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Verse by verse teaching (Systematic Expository Preaching) from CrossLife Church in Johnson City, TN. Sermons are primarily from Lead Pastor David Anglin
I find it difficult to wait. It is hard to battle impatience when we are waiting on something we know is good, like a birthday present, an event, or exciting news. What is most difficult is when we find ourselves in the midst of a storm in life, and we are waiting for the clouds to break.
If you have ever found yourself in a time of tribulation or suffering, you have likely cried out to the Lord in prayer, asking, "How Long?" In Psalm 13, King David asks four times in two verses, "How Long, Oh Lord?"
"How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
This is not a momentary tribulation but a prolonged season of suffering and attack from enemies. It appears that the trend is favoring David’s enemies as they seem to prevail while he is wrestles though deeper levels of despair. David is searching for deliverance, and God does not appear to be providing any practical help.
As David looks to the Lord in prayer, his desperate tone shifts from despair to a hopeful delight. Martin Luther said, “hope itself despairs and despair nevertheless begins to hope.” We see David’s confidence in the Lord, that He has heard his plea and that in the end God’s goodness can be trusted. If you have ever cried out to the Lord, "How Long?" you will want to consider Psalm 13 with us this Sunday.
Many have described our age as the Information Age. Never has information been so readily available and easily accessible. Since the Enlightenment, we are at a time where discernment is at a minimum, and all definitions are considered open to personal interpretation. Our culture lacks a consistent worldview and framework, and information is freely used as propaganda, rather than any clear pursuit of truth. For these reasons, a more accurate description of our Age is one of Misinformation.
In Psalm 12, we find a timely prayer and guide for times such as these. “And when you witness the arrogance of the crowd and increasing evil, so much so that nothing is considered holy among men, flee to the Lord and cry out Psalm 12” (Athanasius, Letter to Marcellinus).
Paul exhorts believers to “put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another” (Ephesians 4:25). The words of man can hurt, but the words of God and the words of the godly heal.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you felt as if the fiery darts of the enemy were raining down? You are attacked on every side. Perhaps a close friend or family member has unjustly attacked your character. Maybe the stability of your finances or health has been shaken. Or, especially for parents and spouses, the ones you hold most dear are battered against the hard rock of this world. In situations like these, we are tempted to feel helpless.
Our helplessness is a reality meant to drive us to God, but the enemies of God's people are always seeking to leverage our helplessness against us. They would have us cower in the corner. They would have us doubt God's goodness, power, and wisdom. But the God who was in control in Psalms 1 and 2 is the same God who is sovereign through the trials Psalms 3–11. Though the enemies of God surround His people, though we are tempted to lose heart or abandon our faith, God is forever steadfast and faithful through all our trials and difficulties. We can, therefore, always come to Him for refuge—the One who vindicates the righteous and will crush the wicked under His foot.
There are times in every Christian's life when it seems that God is distant and hidden. It is like God went on vacation and turned his phone off for a break. If you have never sensed this tension, then you are either too self-sufficient to need God, or you feel don't think its appropriate to ask such a question. The Psalmist is asking an honest and real question. Why does God sometimes delay His deliverance or even deny it?
When C.S. Lewis was facing a time of bitter grief, he reflected on the presence of questions about God in the midst of his suffering. “The real danger is coming to believe such dreadful things about Him. The conclusion I dread is not, "So there's no God after all," but, "So this is what God's really like. Deceive yourself no longer.”(A Grief Observed, 5).
Psalm 10 explores the believer's struggle to trust God in times of trouble. We need not worry that God will abandon us, but we need to think more deeply about the trustworthiness of God. Has God given us adequate reason to trust Him in times of trouble?
God Remembers, Man Forgets - Psalm 9
Today we have far too many "Forgetful Christians". These are people who forget God in the ordinary hours of their day. They live, breathe, and die as Functional Atheists. And the world, the flesh, and the devil incentivize them.
