of holiness. We consider the folly of idolatry, the lure of idolatry, the cost of idolatry, and the antidote to idolatry.
Mark Booker | Leviticus 18:1-5, 24-30 | God With Us | This is an introductory message on holiness as we engage in a 4-part series during Advent on Leviticus 18-20 called Be Holy. This is a mini-series within the larger sermon series on Leviticus entitled God With Us. The aim of this mini-series is to grow in holiness that we might be ready to meet the Lord. From the opening verses of Leviticus 18, we consider the shape, the ground, and the motivations for holiness.
Mark Booker | Leviticus 16:1-22 | God With Us | The Day of Atonement is the center of Leviticus and the center of the Pentateuch. The provision of atonement in Leviticus enables God to dwell with his people, and this day enables the high priest to be in the presence of God, behind the veil in the tabernacle. The greater atonement in Jesus - which is the center of Scripture and of history - rips the veil in the temple and enables us to draw near to God with confidence and full assurance.
Mark Booker | Mark 4:26-34 | As we wrap up the 2022 global missions conference, we are encouraged to give our lives more intentionally and sacrificially to the mission of God. This sermon considers two parables of Jesus in Mark 4 and explores the inevitability of growth, the context of the coming harvest, and the contrast between the beginning (small) and the end (large).
Julian L | Mark 4:1-20, Isaiah 6:1-13 | Against all odds, sow the Word. Listen more attentively, sow more abundantly! Despite all appearances, the Word will ultimately yield an astonishing harvest!
Mark Booker | Leviticus 12:1-8 | God With Us | The laws pertaining to ritual purity and impurity point to the call on our lives to be morally pure. This sermon examines the specific case of a woman's ritual impurity following childbirth in Leviticus 12 and points to the provision of purity in the Lord Jesus Christ. Even as we rejoice in God's provision, we are exhorted - in response to God's grace - to grow in purity more and more.
Mark Booker | Leviticus 10:1-11 | God With Us | God strikes down Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, for bringing strange fire before him which he did not command. We consider afresh the holiness of God and the danger this presents to sinners. At the same time, we remember the mitigation of that danger in God's authorized and glorious pathway for approaching him: through Jesus Christ, our great high priest.
Mark Booker | Leviticus 8:1-13, 9:1-7, 22-24 | God With Us | The doctrine of the priesthood of Christ brings great comfort and encouragement to disciples of Jesus. This sermon examines the provision of the high priest and the efficacy of the high priest and then considers the greater provision and greater efficacy our great high priest, Jesus the Son of God.
Michael Balboni | Leviticus 6:8-13 | God With Us | Leviticus 6:13 calls for a continual fire on the alter, which represents two different realities, and two different decisions. One fire destroys, another fire redeems. Each fire confronts us with a crucial decision in relationship with God.
Mark Booker | Leviticus 3:1-17 | God With Us | God longs to dwell with his people so that he might fellowship with his people. The worship that God reveals in Leviticus 1-7 culminates in a shared meal in the presence of God. We consider a few details of the fellowship offering in Leviticus 3 and see how this points to the shared meal in the new covenant people of God: the Lord's Supper. At this meal we celebrate God's redemption, feed upon Christ by faith, and renew our covenant obligations to the Lord and to one another.
Mark Booker | Leviticus 1:3-17 | God With Us | We examine how the ascension (burnt) offering reveals to us the pathway of entry into God's presence: consecration, transformation, and ascension. In and through Jesus, the true ascension offering, we, too, are ushered into God's presence on this path. Further, in response to God's mercy, we are called to growth on this path by continually offering our bodies - all of ourselves - to God as a living sacrifice.
Mark Booker | Leviticus 4:1-12, 22-31, 6:1-7, 17:10-12| God With Us | God makes a way to deal with sin through the gift of the purification offering and the reparation offering. These offerings restore communion with God when that communion has been disrupted by sin. We consider these gifts, their mechanism, their nature, and their scope, and then conclude by noting how Jesus is there fulfillment.
Mark Booker | Exodus 40:33b - Leviticus 1:2 | God With Us | This message introduces a sermon series on Leviticus and seeks to place this relatively unknown book in its canonical context. We consider the restoration of God's presence to his people at the end of Exodus, the problem this creates, and how the contents of Leviticus is the temporary and symbolic solution to this problem which points to the permanent and real solution: Jesus Christ. The good news of Leviticus and the even greater news of Jesus is that God longs to dwell with his people.