Functional Atheists operate their lives under the assumption that life is a mixture of pleasant and uncomfortable, lucky and unlucky, happy and sad coincidences. A rainy day is a bad day because it could’ve been a sunny day, except for a stroke of “bad luck.” A sudden relational conflict ruins our day simply because it’s “uncomfortable” and “meaningless.” Getting turned down by that job we really wanted throws us into a whirlwind of depression because we’re debilitated by an onrush of “what if”s.
BUT could there be a deeper and more significant meaning behind all these occurrences? The man who remembers God knows: there most certainly is! David open's Psalm 9 with four resolutions: David will give thanks with his whole heart, recount all God's wonderful deeds, be glad and exult in Him, and sing praise to the name of the LORD.
Does your life matter? We are creatures with questions. Among the greatest questions are those that inform us of our origin and identity. Where did we come from, and what are we to do with our lives? The further man gets away from any understanding of God as creator and ultimate authority over His creation, the more depraved the man's life will be.
That is the focus of David's great Psalm 8. David praises the majesty of God as creator and sustainer. David follows this great statement about the grandeur of God with a logical question about man. "Who is man that you are mindful of him?" Just who do you think you are? We will explore the answer in Psalms 8 this Sunday.
Most people today have grown up being repeatedly told they are a victim, disadvantaged, and have probably experienced some kind of trauma. This narrative allows them to justify their bad attitude, actions, and harm towards others. This is toxic and unfortunate for many reasons. One of those reasons is that there are times when we are unjustly hurt by others and have been sinned against.
What do you do when you have been slandered, misrepresented, or harmed by another person without just cause?
In Psalms 7, David cries out to the Lord for justice concerning the hurtful and destructive words of Cush the Benjaminite. We have no record of what Cush said or did, but it must have caused some serious harm to David and his reputation.
If you have ever been unjustifiably attacked or misrepresented by someone, you will benefit from examining David's prayer to the LORD. David appeals to God, invites self-examination, waits on the Lord, and preemntively give thanks to the Lord. This Sunday, we will walk through David's prayer as we learn how to cry out for justice.
Have you ever found yourself in desperate need and felt as though there is no way out? Imagine a scene: the protagonist finds himself backed into a corner—literally caught between a wall and all his enemies. They are closing in, and it looks as though there is no escape. But then, to your surprise, this trapped victim accomplishes some extraordinary feat or reveals hidden supernatural powers to defeat and evade the bad guys! However, we do not live in that movie. We live in the real world.
When you find yourself in the middle of a spiritual or physical struggle—a dark night of the soul—what can you do against the taunts of an enemy, the pitfalls of your own heart, or a terrible medical diagnosis? Even more, can you stand in the face of sin, death, and the devil and emerge triumphant? If we take an honest look, we must admit that we are helpless.
Imagine another movie scene. The damsel is in distress. Her enemies are in hot pursuit, and she has no way of escape. Just when she reaches the point of overwhelming hopelessness, the true hero swoops in to save the day, rescuing her and delivering her to safety.
This is what Jesus does for His church. He steps down and puts Himself in our place. He bears the wrath of God for our sin, putting death to death on the cross. All who put their trust in Jesus as Savior, realizing they cannot find hope in themselves, must simply turn to Him, their everlasting hope.
At what point in your life did you find yourself at your lowest point? If someone was to ask you about when the greatest testing point of your faith was, does a particular time come to mind? Maybe it was a time where you cried earnestly to God to hear you but began to doubt if He was listening. Maybe it was a time you were eager for an answer from God but weren’t sure if He had given one yet. Perhaps it was a time when you felt lost in your direction in life, lonely due to betrayal and affliction, or maybe you had injustice being done to you and were longing for the Lord to rescue you.
The Fifth Psalm gives us a glimpse into King David’s thoughts in his prayer during a time when he calls for God to hear him. There are enemies in his life that are causing him to ask God for His leading and for Him to intervene and take action.