Adam Herndon | Psalm 24 | Those who have been declared righteous through the work of Jesus Christ by placing their faith in him.
Mark Booker | Luke 15:1-32 Finding the Lost We finish a 3-part series on Luke 15 by looking at the heart of God's activity in finding the lost and inviting us to his banquet table. The joy of this banquet, and the joy of our lives, is a joy in the Redeemer's love which is expressed by offering a free invitation to us at great cost to himself.
Mark Booker | Luke 15:11-32 | Finding the Lost | This sermon considers the lostness of the elder brother. We look at his sin and how it manifests itself in his heart and attitudes, and then we see the gracious response and invitation of the father. The father's love, and that alone, can overcome our rebellion, break our sin, and bring us to the feast of life with him.
Mark Booker | Luke 15:11-32 | Finding the Lost | This sermon examines the rebellion of the younger brother in this parable told by Jesus. In doing so, we see the nature of sin, the result of sin, and the scheming of sin. And then we see the father's gracious and overwhelming response that alone has the power to break sin.
Julian L | Colossians 4:7-18 | Walk in Him | 'Keep Walking With Jesus' by receiving and offering comfort to others, by learning how to expand prayer into a process of struggle on behalf of others, and by remembering persecuted Christian in jails around the world. Make sure grace is the foundation of your walk with Jesus as that's the only thing that will sustain you or your church.
Michael Balboni | Colossians 4:2-6 | Walk in Him | Sharing the message of Christ through the framework of open doors.
Michael Balboni | Colossians 3:11, 3:17 - 4:1 | Walk in Him | How Christ's lordship transforms power and transforms relationships.
Damian Long | Colossians 3:12-17 | Walk in Him | God has made us for the unity and communion which exists within the Trinity. By clothing us, his dearly loved ones, in compassion, kindness, and meekness we we are living into our raised-with-Christ identity. It is his love, therefore that binds us to him and holds us together as a forgiving, thankful, and worshipful community called and sent to look and live like Jesus.
*Correction: The quote, “we may in fact be the loneliest and most radically individualistic culture to ever live on this planet,” attributed to Andy Crouch actually comes from Pat McLeod.
Mark Booker | Colossians 3:5-11 | Walk in Him | Paul continues teaching on the resurrection ethic by outlining the kinds of behaviors and practices that we are to put away, to leave behind. This sermon considers 1) why we would put away certain behaviors, 2) what these behaviors are, and 3) how we might put them away.
As he begins to expound the resurrection ethic, Paul lays down the foundational reality for this new way of life. This sermon considers that foundational reality and then unpacks the primary exhortation of seeking and setting our minds on the things that are above. What do we seek? On what do we set our minds?
Mark Booker | Colossians 2:8-23 | Walk in Him | Having exhorted them to walk in Christ, Paul next urges the Colossians not to be taken captive by lesser authorities that will diminish their life. We consider the nature of the dangers, the reality of the church in Christ, and a solution to resisting captivity.
Mark Booker | Colossians 2:6-7 | Walk in Him | After finishing his long introduction, Paul moves to his primary exhortation in Colossians 2.6-7. This sermon explores this exhortation - which is a call to maturity in Christ. We also consider, from verse 7, the additional encouragement that Paul provides the church as we seek to walk in Christ.
Michael Balboni | Ephesians 6:10-18 | Joining together in mighty All-Prayer against the foe.
Mark Booker | Colossians 1:24 - 2:5 | Walk in Him | On Pentecost, we examine the nature of Christian mission as Paul reflects on his apostolic call with the Colossians. The proclamation of Jesus is at the heart of this mission, and we can only do this faithfully in and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Mark Booker | Colossians 1:15-23 | Walk in Him | Paul grounds the thanksgiving of the church in the present reality of Christ as Lord. In a world where our imaginations are too often captivated by lesser things, Paul uses poetry to captivates our imaginations with the grandeur and magnitude of the person and work of Christ.
Mark Booker | Colossians 1:9-14 | Walk in Him | Paul's reveals his unceasing prayer for the church, addressing the topics of knowledge, power, and thanksgiving and clarifying a vision of Christian maturity as a fruit-bearing life that is worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him.
Mark Booker | Colossians 1:1-8 | Walk in Him | This sermon introduces Paul's letter to the Colossians and considers the opening thanksgiving in Col 1.3-8. We consider the reality of truth, the delivery of that truth, and the fruit of that truth.
Mark Booker | Romans 6:3-14 | Easter Service | Alleluia! Christ is risen! Through his death and resurrection, Jesus provides the way out of sin and death. Through the lens of Romans 6.3-14, this Easter sermon explores how we take that way to true life and what to expect, both now and in the future, when we do.
Mark Booker | Luke 22:39 - 23:56 | A Healthy Community of Love | We see how Jesus - in the foundational, kingdom-inaugurating, saving event of the cross - embodies the traits and practices of the people who enable and sustain healthy communities of love. We are called to follow him in this, to walk in love as he loved us and gave himself up for us.
Mark Booker | Ephesians 4:20 - 5:2 | A Healthy Community of Love | All Christian communities deal with sin and sin is so often manifest in our words. To be healthy we must tame the tongue. We examine Paul's emphasis on our words in his practical exhortations to the church, specifically on the call to truthful and edifying speech.
Mark Booker | Romans 15:1-7 | A Healthy Community of Love | This message considers two more practices of those who enable and sustain healthy Christian communities: not pleasing ourselves and welcoming one another. These exhortations are to help the church to walk in unity in the context of division and difference.
Michael Balboni | Galatians 6:1-5 | A Healthy Community of Love | How to bear one another's burdens.
Damian Long | Matthew 18:21-35 | A Healthy Community of Love | As Jesus so jaggedly describes in this parable in Matthew 18, unforgiveness seizes, chokes, and imprisons our community of love. But by basking in the presence of our merciful master, we are transformed into who we are – forgiven and free to freely forgive.
Mark Booker | Matthew 5:21-26 | A Healthy Community of Love | Our relationships matter. They are primary, not secondary, and they are central to our witness to the gospel which has reconciliation at its heart. Jesus calls us to forego anger and insults and to prioritize reconciliation with our brother or sister as an urgent matter. This message concludes with reflection on how we might prioritize and pursue reconciliation with one another in the body of Christ.
Mark Booker | Matthew 7:1-6 | A Healthy Community of Love | This sermon considers Jesus's two arguments against having a judgmental spirit arising from a sense of self-righteousness. Jesus urges us to see our own sin before, and even as, we see and address the sins of others. This is a call to humility, to the right judgment of acknowledging that we are sinners saved by grace. This proper self-understanding, enabled by the amazing love of God for us, is central for healthy Christian communities as we fight against sin together.
Mark Booker | Galatians 2:11-21 | A Healthy Community of Love | This is the first message in a series of sermons that will examine the traits and practices of people that enable and sustain healthy communities of love. We begin with the foundation of the Christian life, Christian relationships, and Christian communities: that we are loved by Jesus. Paul bears witness to this foundation in Galatians 2.20, and we explore the ramifications of this for communities and individuals.
Mark Booker | Luke 12:32-34 | The Call | This final message of the three-part series, "Rich Toward God," considers the tender but challenging call of Jesus that clarifies what it means to live a life that is rich toward God in relation to our possessions. We examine the preparation for this call (v32), the call itself (v33), and the motivation that Jesus gives for obeying the call (vv33-34).
Mark Booker | Luke 12:22-31 | The Barrier | In this text, Jesus addresses the barrier to a life that is rich toward God: anxiety over not having enough. He takes us to the heart of faith: do we trust in God's provision, as children of the Father, or we live as cosmic orphans who must fend for ourselves? In light of God's provision, we can be liberated from the anxiety over not having enough and so live a life that is rich toward God.
Mark Booker | Luke 12:13-21 | The Temptation | This is the first of three messages on money and possessions from Luke 12.13-34. We consider what it means to live a life that is rich toward God. We also think about the temptation that lures away from this way of life and the folly of falling prey to the temptation.
Michael Balboni | Ephesians 1:15-23| Hope By Prayer | Becoming a church with prayer infused with hope.
Michael Balboni | Romans 5:3-5 | Hope Through Suffering | Suffering is not the problem, but the path to hope.
Kimberley Morrison | Matthew 2:1-12 | The Beauty of Jesus | In this message we consider six elements that are necessary to bring people to see the essential nature and meaning of Jesus.