In this Psalm, we learn much about how to pray and draw near to God when we are lonely, afflicted, and needing direction. David’s example teaches us how to wait on God, how to trust His promises, and how to pray with faith, watching to seeing what the Lord does to answer our prayers.
One of the kindnesses the Lord gives us in this life is the pleasure of coming to the end of a day with a mind and heart that is at rest. So often, in our busy, attention demanding, and fallen world, the experience of such a pleasure can seem to be the rare exception instead of the norm. King David did not escape trials and hardships, but in Psalm 4, often called “An Evening Prayer”, he provides insight for maintaining a restful heart in the midst of difficult circumstances, so that, at the end of the day, our hearts and minds are indeed at rest.
It is in times of suffering or the greatest difficulty that we often experience the greatest doubts and ask the hardest questions. When everything has fallen apart, the question that often arises in a person's heart is, "Where is God?" Many spectators or adversaries may even assume "God has abandoned you."
This was the context of David's prayer in Psalms 3. David's son Absalom had slowly stolen the hearts of the people of Israel over several years. In 2 Samuel 15-17, Absalom plots with leaders in David's government, and they launch a coup attempt to overthrow and even assassinate King David. There is no doubt that this was a dark hour for David.
As Absalom's plot unfolded and the rebellion was rapidly growing, people began to say, "There is no salvation for [David] in God"(Psalm 2:2). The accusation was that if God's hand was still on David, he would not be experiencing these problems. David's troubles are a sign that God is not with Him.
This raises the question for us. If the circumstances of your life are falling apart, does that mean God has abandoned you? Where is God in your darkest hour?
Over the last couple of years, there has been a growing movement of people promoting the statement "Christ is King." For most Christians, this seems like an obvious statement. However, there are many who bristle at this idea when attached to the public or national spheres of life.
The idea is that Christ is King, generally speaking, at least in a spiritual and personal sense. Many are uncomfortable with "Christ being King" in our nation or over our communities. This raises a great question regarding what spheres of life are appropriate to acknowledge Christ as King?
This is precisely what we find as the purpose of the Psalm for this Sunday. Psalm 2 is the single most quoted Psalm in the New Testament. Perhaps because it clearly answers the question as to where Christ has authority and what is the extent of His authority. Should Christians be posting, much less acting like "Christ is Lord" in the public square?
Individualism and autonomy are the highest values of our day. Your body, choice, identity, and your way are the only rules. Unfortunately, that is not how the world works, nor is that the way to a blessed and happy life. All the paths that you can follow are not equal in safety, provisions, or fulfillment.
As we begin our summer series in Psalm 1, we will explore the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. Psalm 1 is a fitting introduction to the overall book. Psalms served as the hymnal of the Israelites. It is the longest book in the Bible and the book on which the New Testament writers quoted the most.
Abraham Lincoln once shared with a friend his deep appreciation for the book of Psalms, saying, “They are the best. I find something in them for every day of the year.”
The Christian Church in America seems more fragmented and vulnerable than ever before. The influence of the secular forces of the media, government, and cultural elites continues to grow, while the influence of Christianity continues to decline. Many Christians around the world are experiencing severe persecution. There is instability and uncertainty as wars and migration continue to wreak havoc on many nations.
In the Book of Revelation, John records the visions he receives from the Lord Jesus. Dated around 95 AD--over 6 decades after Jesus's ascension--the state of the church looked even more bleak. The seven churches described in John’s letter were struggling with sin, temptation, and worldliness, resulting in Jesus calling them to repentance. John was the only one of the original 12 disciples still alive after the others had all been martyred.
The Apostle John could resonate with our sense of hopelessness when looking at the events unfolding around us. John's revelation contained within it a shining and bright hope. There was a reason to be encouraged, not only for the future but to sustain each generation of believers in their lifetimes. God is at work, He is winning, and His plan is unfolding right on time.
We live in chaotic times. Living under prolonged stress and uncertainty can lead to depression and anxiety. Does Christianity provide a way to remain calm in the midst of chaotic times?