Adam Herndon | Luke 2:21-35 | Ordinary Obedience...Extraordinary God | Throughout the Bible, the ordinary obedience of God's people has been used to reveal his glory. We see this in the events following the Christmas story in the faithful obedience of Jesus' parents and the faithful witness of Simeon and Anna, and ultimately we see it in the faithful obedience of Jesus himself as he looks towards the cross.
We explore the significance of the birth of Jesus through the lens of the good news as it is given in Isaiah 52.7-10. In short: God is redeeming, God is returning, and God is reigning. Merry Christmas!
Mark Booker | Ruth 4:1-22 | Uncommon Redemption | The commitment, favor, and boldness of the earlier chapters in Ruth lead to an uncommon redemption in Ruth 4. This redemption is fueled by kindness, and it points and leads to the greatest act of (divine) kindness the world has ever known: the redemption of the world through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Mark Booker | Ruth 3:1-18 | Uncommon Boldness | In the marriage proposal of Naomi and Ruth to Boaz, these two women demonstrate a boldness that is to mark the life of faith. We explore the rationale, risk, and reward of their boldness, learning from their example and observing how they point us to the boldness of Jesus.
Mark Booker | Ruth 2:1-23 | Uncommon Favor | Ruth and Naomi's situation take a new turn in chapter 2 as God leads Ruth to glean in the field of Boaz. In their interaction, Boaz shows Ruth an uncommon favor that changes the trajectory of her and Naomi's lives. This sermon explores the source, the extent, and the results of this favor and looks to the even more uncommon favor of the greater Boaz, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Mark Booker | Ruth 1:1-22 | Uncommon Commitment | In the opening chapter of Ruth, we see a glimmer of light in the midst of the increasing darkness of Naomi's life. This light points us to the light of the world whose commitment to us is the most uncommon commitment of all.
Mark Booker | Romans 1:16-17 | The Gospel of God | Having considered the source, content, and results of the gospel, in this final sermon of the series, we now consider its power. This power is for salvation to everyone who believes. Knowing this power, this great deliverance, we are not to be ashamed of the gospel but eager to share it with the world whatever the cost.
Mark Booker | Revelation 21:22-22:5 | Global Mission Conference | As the closing message of our Global Missions Conference, "Jesus in Global Cities," this sermon explores the features of the final city, the New Jerusalem. We explore the way in which this vision of a God-infused, global, garden-like, and glory-filled city encourages the church to stand firm and informs our ongoing mission to the world.
Chris Clayman | Acts 17:22-34 | Jesus in Global Cities | God works in time and space, through migration and hardship, to bring people to himself. Chris Clayman, Co-Founder and Associate Director of Global Cities, preaches on God’s mission in cities, addressing Park Street Church during the first Sunday of the 2021 Global Missions Conference.
Mark Booker | Romans 1:8-15 | The Gospel of God | The gospel of God transforms us into servants: servants of God, servants of all, and servants of one another. This sermon considers that while we are, in fact, called to serve all, we have a particular call to serve one another in the body of Christ. From Romans 1.8-15, we explore four dimensions of this service that arise from the relationship between Paul and the Christians in Rome.
Mark Booker | Romans 1:14 | The Gospel of God | As the agents through whom God's mission of worldwide blessing is expanding, we are servants of all. This sermon examines the origin of this service, the scope of this service, and the nature of this service. In short, as servants of God we are called to serve everyone we see without distinction, even our enemies.
Mark Booker | Romans 1:9 | The gospel of God | The Gospel results in transformed lives that are marked out by service, and this life of service is the way to truly live. This sermon explores the reality that we are servants of God, examining our proper relation to God as a servant, how this comes about, how we are motivated as servants, and the sphere of our service.
Michael Balboni | Romans 1:6-7 | The Gospel of God | How the gospel secures identity so that you know who you truly are.
Mark Booker | Romans 1:5 | The Gospel of God The results of the gospel of God are transformed lives characterized by the "obedience of faith." The sermon explores this expression that bookends Paul's letter to the Romans (1.5 and 16.26). To talk of obedience is not to burden the Christian but to remind the Christian of the transformed life that we are enabled to live by the grace and Spirit of God to the glory of Jesus.
Mark Booker | Romans 1.3-4 | The Gospel of God | The gospel of God concerns his son. That is, it is all about Jesus, and specifically about Jesus being Lord and Messiah. We explore why this is good news, on what basis this claim is made by Christians, and what some of the implications of the gospel are for our lives.
Mark Booker | Romans 1.2 | The Faithful God of the Gospel | At the heart of the gospel of God is the faithful God of the Gospel who calls us to entrust our lives to him. Paul addresses the question of God's faithfulness throughout this letter, and he introduces this topic in verse 2 of this first chapter of Romans. This sermon explores Paul's claim in this verse, how that claim is substantiated, and why this matters for our lives.
Mark Booker | Romans 1.1 | The Gospel of God | This is the first message in a new series on Romans 1.1-17. This series will examine the "gospel of God" by considering Paul's introduction to the letter of Romans. We will address three sets of questions about the gospel: source questions, content questions, and results questions. This first sermon on verse 1 considers the source, the delivery system, and the reliability of the delivery system. Who is the source of the gospel and how does the gospel get from that source to us?
Michael Balboni | Psalm 134.1-3 | Psalms of Ascent | In contrast to the consumerist spirit, this final Psalm of Ascents provides the true path to rise above.
Mark Booker | Psalm 133.1-3 | Psalms of Ascent | This psalm celebrates the goodness of the unity of God's people and reminds us to prioritize this unity in the church today, even as we are threatened to fracture due to cultural, political, and social issues.
Mark Booker | Psalm 132.1-18 | Psalms of Ascent | The plea of this psalm (part 1) comes out of the heart of desperate dependence at the center of the life of faith. The response to that plea (part 2) points us to the promises of God, specifically promises about a son of David on the throne. Both parts of this psalm speak to us in our tumultuous world, encouraging us to dependence, to rejoicing in the royal son of David (Jesus), and to hoping in promises yet to be fulfilled.
Mark Booker | Psalm 131.1-3 | Psalms of Ascent | This psalm shows us the ideal state of our souls in the life of faith. As we live before God, we're invited into humility, trust, and hope.
Michael Balboni | Psalm 130.1-8 | Psalms of Ascent | When you are in the depths, the Lord hears and responds to your cry.
Julian L | Psalm 129.1-8 | Psalms of Ascent | How do God’s people remain hopeful in the midst of affliction without denying their emotions or by giving in to them?
Michael Balboni | Psalm 128.1-6 | Psalms of Ascent | We are to spiritually rise in steps of ascent, from worldly fear to the fear of the Lord.
Mark Booker | Psalm 127.1-5 | Psalms of Ascent | This psalm invites us out of anxious toil and into a life of trusting assurance in which we know God as the generous one who establishes our lives. Without his building, watching, and providing we are left with emptiness. This sermon explores the invitation of the psalm and then considers what will characterize the life of one who live lives of trusting assurance.
Kris Perkins | 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and Psalm 125 | Psalms of Ascent | Kris Perkins delivers his final sermon as Associate Minister at Park Street Church from 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and Psalm 125.
Julian L | Psalm 126.1-6 | Psalms of Ascent | This Psalm reveals the sovereign, gracious, and great work of the Lord's restoration of his people. They respond in glad singing and with a heart-felt cry for God to send instant blessings from heaven upon their lives. The Psalm encourages us, also, to cry out to God for refreshment and sustaining power.
Mark Booker | Psalm 124.1-8 | Psalms of Ascent | This psalm proclaims the basic truth at the heart of our faith: God is on our side. In addition to declaring this truth, the psalm shows us what this produces in our lives. These things are considered in the context of the trials and suffering that were part of the pilgrims' lives long ago and remain part of our lives today.
Mark Booker | Psalm 123.1-4 | Psalms of Ascent | The wonder of the Christian message is that we can be in relationship with the living God. Psalm 123 helps us understand this relationship and gives us insight into how we can remain faithful in this world full of trials and challenge.
Mark Booker | Psalm 122.1-9 | Psalms of Ascent | These pilgrims express their gladness and joy about going to the dwelling place of God in verse 1 of the psalm. This sermon explores the source of that gladness (vv.1-5) and then what flows from it in our lives (vv.6-9). As we think about their situation we also consider our own in relation to the church today.
Michael Balboni | Psalm 121.1-8 | Psalms of Ascent | We can keep on because God keeps on watch.