In Luke 21, Jesus warns his followers that there will be times of tribulation and suffering. Those words proved true for the first century and remain true for Christians even in our day.
In Jesus's final words for his disciples regarding His second coming, He provides some practical instruction on how we are to remain Calm in the Chaos.
We have had an incredible week of investing in our CrossLife Kids and families during VBS. Our teaching flowed out of our theme verse:
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2).
So how can we raise children with a Biblical Worldview?
A person's worldview is mostly formed in the developmental years of one’s life. If Christian parents intend that their children grow into young adults who think and act Christianly, then they must consider who bears the weight and responsibility for this endeavor.
The Bible is not silent, nor ambiguous, about where the locus of responsibility is to be placed for children's spiritual and biblical development. Scripture is authoritatively clear regarding the vital role of parents in the formation of their children’s worldview.
We live in uncertain times. Prolonged times of uncertainty and stress are a recipe for anxiety. As bad as the current state of the world may seem, uncertain times are not unusual.
In Luke 21:5-19, Jesus warns his disciples that difficult times are on the horizon. Jesus says, "And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once." Jesus wasn't teaching His disciples how to avoid tribulation or that they would be spared suffering. Jesus was preparing His disciples for how to stay on mission during tribulation.
The future may seem uncertain but God's providential hand is working and His Kingdom will not be defeated. Are you prepared for the future?
Have you ever met someone who always has an answer regardless of the subject? You could ask about finance, parenting, landscaping, politics, religion, or sports and they will have something to say. We all can have a little bit of “that guy” in us. There are subjects in which we are pretty confident we know the answer, whether we choose to share it or not. In reality, we may think we have the answers but what we have is mostly opinions.
In Luke 20, we find Jesus being challenged with questions from several groups attempting to reduce Jesus' popularity and reduce His influence. “Every possible group has taken a shot at Jesus and failed: Pharisees, nationalists, scribes, Sadducees, leaders of the people. On the topics of ministry, politics, and theology, Jesus has prevailed” (Darrell, Bock, 1626). The leaders would ask Jesus questions they thought they knew the answers to only to discover what they had was wrong or ill-informed opinions.
This Sunday, we will see (Luke 20:41-47) Jesus ask the question and expose the ignorance and hypocrisy of the religious leaders. Jesus rebukes the spiritual abuse of the scribes while praising the authentic faith of a poor widow. Have you ever considered how much of your life is built on truth (answers) rather than opinions?
If you could ask Jesus any question what would it be? One would think a person would have some deep question about life, death, eternity, or the problem of evil. Would you ever ask about taxes?
In Luke 20:19-26, Jesus was approached by a couple of men, appearing to be sincere about following Jesus, with a question for Jesus. Of all the things one could ask Jesus, they chose to ask him about his thoughts on Caesar's authority to tax God's people.
Their real intention was to trick Jesus into saying something bad about the Roman Empire or the Jewish people. They hoped they could trick him into offending the Jewish people or offending the Roman officials. Either way, they sought trap Jesus with his answer.
Jesus's answer gives us a master class on discernment and some wisdom on the appropriate authority of governments to tax. Should Christian's have to pay taxes they do not agree with or to a government that is unrighteous?
Imagine you were given the opportunity of a lifetime. Someone gave you the resources to do something great in your personal life or career. Would you find this opportunity thrilling or paralyzing? Would you have a sense of fear or be invigorated with excitement?
In Luke 19:11-27, Jesus tells a parable of a nobleman who goes away to be appointed as a king. Before departing, he gives 10 of his servants 4 months' salary to use to operate and expand their business. Some embrace the opportunity, some are fearful of failing, and some are in opposition to the thought of this nobleman being their king at all.
Jesus presented to His followers the reality that will soon await them. Additionally, He promised that He would return and expect His followers to have expanded and multiplied what they have been given.
How prepared are you to give an account of what you have been entrusted with?
Independence and self-sufficiency play a defining role in many people today. If a person is not independent and self-sufficient they will be forced to rely on others. Few people today are willing to admit they have needs. Our culture has traded the concept of "needs" for "rights" to which people are entitled.
In Luke 18:35-43, Jesus encounters a blind man who cries out for mercy from Jesus. Those around demand that he be quiet, yet his desperation compelled him to cry out for Jesus even more loudly. Jesus was moved with compassion and healed the man's sight saying, "Your faith has saved you."
We can imagine this scene playing out today. The blind man would have demanded that Jesus help him, believing he was entitled to be healed.
There is much to learn from this passage as we consider the extent of our spiritual needs and spiritual blindness. Where else can one put their faith to gain the ability to truly see? What is this faith, shown by the blind man, that is able to save?
There is an ever-growing list of popular DIY projects on the internet and social media platforms. Among the most favored Do-It-Yourself options are home improvements, cooking, gardening, auto repairs, and even upcycling (also known as repurposing). Whatever your interest, skills, or resources, there is a DIY project for you.
Another field of DIY is self-improvement. There is no shortage of tutorials available to help you learn to journal, improve your health, practice mindfulness, set goals, engage in self-care, or learn the art of positive affirmation.
There are even DIY tips for those who desire spiritual growth. However, for those discontent with a vague sense of spirituality, there are some limitations. Is there a DIY solution for those who want assurance they will have eternal life?
In Luke 18:15-25, Jesus meets a young wealthy man who asks Him this very question. "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" In other words, how can I DIY my salvation? When Jesus answered, the man walked away sad when confronted with the true cost.
Are all prayers equal or effective? It was once said that there will always be prayer in schools as long as there are tests. Another saying is that "there are no atheists in foxholes." Prayer may not be an important part of a person's life, but when bullets start flying, they suddenly learn how to pray.
One dictionary defines prayer as "a solemn request for help or success to God or an object of worship; an earnest hope, or wish." Based upon this definition, prayer can be a request, earnest hope, or wish. The object of one's prayers can be any god or object of worship (including themselves). People can pray to anything, for any reason, and in any way they choose. They can have a memorized prayer, a long prayer, or a short prayer.
If the options for how to pray or who to pray to are endless, are they equally effective?
In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells a story of two men who went up to the Temple to pray. The men could not be more different. One was a respected Pharisee (religious teacher) and the other a despised tax collector. They had different prayers with different results.
In these verses, we discover the content of one’s prayers reveals a lot about the character of one’s heart. We can learn a lot about a person and their God by how they pray. How we pray, indicates what we really think about ourselves and God. In this message, we discover that not all prayers are equal.
How crucial is prayer? While most believers acknowledge its significance, many allocate minimal time to prayer, often limiting it to meal or bedtime rituals. Yet, the God of the Bible is relational, personal, and accessible, extending an invitation to commune through prayer. Without an active prayer life, one cannot confidently assert a relationship with God.
Andrew Murray captures the necessity of prayer stating, "Prayer is the pulse of life; by it the doctor can tell what is the condition of the heart. The sin of prayerlessness is a proof for the ordinary Christian or minister, that the life of God in the soul is in deadly sickness and weakness.”
In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus underscores the imperative of persistent prayer, urging his disciples to remain steadfast in their supplications. Through the parable of the persistent widow, he illustrates the efficacy of perseverance in seeking help when wrongly suffering.
Jesus imparts a vital lesson on prayer, emphasizing its indispensable role in the life of faith. Jesus was calling His followers to an unwavering commitment and resilience in prayer.
In this message, we explore the necessity of prayer as a vital and irreplaceable aspect of the believer's journey.
We have but one trip to travel on this short journey of life. Nothing matters more than to be sure you are walking on the right path. The Bible does not present many paths to the Father. In the letters of 2 John and 3 John, the author speaks of having "no greater joy than to hear my children are walking in the truth." This message seeks to make John's joy our own, as we learn about walking in the truth.