Mark Booker | Psalm 120.1-7 | Psalms of Ascent | This sermon is the first in a new series on the Psalms of Ascent, Psalms 120-134, a group of psalms that were likely sung by pilgrims on their way to the annual festivals in Jerusalem. In Ps 120, we see the context of our pilgrimage, its impact upon our lives, and the psalmist's response to this context. We are encouraged to a life of dependence upon the Lord.
Mark Booker | Acts 2:1-21 The original outpouring of the Spirit - the very person, presence, and power of God - upon the church on Pentecost is narrated in Acts 2. This sermon explores several details in this text that point to the work of the Spirit in creating a unified, multicultural community and calls the church to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
We study the poignant interaction between Jesus and Peter in which Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?" Their interaction gives us a further glimpse into the task of the church and the life of a disciple. This is the final sermon in our series on the Gospel according to John.
This story of the miraculous catch of fish in the epilogue of John's gospel points us to the task of the church. As we take up this task, we are also shown how we will encounter Jesus and what he will give to us to sustain us along the way.
John's narrative has led to the confession of Thomas in the preceding passage, "My Lord and my God!" Now, John pulls out of the narrative and tells his readers that his purpose in writing this book is to encourage this Thomas-like faith in Jesus. This sermon explores the dimensions of this faith, a faith that brings us the fullness of life.
Thomas serves as the fact-checker for the gospel of John and all of redemptive history and declares the resurrection of Jesus Christ to be real news.
This is the concluding message of our Embody conference for the church in the city. It is also the next installment in our series on the Gospel of John: Come and See. We are sent like Jesus. This sermon explores what that means, the context in which this takes place, and God's provision for this calling on our lives.
What does it mean to occupy a space in the City as a living, dynamic image of new creation in Christ? Jesus has given us three gracious invitations that are designed to help us with this task. Each invitation from Jesus is uniquely interrelated with at least one of the three movements of incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection.
The resurrection is an amazing event, but what does it mean? What is its significance? This Easter Sunday sermon explores these questions through John's account, helping us to consider the implications of the resurrection with regard to Jesus's person, work, and world.
From beginning to end, John's gospel is about the kingship of Jesus. That becomes especially clear as Jesus enters Jerusalem, is betrayed, arrested, tried and crucified. He is no an ordinary king and this is no ordinary kingdom. This sermon explores Jesus's redefinition of kingship through the triumphal entry and the passion narrative, and it examines the moment of his enthronement on the cross.
In the final verses of John 12, John the Evangelist pauses to assess two reactions as people consider Jesus: unbelief and partial belief. Then, Jesus, in his final public address before his death and, in some sense, in response to these reactions to him, speaks with clarity about his person, his motive, and his mission.
As his hour arrives, in some of his last public words in this gospel, Jesus teaches us that the way of the cross is central to his life. This way not only defines his life, but it is to define the lives of his followers as well. This sermon considers the way of the cross and then examines three dimensions of that way, three effects of that way, and the invitation to that way that are found in this text.
In the second half of John 10, Jesus is confronted by a crowd who demand to know who he is. This interaction during the Feast of Dedication helps us to see more about his identity as the good shepherd and the true Son. During this exchange, Jesus also shares some of the most reassuring words that his followers can hear, and he tells us the marks of his true sheep.
Throughout the Old Testament, God is described as a shepherd, caring for his people, his flock. In John 10 Jesus uses the metaphor of a shepherd, and we learn four characteristics of a good shepherd. We then see three ways in which Jesus Christ is the one true shepherd of his people, the Church.
John 9 narrates an encounter between Jesus and the blind man and an encounter between the blind man and the Pharisees. In these encounters, we observe three things about Jesus and three things about the blind man. These observations reveals something about the purposes and character of God and something about the response of a true disciple to God's grace. We also learn from this story what is necessary to truly see.
a message on 2 Corinthians 5:16-6:2 from Dr. Scott W. Sunquist, President and Professor of Missiology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
The churches spread throughout the Roman world in the first century were suffering because of their faith in Christ. Peter wrote his first letter to them to address this central issue offering encouragement to those he dearly loved. A significant aspect of his counsel was his belief that they were living in the last days. We will explore this assertion and see how it helps us put suffering in perspective that we might endure hardship in the name of Christ and emerge triumphantly from it rejoicing.
Continuing in our series on 1 Peter, this sermon examines Peter's instructions for those in the first century household and calls us all to model Jesus to our world and to follow in his footsteps.
a message from David Ro, Co-Director, Christy Wilson Mission Center, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary