NewLife Christian Fellowship's Podcast: Recent Episodes
Eric Stillman
Pastor Eric Stillman is committed to seeing God transform lives as well as our community and world by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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The Religious & Political Authorities: The Judge On Trial
Aug 2, 2026 • Eric Stillman
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Peter and Judas: Grace That Covers Our Failures
Jul 26, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the twenty-ninth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 22:19-62 where Jesus shares His grace that breaks through our failures and restores us to right standing with Him.
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The Disciples: The Wonder of Sacrificial Love
Jul 19, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the twenty-eighth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 22:7-30 where Jesus transforms the Passover meal and teaches that true greatness lies in sacrificial service.
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The Sadducees: Marriage, Resurrection, And Perfect Love
Jul 12, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the twenty-seventh sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 20:27-39 and an interaction between Jesus and the Sadducees that touches on marriage, the resurrection, and perfect love.
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The Rich Young Ruler: Exchange Your Idols For Jesus
Eric Stillman • July 5, 2026
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Jesus & The Ten Lepers: Gratitude and Worship
Jun 28, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the twenty-fifth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 17:11-19 where Jesus heals ten lepers but only returns to thank Him and praise God.
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Jesus & The Crowd: The Scandalous Love of God
Jun 21, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the twenty-fourth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 15:1-32 where Jesus explains the love of God for sinners.
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Guest Preacher: JT Himmelstein - Jesus and the greedy man: Warning against wealth’s pitfalls
Jun 14, 2026 • JT Himmelstein
In the twenty-third sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 12:13-21 where Jesus addresses the challenge of money and greed for those desiring to enter God’s Kingdom.
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The Crowd: Overcoming Spiritual Evil
Jun 7, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the twenty-second sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 11:14-26 where Jesus addresses the crowd and the topic of spiritual evil.
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The Disciples: Teach Us To Pray
May 31, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the twenty-first sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 11:1-13 where Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray.
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Mary & Martha: Jesus and the Distractions of Life
May 24, 2026 • Eric Stillman
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The Expert in the Law: Love Your Neighbor
May 17, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the nineteenth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 10:25-37, which shows us that Jesus is the true Good Samaritan, who came to rescue us when we were enemies of God.
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The Seventy-Two Disciples: Sent Out On Mission
May 10, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the eighteenth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 10:1-24 and how God calls us to His mission of spreading the Gospel and building His Kingdom.
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The Disciples: Pride, Exclusivity, and Vengeance
May 3, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the seventeenth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 9:43-56 and how God calls us to humility over pride, inclusivity over superiority, and sacrificial love over power and vengeance.
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Peter, John & James: The Transfigured Jesus
Apr 26, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the sixteenth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 9:28-36 and how Jesus reveals Himself as the Divine Redeemer at the Transfiguration.
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The Hungry Crowd: Jesus is the Bread of Life
Apr 19, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the fifteenth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 9:10-17 and how Jesus is our Provider, the Bread of Life, that invites us to offer what we have for eternal purpose.
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The Cost of Following the Messiah
Apr 12, 2026 • Jim Wilson
In the fourteenth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 9:18-27 and Jesus' interaction with his disciples regarding who He is, what He came to do, and what it means to follow Jesus.
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The Road To Emmaus: All The Stories Point to Him
Apr 5, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the thirteenth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 24:13-35 and Jesus' interaction with two disciples on the road to Emmaus, in order to understand how the resurrection of Jesus is the true story to which all our favorite stories point.
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The Cheering Crowd: Jesus the King
Mar 29, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the twelfth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 19:28-48, in which we see Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem as King.
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The Demon-Possessed Man: Jesus Has Authority Over Evil
Mar 22, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the eleventh sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 8:22-39, which displays Jesus’ authority over a storm and a demon-possessed man and His love for those near and far.
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The Woman Who Had Lived A Sinful Life: How Much Do You Love God?
Mar 15, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the tenth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 7:36-50, Jesus' interactions with a Pharisee named Simon and a woman who had lived a sinful life, in order to understand where a love for God comes from.
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The Centurion: Faith That Amazes Jesus
Mar 8, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the ninth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked at Luke 7:1-10, Jesus' interactions with a Roman centurion, in order to understand what great faith looks like and how to get it.
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The Pharisees: Fasting, the Sabbath, and the Law of God
Mar 1, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the eighth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked in Luke 5:33 - 6:11, Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees and religious leaders about fasting, the Sabbath, and the law of God, in order to understand our relationship healing of a leper and paralytics, in order to understand the compassionate authority of Jesus and the power of God that is available to us.
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The Leper & The Paralytic: The Compassionate Authority of Jesus
Feb 22, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the seventh sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked in Luke 5:12-26, Jesus' healing of a leper and paralytics, in order to understand the compassionate authority of Jesus and the power of God that is available to us.
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Simon Peter & Levi: Responding to the Call of God
Feb 15, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the sixth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked in Luke 5:1-11 and 5:27-32, Jesus' calling of two of his disciples, Simon Peter and Levi, in order to understand the call of God on our lives.
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The Sick & Demon-Possessed: The Authority and Compassion of Jesus
Feb 8, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the fifth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked in Luke 4:31-43 at Jesus’ authority over evil and sickness and his compassion for those who are suffering, in order to understand how healing and deliverance fits into Jesus' and His followers' mission.
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The Nazarenes: Offended by Jesus
Feb 1, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the fourth sermon of the sermon series “Meeting Jesus”, we looked in Luke 4:14-30 at Jesus’ primary mission of spiritual healing and the offense that His fellow townspeople took at that.
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John the Baptist: He Must Increase, I Must DecreaseJan 18, 2026 • Eric Stillman
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Simeon & Anna: Jesus The Promised Messiah
Jan 11, 2026 • Eric Stillman
In the first sermon of a new sermon series called "Meeting Jesus," we look at the story of Simeon and Jesus in Luke 2:22-35.
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The Heart Of It All
Dec 21, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the fifteenth sermon in "The Gospel According to Isaiah" sermon series, we look at Isaiah 54:5-8 and 62:1-5 and the heart of Isaiah, Advent, and the Bible.
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The New Heavens And The New EarthDec 14, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the fourteenth sermon in "The Gospel According to Isaiah" sermon series, we look at Isaiah 65:17-25, which reveals more about the new heavens and new earth.
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The Final Judgment
Dec 7, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the thirteenth sermon in "The Gospel According to Isaiah" sermon series, we look at Isaiah 66, Isaiah 13, and various other passages in order to understand what the Bible has to say about final judgment.
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The God Who Comes to Save
Nov 30, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the twelfth sermon in "The Gospel According to Isaiah" sermon series, we look at Isaiah 59 and how God will deal with the problems of this world.
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The Floodgates of God's Blessings Are Open
Nov 23, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the eleventh sermon in "The Gospel According to Isaiah" sermon series, we look at Isaiah 54 & 55 and God’s invitation to experience His presence and blessings.
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The Power Of Sacrificial Love
Nov 9, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the tenth sermon in "The Gospel According to Isaiah" sermon series, we look at Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 and how God deals with the deeper sin problem of Israel and the world through Jesus, the suffering servant sent by God to rescue us from our sins.
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Justice & Compassion
Oct 26, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the eighth sermon in "The Gospel According to Isaiah" sermon series, we look at Isaiah 42:1-13 and how Jesus perfectly blends justice and compassion.
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God, Where Are You In My Loneliness?
Oct 19, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the seventh sermon in "The Gospel According to Isaiah" sermon series, we look at Isaiah 41:8-16 and Isaiah 43:1-7 and what we learn about the faithful presence of God.
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God, Where Are You In My Suffering?
Oct 12, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the sixth sermon in "The Gospel According to Isaiah" sermon series, we look at Isaiah 40 and where God is in our suffering.
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The Fatherly Discipline Of God
Oct 5, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the fifth sermon in "The Gospel According to Isaiah" sermon series, we look at Isaiah 48:8-10, Hebrews 12:1-2, and the Fatherly discipline of God.
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Where Do You Turn To In Your Distress?
Sep 28, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the fourth sermon in "The Gospel According to Isaiah" sermon series, we look at Isaiah 7:1-14 and the decision we have to turn to God or to idols when we are in distress.
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Performative Religion
Sep 21, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the third sermon in "The Gospel According to Isaiah" sermon series, we look at Isaiah 29:13 and God's desire that we cease from performative religion and give Him our heart.
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The Justice of God
Sep 14, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the second sermon in "The Gospel According to Isaiah" sermon series, we look at Isaiah 1:10-20 and God's heart of justice for His people.
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The Holy Love Of God
Sep 7, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the first sermon in "The Gospel According to Isaiah" sermon series, we look at Isaiah 6:1-13, Isaiah's encounter with God, to learn about the holy love of God that we desperately need.
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Cove Service 2025 - Justice & Righteousness
Aug 31, 2025 • Eric Stillman
Pastor Eric delivers a sermon from Amos 5:21-24 on what true worship is to God. Recorded outdoors at the Cove service
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Friendship And Testimony Time
Aug 24, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the seventh and final sermon in "The Way of Wisdom" sermon series, we look at Proverbs 12:26, 13:20, and other Proverbs and Bible passages in order to understand what true friendship looks like. We also hear four testimonies about the Proverbs series.
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Where There Is No Revelation... Plus Baptism Testimonies
Aug 17, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the sixth sermon in "The Way of Wisdom" sermon series, we look at Proverbs 29:18 in order to understand the vital importance of God's authoritative and prophetic word for our lives and our world. We also hear three baptism testimonies.
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The Problematic Power Of Our Words
Aug 10, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the fifth sermon in "The Way of Wisdom" sermon series, we look at Proverbs 18:21 and other passages, in order to understand the problematic power of our words and how to become wiser in our communication.
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The Pride That Leads To Destruction
Aug 3, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the fourth sermon in "The Way of Wisdom" sermon series, we look at Proverbs 11:2, 16:18-19, and Luke 18:9-14, among other passages, in order to understand the danger of pride and a better way to live.
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Self-Control
Jul 27, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the third sermon in "The Way of Wisdom" sermon series, we look at Proverbs 18:10-11, 25:28, and other selected Proverbs in order to understand how we can develop greater self-control.
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Decision Making And The Will Of God
Jul 20, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the second sermon in "The Way of Wisdom" sermon series, we look at Proverbs 11:3, 12:5, and other selected Proverbs in order to understand what the will of God is and how to make godly and wise decisions.
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The Fear Of The Lord Is The Beginning Of Wisdom
Jul 13, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the first sermon in "The Way of Wisdom" sermon series, we look at Proverbs 1:1-7 and 9:10 and the fear of the Lord, why it is the beginning of wisdom, and how we grow in it.
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A Powerful Story Of God's Grace & Colossians Testimony Time
Jul 6, 2025 • Eric Stillman
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Guest Preacher Victor Rush - What Are You Full Of?Jun 29, 2025 • Victor RushGuest Preacher Victor Rush of Ebenezer Temple and Hartford City Mission brings the word.
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Talk To God About People, And Talk To People About God
Jun 22, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the eighth sermon in the "Jesus is Lord" sermon series, we look at Colossians 4:2-6 and two tasks that Paul gives to the Colossian church regarding prayer and evangelism.
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The Gospel In The Home And At Work
Jun 15, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the seventh sermon in the "Jesus is Lord" sermon series, we look at Colossians 3:18 - 4:1 and the implications of the gospel for the home and workplace.
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The Believer's Identity
Jun 8, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the sixth sermon in the "Jesus is Lord" sermon series, we look at Colossians 3:1-17 and the believer's identity as new creations in Christ.
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The Sufficiency Of Jesus
Jun 1, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the fifth sermon in the "Jesus is Lord" sermon series, we look at Colossians 2:6-23 and the sufficiency of Jesus.
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Keep Your Lamps Lit for The Lord
May 25, 2025 • Eric Hesselbach
Guest preacher and NewLife elder Eric Hesselbach preaches on Matthew 25:1-13 about what it means to be ready for Jesus' return.
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Suffering And Joy
May 18, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the fourth sermon in the "Jesus is Lord" sermon series, we look at Colossians 1:24 - 2:5 and the reality of suffering and joy as we minister to others.
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Jesus, The Lord And Redeemer
May 11, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the third sermon in the "Jesus is Lord" sermon series, we look at Colossians 1:15-23 and Paul's declaration of who Jesus is, and what the implications are for us today.
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The Power of Intercessory Prayer
May 4, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the second sermon in the "Jesus is Lord" sermon series, we look at Colossians 1:9-14 and Paul's prayer for the Colossian church and what we learn about the power of intercessory prayer.
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The Gospel Of Colossians
Apr 27, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the first sermon in the "Jesus is Lord" sermon series, we look at Colossians 1:1-8 and Paul's greeting and thanksgiving for the Colossian church and what we learn about the gospel and the evidence of salvation.
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The Power Of The Resurrection
Apr 20, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the third sermon in the "This is Love..." sermon series, we look at John 20:24-29 and John 21:1-19 and why the resurrection of Jesus is so powerful.
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Substitutionary Sacrifice
Apr 13, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the second sermon in the "This is Love..." sermon series, we look at Isaiah 53:1-12, among many other passages, to trace the history of subsitutionary sacrifice in the Bible and how it culminates at the cross.
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Love Is Washing Feet
Apr 6, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the first sermon in the "This is Love..." sermon series, we look at John 13:1-17, the story of Jesus washing his disciples' feet, in order to better understand what love is.
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Exodus Summary & Testimonies
Mar 30, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the twenty-sixth sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 40, summarize the book, and share testimonies.
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The Presence And Glory Of God
Mar 23, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the twenty-fifth sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 33 & 34 and the importance of the presence and glory of God.
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God Has Gifted You
Mar 16, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the twenty-fourth sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 35:30 - 36:7, the story of Bezalel, and what we learn about how God has gifted us for service.
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The Golden Calf
Mar 9, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the twenty-third sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 32, the story of the golden calf, and what we learn about idolatry and our need for a mediator.
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The Presence Of God
Mar 2, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the twenty-second sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 25-40, the construction of the tabernacle, and what this teaches us about the presence of God.
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How To Read And Apply The Old Testament Law
Feb 23, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the twenty-first sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 21-24 and how we are to read and apply the Old Testament law to our lives today.
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Do Not Covet
Feb 16, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the twentienh sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 20:17, the tenth commandment, and the heart of the commandment to not covet.
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Do Not Give False Testimony
Feb 9, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the nineteenth sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 20:16, the ninth commandment, and the heart of the commandment to not give false testimony.
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Do Not Steal
Feb 2, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the eighteenth sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 20:15, the eighth commandment, and the heart of the commandment to not steal.
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Do Not Commit Adultery
Jan 26, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the seventeenth sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 20:14, the seventh commandment, and the heart of the commandment to not commit adultery.
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Do not murderJan 19, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the sixteenth sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 20:13, the sixth commandment, and the heart of the commandment to not murder.
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Honor Your Father and Mother
Jan 12, 2025 • Eric Stillman
In the fifteenth sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 20:12, the fifth commandment, and what it means to honor your father and mother.
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Guest Preacher: Eric Hesselbach - The Fear of the Lord
Jan 5, 2025 • Eric Hesselbach
Guest preacher and NewLife Elder Eric Hesselbach shares on the fear of the Lord.
The Power of Fasting, and New Year's Testimonies
Dec 29, 2024 • Eric Stillman
Pastor Eric shares why fasting is such a powerful spiritual discipline, and some NewLife members share testimonies.
No Gods Before Him
Dec 15, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the thirteenth sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 20:1-7, the first three commandments, and what we learn about how to relate to God.
The Holiness Dilemma - Dec 8, 2024 - Eric Stillman
In the twelfth sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 19:7 - 20:3 and the dilemma presented by the holiness of God and the unholiness of mankind
All of God's People Are Ministers and Priests
Nov 24, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the eleventh sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 18:13 - 19:6 and God's calling on spiritual leaders and on all of His people.
You've Gotta Fight And Pray
Nov 17, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the tenth sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 17:8-16 and the story of the Israelites' victory over the Amalekites and what we learn about facing the battles of life.
Living Water From The Rock
Nov 10, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the ninth sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 17:1-7 and the story of God giving the Israelites water from a rock so that we can see a picture of the gospel in the Old Testament and a vision of who God is.
Guest preacher: Matt Harper - The Heart God Desires
Nov 3, 2024 • Matt Harper
Guest preacher Matt Harper preaches on the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke 18:9-14 and what it teaches us about the heart God desires.
The God of the Desert
Oct 27, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the eighth sermon in the Exodus sermon series, we look at Exodus 15:22 - 16:36 and the beginning of the Israelites' journey through the desert, to see what God teaches them - and us - about who He is and how to follow Him.
From Slavery To Freedom
Oct 20, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the seventh sermon in the Exodus sermon series, we look at Exodus 13:17 - 15:21, the story of the crossing of the Red Sea, and what it means for us today.
Passover and the Lamb Who Was Slain
Oct 13, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the sixth sermon in the Exodus sermon series, we look at Exodus 11:1 - 13:16, the story of the first tenth plague and the introduction of the Passover and what that means for us today.
Who is the Lord, That I Should Obey Him?
Oct 6, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the fifth sermon in the Exodus sermon series, we look at Exodus 7:17 - 10:29, the story of the first nine plagues and what God reveals through the plagues about who He is and why we should obey Him.
Perseverance in the Call of God • Sep 29, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the fourth sermon in the Exodus: The journey from slavery through the wilderness to the Promised Land sermon series, we look at Exodus 4:18 - 5:23, the beginning of Moses' obedience to God's call on his life, and the characteristics he will need to overcome the challenges he faces.
The God, The Call, And The Response • Eric Stillman • Sep 22, 2024
In the third sermon in the Exodus sermon series, we look at Exodus 3:1 - 4:17, the story of Moses and the burning bush, to see what we learn about God, His call on our lives, and our response.
The God of our mess
Sep 15, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the second sermon in the Exodus sermon series, we look at Exodus 2 and how God prepared Moses for the tasks he had for him to do.
In the first sermon in the Exodus sermon series, we look at Exodus 1 and the messages that our suffering communicates to us
Aug 25, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the eighth sermon in the MasterClass: Storyteller sermon series, we look at Matthew 25:31-46, the parable of the sheep and the goats, and how we will be judged upon how we treat "the least of these."
Use What God Gave You: The Parable Of The Talents
Aug 18, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the seventh sermon in the MasterClass: Storyteller sermon series, we look at Matthew 25:14-30, the parable of the talents, and how we will be judged upon what we do with the resources God has entrusted to us.
Forgive As You Have Been Forgiven: The Parable Of The Unforgiving Servant
Aug 11, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the sixth sermon in the MasterClass: Storyteller sermon series, we look at Matthew 18:21-35 and what Jesus teaches us about forgiveness.
The Scandalous Love Of God: The Parable Of The Two Sons
Aug 4, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the fifth sermon in the MasterClass: Storyteller sermon series, we look at the parable of the two sons (alternately known as the parable of the prodigal son) from Luke 15:1-32 to look at the love of God for both the irreligious and the self-righteous.
What Do You Deserve? The Parable Of The Vineyard Workers • Jul 28, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the fourth sermon in the MasterClass: Storyteller sermon series, we look at Matthew 20:1-16, the parable of the workers in the vineyard, to see what we learn about our attitude towards salvation, the life of faith, and God.
The Incomparable Worth Of Knowing God: The Parable Of The Hidden Treasure
Jul 21, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the third sermon in the MasterClass: Storyteller sermon series, we look at Matthew 13:44-46 and the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price and what they teach us about the incomparable worth of knowing God.
Love Your Neighbor: The Parable Of The Good Samaritan • Jul 14, 2024 • Eric Stillman
Jul 14, 2024 • Eric Stillman - In the second sermon in the MasterClass: Storyteller sermon series, we look at Luke 10:25-37, the parable of the good Samaritan, and what it has to teach us about loving our neighbor.
HOW IS YOUR HEART? - THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER • Jul 7, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the first sermon in the MasterClass: Storyteller sermon series, we look at the parable of the sower in Luke 8:4-15 and what we learn about the importance of our heart to knowing and following God.
EFFECTIVE PRAYER • Jun 16, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the ninth sermon in the Daniel: Faithfulness in Exile sermon series, we look at Daniel's prayer and what we learn about effective prayer.
SALVATION FROM THE LIONS
Jun 2, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the seventh sermon in the Daniel: Faithfulness in Exile sermon series, we look at Daniel 6, the story of Daniel in the lions' den, to learn how it points us to the gospel and what it teaches us about being faithful in times of opposition.
Guest Preacher: John Kane • May 19, 2024
Guest Preacher John Kane, missionary with Overseas Missions Fellowship in Southeast Asia, shares about his ministry and about what God's Word says about being ready.
Judgment Day • May 12, 2024 • Eric Stillman
This morning, I am in the sixth week of a sermon series through the Old Testament
book of Daniel that will take us up until the summer. To recap, God has allowed
Israel to be conquered by Babylon as discipline for their sins. The main characters
in this story are Daniel and his three friends, commonly known as Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, who are attempting to remain faithful to their God
despite being in exile and being faced with the attempts of the Babylonian King to
reprogram them into loyal Babylonian servants. Let’s dive into chapter 5:
Daniel 5:1–31 - King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles
and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave
orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had
taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and
his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold goblets that
had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles,
his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they
praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
If you’ve been following along, you know that there has been a change in the king
of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar dies in 562 BC, and after some revolts and
assassinations, Belshazzar becomes king around 553 BC and rules until 539,
which, not coincidentally, is when Daniel 5 takes place.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the
wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it
wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak
and his knees were knocking. 7 The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers and
diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing
and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed
around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell
the king what it meant. 9 So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his
face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled. 10 The queen, hearing the voices of
the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!”
she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! 11 There is a man in your
kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he
was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your
father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters,
astrologers and diviners. 12 He did this because Daniel, whom the king called
Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding....
Why does God want us to be humble? • May 5, 2024 • Eric Stillman
This morning, I am in the fifth week of a sermon series through the Old Testament
book of Daniel that will take us up until the summer. To recap, God has allowed
Israel to be conquered by Babylon as discipline for their sins. The main characters
in this story are Daniel and his three friends, commonly known as Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, who are attempting to remain faithful to their God
despite being in exile and being faced with the attempts of the Babylonian King,
Nebuchadnezzar, to reprogram them into loyal Babylonian servants. Up to this
point, despite God’s clear challenges to Nebuchadnezzar’s pride, the king has yet
to bend the knee to God. But in chapter 5, we get a unique view of the world from
the king’s perspective:
Daniel 4:1–37 - King Nebuchadnezzar, To the nations and peoples of every
language, who live in all the earth: May you prosper greatly! 2
It is my pleasure to
tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has
performed for me. 3 How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His
kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to
generation. 4
I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and
prosperous. 5
I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in bed, the images
and visions that passed through my mind terrified me. 6 So I commanded that all
the wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for me.
7 When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners came, I told them the
dream, but they could not interpret it for me. 8 Finally, Daniel came into my
presence and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my
god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.) 9
I said, “Belteshazzar, chief of the
magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too
difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me. 10 These are the visions I
saw while lying in bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of
the land. Its height was enormous. 11The tree grew large and strong and its top
touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful,
its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the wild animals found
shelter, and the birds lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed. 13 “In the
visions I saw while lying in bed, I looked, and there before me was a holy one, a
messenger, coming down from heaven. 14 He called in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the
tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the
animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15But let the stump and
its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the
field. “ ‘Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the
animals among the plants of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from that of a
man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him.
17
“ ‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict,
This morning, I am in the second week of a new sermon series through the Old
Testament book of Daniel that will take us up until the summer. I’ve entitled the
series “Faithfulness in exile,” a title that may at first glance seem to be about
something that happened a long time ago in a kingdom far, far away, but I believe
you will find is very relevant to your life today. Let’s begin by reading Daniel 1:1-
7:
Daniel 1 - In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah,
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the
Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the
articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in
Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered
Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the
royal family and the nobility--
4
young men without any physical defect,
handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to
understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the
language and literature of the Babylonians.
5 The king assigned them a daily
amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three
years, and after that they were to enter the king's service. 6 Among these were
some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official
gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach;
to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego
God is sovereign, but His ways are not our ways • Apr 7, 2024 • Eric Stillman
This Sunday, we will begin a new sermon series through the Old Testament book of Daniel titled "Faithfulness in Exile."
The cross and the battles of life • Mar 24, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the fifth sermon in "The cross" sermon series, we look at the Palm Sunday account and what we learn about the battleground, the enemy, and the weapons of warfare.
The cross and our lonely, polarized world • Mar 17, 2024 • Eric Stillman
In the fourth sermon in The Cross: Why the Death of Jesus Matters sermon series, preached on Sunday, March 17th, 2024, we look at Matthew 26:37-41 and Ephesians 2:8-22 among other passages and how the cross offers a solution to our lonely, polarized world.
In the third sermon in The Cross: Why the Death of Jesus Matters sermon series, preached on Sunday, March 10th, 2024, we look at Romans 3:20-24 among other passages and the life-transforming grace that is found at the cross.
In the second sermon in The Cross: Why the Death of Jesus Matters sermon series, preached on Sunday, March 3rd, 2024, we look at Hebrews 12:1-3 among other passages and why the cross matters for our suffering.
This Sunday, we began a new sermon series looking at the cross, and why it matters that Jesus died. In this sermon, we looked specifically at sin, its consequences, and how Jesus' death deals with our sin problem.
This Sunday, we will be summarizing the "Lord, teach us to pray" sermon series and opening it up for testimonies. - Eric Stillman
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one - Feb 11, 2024
Eric Stillman - We continued in our sermon series through the Lord's Prayer in Mathew 6:5-15, looking at the final section, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
This Sunday, we continued in our sermon series through the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:5-15. This morning, we looked at Jesus' words "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors," looking at the importance of forgiveness and grace to our relationship with God and with others.
This Sunday, we continued in our sermon series through the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:5-13. We looked at Jesus' words "Give us this day our daily bread," considering what Jesus has to say about asking God for the things we need and want.
This Sunday, we are continuing in our sermon series through the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:5-13. This morning, we will be looking at Jesus' words "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," trying to understand what Jesus meant and why it is so essential to have this kind of focus in our life and in our prayers.
This morning I am in the second week of a sermon series on prayer entitled “Lord,
teach us to pray.” This title comes from Luke 11:1:
Luke 11:1 - One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one
of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his
disciples."
Evidently there was something about how Jesus prayed that piqued the disciples’
curiosity and led them to ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. And there really are
few things more important than knowing how to pray, for it is how we
communicate with the God of the universe and access His love, grace, and power.
Last week, we looked at the intro and the first line, “Our Father in heaven.” We
talked about how prayer is communication with God, not a show for others, how
prayer is not a magic formula or technique. And we talked about how Jesus from
the very beginning holds up the need for both reverence and intimacy in our
relationship with God. God is the King in heaven, but He is also our Father. He is
our Father, but He is also the king. He is concerned about the needs of His
children, and He is also all-powerful. That is who we come to when we pray.
I want to read the entire passage again this morning, and today we will focus on the
phrase “Hallowed be your name.” The goal again is to understand what prayer is
all about and become better at praying, that we might know God better.
Matthew 6:5-13 - “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love
to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I
tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go
into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do
not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their
many words.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before
you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“ ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts,...
This morning I am beginning a sermon series on prayer called “Lord, teach us to
pray.” This title comes from Luke 11:1:
Luke 11:1 - One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one
of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his
disciples."
Evidently there was something about how Jesus prayed that piqued their curiosity
and led them to ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. I’m not sure what prayer
means to you. Bow your head and close your eyes? Trying to stay awake? Loud
and noisy shouting? Crying out for help in times of need? Repeating familiar lines?
A waste of time? A mystery? Whatever your perspective, there are not many things
in this world more important or powerful than prayer, so let’s come to the Lord
afresh, asking Him to teach us to pray.
In Matthew 6, Jesus tells his listeners what prayer is and how to pray. I want to
study this passage over the coming weeks in order to help us learn to pray well:
Matthew 6:5-13 - “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love
to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I
tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go
into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do
not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their
many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before
you ask him.
Traditionally on the Sunday after Christmas I like to do a sermon that is New
Years focused, as we look back at the year that was and look ahead to the coming
year. This year, I want to share a passage from Malachi 1:6-14.
Malachi was a prophet who lived around the year 450 BC. The historical context is
that Israel has been conquered by the Babylonians and taken off into captivity in
what is known as the exile. Under King Cyrus, they are allowed to return and
rebuild Jerusalem, which we read about in the books of Nehemiah and Ezra. As
you might imagine, hopes were very high in Israel upon their return. They rebuilt
the wall of Jerusalem, rebuilt the temple, and expected that the promises of the
prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah would come to pass, that the Messiah would come
and there would be a time of peace and justice in the land. But it didn’t happen that
way, at least not as quickly as they expected, and the community fell back into
rebellion against God, into injustice and spiritual complacency. And that’s when
God raises up Malachi to be his prophet.
Old Testament prophets were known as covenant mediators. What does that mean?
Remember that when God led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, he led them to
Mt. Sinai, where he made a covenant with the people. A covenant is like a contract,
an agreement between two people or parties, but with greater intimacy. Think of a
marriage covenant – in one sense it is a contract, in that two people are coming into
agreement with each other about their relationship in a binding way before God
and the government, but there is much greater intimacy in a marriage covenant
than say an agreement between you and the Honda dealership when you buy a new
care. Anyways, God made a covenant with Moses and the Israelites at Mt. Sinai,
which was called the Mosaic covenant. I will be your God, and you will be my
people. This is what it means to be my people – don’t kill, don’t steal, worship in
these ways, care for the poor among you, and so on. And after these laws, or
stipulations, would come the blessings and curses. If you follow these laws, you
will experience blessings: prosperity, good crops, good health, peace, long life, and
so on. If you disobey, you will bring upon yourself curses: famine, pestilence,
plague, warfare, and so on.
This past month, I preached on the names of the Messiah. Immanuel. Wonderful
counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The Servant of the
Lord. Tonight, I thought that the most fitting way to end this series was to focus on
the true name of the Messiah, Jesus. Jesus is not just any name, but has deep
meaning for us and for this world. Let’s read again Matthew 1:18-25:
Matthew 1:18-25 - This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother
Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was
found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was
a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind
to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to
take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy
Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and
will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with
us." 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded
him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she
gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Jesus is the Hebrew name Yeshua, which means salvation, or “The Lord saves.” In
Greek, Yeshua is translated Iesous, from where we get the name Jesus.
Psalm 14:7 - Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
Zechariah - Luke 1:76-77 - And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the
Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to
give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
Simeon - Luke 2:30-32 - For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you
have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and
for glory to your people Israel."
He will save the people from their sins. That is the main need. That is His purpose.
This morning is the third week in the season of Advent, the four weeks before
Christmas where we look back at the coming of Jesus and look ahead to His return.
During Advent, I am preaching through some of the names given to the Messiah in
the Old Testament. The Hebrew word Messiah, which is the Greek name Christos
and the English word Christ, referred to the anointed king from David’s line who
the Israelites believed would restore the nation of Israel to glory. Two weeks ago
we looked at the name Immanuel from Isaiah 7, and last week we looked at Isaiah
9 and the names “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace.” This morning we will look at a name that figures prominently in the
second half of Isaiah – the servant of the Lord. This servant figure shows up in four
passages. I am going to read and briefly comment on the first three, and then spend
most of my time on the fourth passage this morning:
Isaiah 42:1-4 - "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I
delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. 2 He
will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. 3 A bruised reed he will
not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring
forth justice; 4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on
earth. In his law the islands will put their hope."
God’s Spirit will be on His servant, and he will bring justice to not only Israel but
to the nations.
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace - Dec 10, 2023. We will be looking at Isaiah 9:1-7 and what the names of the Messiah in this passage mean for our relationship with God and for the world.
This morning begins the season of Advent, the four weeks before Christmas where we look back at the coming of Jesus and look ahead to His return. I’ve entitled my Advent sermon series “The Names of the Messiah,” and over the next four weeks, I will be looking at the various names given to Jesus, the Messiah, in the various prophecies about his coming, and what significance they have for our lives and our world. This morning we will be looking at the name Immanuel from Isaiah 7.
If you’re unfamiliar with Isaiah, it is a collection of prophecies by the prophet Isaiah from the 8th-7th century BC. Remember that after God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, they met with God at Mt. Sinai, where God made a covenant with them. And whenever Israel was violating the covenant and experiencing the consequences, God would raise up a prophet to call the people to repentance. Isaiah came along at a time when Israel was very much in danger.
To set the historical scene: in those days Israel was broken into two kingdoms, Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, was facing pressure from Aram & Ephraim, two tribes in the northern kingdom, who in turn were facing pressure from a foreign power named Assyria. Judah, especially King Ahaz, was left with a decision, whether to ally with Assyria or stand against Aram & Ephraim on their own. King Ahaz had to choose between trusting God to protect them or making an alliance with another nation. Isaiah, the prophet, tells him to trust God and not make an alliance, as we see in Isaiah 7:
Isaiah 7:1-14 - When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. 2 Now the house of David was told, "Aram has allied itself with Ephraim"; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind. 3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman's Field. 4 Say to him, 'Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood-- because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. 5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah's son have plotted your ruin, saying, 6 "Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it." 7 Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'It will not take place, it will not happen, 8 for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. 9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'" 10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 "Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." 12 But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test." 13 Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Ahaz refuses to trust God, and instead submits to Assyria on condition that Assyria deals with the northern threat. Here is the historical account in 2 Kings 16:
7 Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria...
Finishing up 1 Thessalonians this morning. 1 Thessalonians was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul has not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends Timothy, one of his fellow missionaries, who brings back a report about how the Thessalonians are doing and what issues they are facing. In response to Timothy’s report, Paul sends this letter. Let’s begin by reading the final section:
1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 - May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Before I dive into this passage, let me give a big picture about what I have tried to do the past couple of months. I have tried to help you understand what this letter meant in its original context and what it means for us today. There are right and wrong ways to read the Bible. The right way is to read it in context. Specifically, to read it in four contexts:
- The grammatical, literary, and historical context – this is why I give the history, say it’s a letter, and read the whole letter. We don’t pick passages out of the air like a fortune cookie. We pay attention to genre, and we seek to understand the historical context.
- The context of the Biblical metanarrative – creation, fall, redemption, new creation. This is why we reference so many other passages. Every passage fits within a larger story
- The context of Christian community – resources, church tradition, community of faith. This is why I cite commentaries and other books and encourage discussion. If I’m coming up with an interpretation that no one else in history has come up with, I should question my reading.
- The context of a life of Spirit-led, obedient discipleship – we’re not just reading for intellectual knowledge, or worse, to argue against it.
The Bible is God’s Word delivered through human words. Its purpose is to call people to repentance and faith in Jesus and then to align their lives with God’s purpose, living lives of faith, love, and holiness.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 - May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul has not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends Timothy, one of his fellow missionaries, who brings back a report about how the Thessalonians are doing and what issues they are facing. In response to Timothy’s report, Paul sends this letter. We are nearing the end of 1 Thessalonians, and the short passage we will be reading today as the power to dramatically change your life for the better if you would only put these words into practice.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 - Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.
This is a short passage with a lot of power, and it raises a few questions that we need to answer:
Who is the Spirit?
What is the Spirit’s fire, and how do we avoid putting it out?
What are prophecies?
How do we test prophecy to see if it’s genuine or not?
Who is the Spirit?
The Bible teaches us that God is a Trinity, three-in-one, same in nature but distinct in persons. Followers of God interacted with God the Father in the Old Testament, while the Holy Spirit would empower specific individuals at different times. Then Jesus shows up, and it is clear to His followers that while He is distinct from God the Father, He is also divine – He receives worship, He forgives sins, He is eternal, He is without sin. And then, as his death was getting closer, Jesus told his disciples about another who would come after him, the Holy Spirit:
This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul has not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends Timothy, one of his fellow missionaries, who brings back a report about how the Thessalonians are doing and what issues they are facing. In response to Timothy’s report, Paul sends this letter. Last week, we looked at the vision Paul gave them regarding their horizontal relationships with others in the church. This week and next, we will look at what he tells them about their vertical relationship with God. I want to focus on three verses this morning:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18- Rejoice always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
This passage may be short, but the exhortations in this passage are truly what you need, more than you even know, at the core of your being. You need a joy and a peace that can survive the ups and downs of your life and can weather the hardest storms and worst enemies of life. Clearly Paul is communicating that no matter the circumstances, we ought to be rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. In the good times and the bad. In sickness and in health, whether wealthy or in poverty. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances. This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. This is what your loving and good Father desires for you.
Now, the NIV used to translate this as “Be joyful always,” which I think was a really unhelpful way of phrasing this. After all, how do you honestly tell someone to be joyful always? Am I supposed to instinctively feel joyful when a loved one dies, or I find out I have cancer, or my spouse divorces me? After all, even Paul told us in Romans 12:15 to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn, and Jesus himself was called a man of sorrows. We do not always feel joy, nor should we, especially in tragic circumstances. But we can CHOOSE to rejoice. We can CHOOSE to pray. And we can CHOOSE to give thanks. More specifically, we can choose to rejoice in the Lord, even when we don’t find joy in our circumstances. And we can give Him thanks in every circumstance, even we are not thankful for our circumstance. Paul notes this apparent contradiction in 2 Corinthians:
This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul has not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends Timothy, one of his fellow missionaries, who brings back a report about how the Thessalonians are doing and what issues they are facing. In response to Timothy’s report, Paul sends this letter. In the first section of this letter, Paul reminds them of the gospel and of his love for them, and he defends himself against his critics’ accusations and slander. In the section we are currently in, Paul transitions to instructions about how to live as a Christian. We have already looked at God’s vision for our sexuality and our work and what we need to know about death, Jesus’ return, and the final judgment. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be looking at the vision Paul lays out for relationships and worship within the church.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 - Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
This is a short section. He begins with a couple of statements about how we should relate to leaders in the church, and follows up with a couple of statements about how we should relate to each other, and so we will look a little at both of those.
But I think that if we are going to set this passage in its proper context and understand how we are to relate to each other, it is helpful to have a proper understanding of Biblical anthropology, the doctrine of man. Let me say four things to help set the context:
We are all created in God’s image, with dignity
This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul has not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends Timothy, one of his fellow missionaries, who brings back a report about how the Thessalonians are doing and what issues they are facing. In response to Timothy’s report, Paul sends this letter. In the first section of this letter, Paul reminds them of the gospel and of his love for them, and he defends himself against his critics’ accusations and slander. In the section we are currently in, Paul transitions to instructions about how to live as a Christian. He mainly focuses on three areas of life: sex, work, and death. We have already looked at God’s vision for our sexuality and our work, and last week we looked at death, Jesus’ return, and the Christian hope. This week we’ll look at the final judgment:
1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:11 - Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. NIV 1 Thessalonians 5:1Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
In the beginning of chapter 5, Paul references the day of the Lord, which will come like a thief in the night, bringing destruction on those who are not prepared. The day of the Lord is a common expression in the Bible for the day at the end of time when God will judge the world. On that day, we will all stand before God and be judged for how we have lived our lives.
Series: 1 Thessalonians: Faith + Love + Hope - This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul has not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends Timothy, one of his fellow missionaries, who brings back a report about how the Thessalonians are doing and what issues they are facing. In response to Timothy’s report, Paul sends this letter. In the first section of this letter, Paul reminds them of the gospel and of his love for them, and he defends himself against his critics’ accusations and slander. In the section we are currently in, Paul transitions to instructions about how to live as a Christian. He mainly focuses on three areas of life: sex, work, and death. We have already looked at God’s vision for our sexuality and our work, so this morning we’ll look at death, Jesus’ return, and the Christian hope. We will be in this passage for a couple of weeks:
1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:11 - Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. NIV 1 Thessalonians 5:1Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Remember that Paul is writing this letter in response to what he has learned from Timothy about issues facing the church in Thessalonica. And so, as we read this passage, we should try to read between the lines in order to understand what questions he is answering...<
This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul has not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends Timothy, one of his fellow missionaries, who brings back a report about how the Thessalonians are doing and what issues they are facing. In response to Timothy’s report, Paul sends this letter. In the first section of this letter, Paul reminds them of the gospel and of his love for them, and he defends himself against his critics’ accusations and slander. In the next section, which we began last week, Paul transitions to instructions about how to live as a Christian. He mainly focuses on three areas of life: sex, work, and death. Last week we looked at God’s vision for our sexuality, and this morning we’ll look at God’s vision for our work. In addition to the passage from 1 Thessalonians 4, I’m going to read one verse from chapter 5, as well as a section from his second letter to the Thessalonians, as this issue of work appeared to be a recurring issue in this church:
1 Thessalonians 4:1,9-12 - Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more… 9 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more. 11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 - And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 - In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." 11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.
This morning, I am in the fifth week of a sermon series through 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul has not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends Timothy, one of his fellow missionaries, who brings back a report about how the Thessalonians are doing and what issues they are facing. In response to Timothy’s report, Paul sends this letter. In the first section of this letter, Paul reminds them of the gospel and of his love for them, and he defends himself against his critics’ accusations and slander. In the section that begins in chapter 4 this morning, Paul transitions to instructions about how to live as a Christian. In this chapter, he’ll focus mainly on three areas of life: sex, work, and death. The next two weeks we’ll look at works and death, but this morning, we will look at verses 1-8 and what Paul has to say about God’s vision for our sexuality.
NIV 1 Thessalonians 4:1 - Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or sister or take advantage of them. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
This morning, I am in the fourth week of a sermon series through 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Paul and his fellow missionaries had been driven out of Thessalonica by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul had not been able to return to Thessalonica, so he sends this letter. In the passage we are going to read this morning, we will see Paul addressing his inability to visit, and as we consider his words, we will see that we have a lot to learn about what we need to make it through difficult times.
1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 - But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. 18 For we wanted to come to you-- certainly I, Paul, did, again and again-- but Satan stopped us. 19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? 20 Indeed, you are our glory and joy. NIV 1 Thessalonians 3:1 So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. 2 We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, 3 so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. 4 In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. 5 For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless. 6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. 7 Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. 8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. 11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
This morning, I am in the third week of a sermon series through 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD. Over the past two weeks, we looked at the message that Paul brought to the Corinthians as well as his relationship with them. The message, which he calls “our gospel,” is that Jesus Christ died for our sins, as God made a way for us to be restored to a right relationship with Him, to be saved from eternal separation from Him, and to have eternal life. God is the initiator of our faith: He chose us, He gave us spiritual life by giving us His Holy Spirit, and is the power for our ongoing spiritual growth. Our role is to respond to his offer by repenting – turning from our idols, the things of this world that we trust in for our salvation and comfort and joy - and turn in faith and trust to Jesus. And last week we looked at God’s vision for the church, that we would be a place where people are genuinely concerned about the welfare of each other, and where discipleship happens, as we follow people worthy of imitation and live lives worthy of imitation.
This morning, we are going to read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-20. The context of this passage, as you may remember from week 1, is that Paul and his companions were driven out of town by a mob of angry Jews who found his message about Jesus being Lord to be blasphemous. And 2-3 years later, Paul had not been able to return to Thessalonica. In the meantime, all kinds of slanderous accusations had been leveled against Paul by his opponents, and he takes the time in this section of the letter to address those accusations and assure them of his integrity and his devotion to them.
This morning I am in the second week of my sermon series through the New Testament book known as 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD.
Last week we looked at chapter 1 of this 5-chapter letter, focusing on the message that Paul brought to them, the gospel that Jesus Christ died for our sins so that we might have the opportunity to be right with God and have eternal life. Specifically, we looked at how God is the initiator of our faith: He chose us, He gave us spiritual life by giving us His Holy Spirit, and is the power for our ongoing spiritual growth. Our role is to respond to his offer by repenting – turning from our idols, the things of this world that we trust in for our salvation and comfort and joy - and turn in faith and trust to Jesus. If you want to understand all that more, you can listen to last week’s sermon.
This week I want to look at what we learn about the relationship between Paul and the Thessalonians in chapter 1 and some of chapter 2 and what relevance it has for us today. Let’s read chapter 1 again:
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 - Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you. 2 We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia-- your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-- Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
This morning I am beginning a new sermon series through the New Testament book known as 1 Thessalonians, which was a letter written by a leader in the early church named Paul to a church in Thessalonica that he had been instrumental in starting around the year 49 AD.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Bible, there is the Old and New Testament. The New Testament begins with the birth of Jesus, and contains four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke & John – which tell the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. After that is Acts, which was written by Luke as a sequel to his gospel, and tells the story from Jesus’ ascension to heaven to the spread of Christianity and the rise of the early church. One of the most prominent figures is Paul, who was a Jewish religious leader named Saul who was miraculously converted by Jesus and then went around preaching the gospel of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and starting churches. The rest of the New Testament consists of letters, many by Paul, that outline the significance of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and deal with issues that arose in the various churches. The New Testament ends with Revelation, a very different kind of book about what is going on spiritually behind the scenes of our every day life.
Before we dive into the letter, I want us to read about Paul’s experience in Thessalonica in Acts 17:1-10:
Acts 17:1-10 - When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. 5 But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus." 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go. 10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea.
We are continuing this morning in our sermon series The Power of One Life, looking each week at a minor character in the Bible and the impact they had, for better or worse, on their world. This morning I want to look at the life of a man named Bezalel in Exodus 35:30-36:7.
The book of Exodus begins with the story of the deliverance of the Jewish people under the leadership of Moses from slavery in Egypt. The whole nation passes through the Red Sea, and comes to Mt. Sinai, where God makes a covenant with them that explains to them what it means to be the people of God and how they are to interact with each other. One of the central features of that covenant is the restoration of God’s presence, which was lost in Eden, to the midst of God’s people. To this end, a big part of the book of Exodus is given over to explaining how to construct the Tabernacle, which will be the place where God dwells in their midst. It’s not easy reading for a 21st century American, but the point of all the details is that this is where God’s presence will be among them. This is why the finest materials are used – gold, fine linen, silver, bronze, precious stones – because this will be the place where people meet with God, where he dwells, so only the finest materials must be used in order to give him the honor He is due.
And in the midst of the tabernacle instructions, we read about a man named Bezalel, in Exodus 35:30-36:3.
Exodus 35:30 - 36:7 - Then Moses said to the Israelites, "See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-- 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. 34 And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers-- all of them master craftsmen and designers. NIV Exodus 36:1So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded." 2 Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. 3 They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. 4 So all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work 5 and said to Moses, "The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done." 6 Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: "No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary." And so the people were restrained from bringing more, 7 because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.
This morning, I am continuing in my summer sermon series “The power of one life,” looking at minor Biblical characters whose lives can be preached on in one Sunday. This morning, we’ll be looking at an unnamed blind man and his interaction with Jesus in John 9.
John 9:1-41 - As Jesus went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7 "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him." But he himself insisted, "I am the man." 10 "How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded. 11 He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see." 12 "Where is this man?" they asked him. "I don't know," he said. 13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see." 16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided. 17 Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet." 18 The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. 19 "Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?" 20 "We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." 24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God," they said. "We know this man is a sinner." 25 He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" 26 Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" ...
This morning, I am continuing in my summer sermon series “The power of one life,” looking at minor Biblical characters whose lives can be preached on in one Sunday. This morning, we’ll be looking at the life of a man named Uzzah, who shows up during the life of David in 2 Samuel 6 but, unfortunately for him, does not last very long. Nevertheless, his life has a lot to teach us about worship and our relationship with God.
The context of 2 Samuel 6 is that David has recently become the king of Israel, after King Saul has been killed in battle. David is 30 years old, and he establishes Jerusalem as his capital city. And the first thing he wants to do is to get the ark of the covenant to bring it back to Israel:
2 Samuel 6:1-2 - David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. 2 He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark.
The ark was a wooden box overlaid with gold, 4 feet long, 2 ½ feet high & wide. It had rings on the sides with poles that would go through it so that it could be carried. On the top was a slab of pure gold called the mercy seat, with 2 golden angels facing each other. And in the box were the 10 Commandments, and Aaron’s staff, and a golden pot with manna. But more importantly than what was inside, the ark was where the presence of God met with His people. It was the central piece of furniture in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, the portable temple in Israel, and over the ark appeared the shekinah, the kabod, the glory of God, the presence of God. As God said to Moses in Exodus 25:22 - There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.
Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would go in and offer sacrifice for the sins of the people, sprinkling the blood of slain bulls and goats on the mercy seat. Leviticus 16:14-15 - He is to take some of the bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover. 15 "He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull's blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it.
I am continuing this morning in my summer sermon series The Power of One Life, looking at the lives of minor Biblical characters whose lives can be preached through in one Sunday. This morning we will be looking at one of the most important of all the minor Biblical characters, a man known as John the Baptist. Each one of the gospel stories of Jesus’ life tells us about John, who occupied a critical role in salvation history and the story of Jesus. Let’s read the gospel of John’s account. John the Baptist is not the same person as the John who wrote the book. The one who wrote the book was most likely one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, or else an early church leader named John.
John 1:6-37 - There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'" 16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known. 19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ." 21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." 22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'" 24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." ...
We are continuing this morning in our summer sermon series The Power of One Life, looking at the lives of minor Biblical characters whose lives can be preached through in one Sunday. This morning we will be looking at a man named Asaph, who appears in 45 verses in the Bible. The Bible text doesn’t tell us much about him, other than that he was a recorder, which was sort of an archivist in the temple, and more importantly that he was a percussionist and writer of Psalms.
1 Chronicles 16:4-6 - He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel: 5 Asaph was the chief, Zechariah second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.
As a musician and songwriter, Asaph is someone that we learn about mainly through the songs he wrote, and so I wanted to focus on one of his Psalms this morning, Psalm 73, in which he confesses his struggle with envy and how God helped him deal with it.
Psalm 73:1-28 - A psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. 3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4 They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. 5 They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. 6 Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. 7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits. 8 They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression. 9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. 10 Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. 11 They say, "How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?" 12 This is what the wicked are like-- always carefree, they increase in wealth. 13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. 14 All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. 15 If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed your children. 16 When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me 17 till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. 18 Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. 19 How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! 20 As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies. 21 When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, 22 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. 23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. 28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
This morning, I am continuing in our sermon series “The Power of One Life,” where we are looking at a different minor Biblical character every week. This week, we will look at a man named Onesimus. We first hear of him at the end of Colossians.
Colossians 4:7-9 - Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. 9 He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.
This passage seems like a simple list of people traveling with Paul’s letter, but hidden in these greetings is an incredible story of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To our ears, Onesimus, who Paul describes as “our faithful and dear brother,” sounds like a fellow worker with Paul. But there is more to the story. Tychicus has brought this letter to the church in Colossae. In v. 16, we find that he has also brought a letter from the church in Laodicea. And he has also brought one more letter, a letter to a Christian man in Colossae named Philemon, that is going to shed more light on just who this Onesimus is. We don’t have the letter from Laodicea, but we do have the letter to Philemon. Turn there.
Philemon 1:1-25 - Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker, 2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. 6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. 8 Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul-- an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus-- 10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. 12 I am sending him-- who is my very heart-- back to you. 13 I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. 15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good-- 16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord. 17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back-- not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20 I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ,,,
This morning, I am continuing in my summer series, The Power of One Life, looking at minor Biblical characters and what we can learn from their lives about knowing God. This morning we’ll be in Luke 7:36-50, looking at a nameless person who is called “a woman who had lived a sinful life.” We’ll go through the passage a little at a time.
Luke 7:36-50 - Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37 When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38 and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is-- that she is a sinner."
Stop there. What is going on here? Let me give some background.
The Pharisees were in many ways the religious leaders of Israel. The word Pharisee is from the Hebrew word Parash – to separate. The Pharisees’ chief concern was that the Jewish people would be pure and faithful to God’s law, separate from pagan influences. One of the reasons for this focus on purity was so Israel could maintain their Jewish identity and hopefully achieve freedom from the Roman oppression. They believed that the Messiah would liberate the Jewish people from their Roman oppressors, but that he would not come until the people were pure. So, they tried to steadfastly keep all of God’s rules from the Old Testament, and even added more in order to help the Jewish people maintain their purity. The laws were boundary markers, keeping pure people in and impure people out. You can imagine, with such a focus on purity, what kind of people they would not be happy with. They weren’t happy with the Jews who broke God’s laws, because they were preventing the Messiah from coming and the Jews from achieving freedom. So, their goals were admirable – purity, freedom, faithfulness to God – but it caused them to behave in ways which caused Jesus to criticize them vehemently.
This morning, I am continuing in the sermon series “The power of one life,” looking at minor Biblical characters and what we learn from them about God and our relationship with Him. Today I want to look at a woman named Gomer, who is found in the book of Hosea. Hosea was a prophet, the last prophet to prophesy to the northern kingdom of Israel before it fell to the Assyrian Empire in 722 BC. The role of a prophet was to be a covenant mediator. At Mt. Sinai, God had made a covenant with Moses and Israel – I will be your God, and this is what it means to be my people. Whenever the people of God were breaking the covenant and were in danger of bringing upon themselves the curses found in the covenant, God would raise up a prophet who would speak His words of warning to the people. Chief among God’s expectations was not to have any gods before Him, and not to make or worship any idols. In Hosea’s time, as was the case throughout much of Israel’s history, they were guilty of worshiping foreign gods, most notably Ba’al, the Canaanite fertility god, who the Canaanites believed lived with his consort Anath. The Canaanites believed that Ba’al was responsible for giving the water and fertility to their crops. Their method of “prayer” and worship was to stimulate him to acts of fertility by having sex with the sacred shrine prostitutes. Naturally, many Israelites came to believe that they needed to honor the local god, Ba’al, in order to have a rich crop.
Perhaps you can understand why God commanded them to drive the Canaanites out of the land, lest they be a stumbling block to them.
So that is the setting. God’s people are falling into idolatry and worshiping other gods, compromising their sexual purity in the process. They are violating their covenant with God and are in danger of bringing upon themselves the curses. And into this scene, God raises up a prophet named Hosea, and gives him a unique calling.
This morning, I am beginning a new sermon series called The Power of One Life. Each week this summer, we will be looking at someone from the Bible that can be preached on in one sermon, learning about the impact they had for better or worse as they submitted to God or rebelled against Him. No matter how ordinary we may feel, each of us can be used by God to do extraordinary things. This summer, we will look at the stories of various men and women of the Bible and see just how much difference one life can make.
This Sunday, I want to look at a man named Ananias, whose story is found in Acts 9. Quick background: Acts is the story of the early church. The first Christians were seen as blasphemers by the Jews for proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord. Fanatical Pharisees tried to round them up and jail or stone them. Among the fanatical Pharisees was Saul, who became known as Paul. His conversion, and the role Ananias played in it, is found in Acts 9:
Acts 9:1-22 - Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" 5 "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6 "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. 10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. 11 The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." 13 "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." 17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord-- Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here-- has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
This morning, I am finishing up my sermon series through the Old Testament book of Jonah, which is a masterfully told story with a great deal of relevance to our lives today. Over the last four weeks, we looked at the chapters 1-3 of Jonah and talked about how God called Jonah and calls us to find our identity and purpose in Him and to share His message with others. But Jonah, like many of us, rejected that call. Instead of submitting to that call and finding true purpose and freedom, he decided to run as far as he could from God’s call. We saw that although he boarded a ship and tried to sail as far as he could in the opposite direction from where God wanted him to go, he could not escape from God’s omnipresent sovereignty. As others on the ship experience a storm of suffering because of Jonah’s disobedience, it becomes evident that the only way to survive will be for Jonah to be thrown overboard, to submit himself to God’s saving discipline. And so, the sailors reluctantly throw Jonah overboard, where God provides a great fish to swallow him up. And in the belly of the great fish, Jonah prays to God and acknowledges that those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs, and that salvation comes from the Lord. He is willing, finally, to go to Ninevah, where he preaches the warning message God has given him – “forty more days and Ninevah will be overturned,” and incredibly, Ninevah repents of their sin, and God forgives them.
Jonah 3:10 - When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
Now if this were a modern Christian movie, the story would end after chapter 3 with a very neat and tidy resolution. Jonah experienced God’s grace and mercy, learned his lesson, obeyed God, preached the message God gave him, and Ninevah repented and turned to God. But the Bible is not neat and tidy, and Jonah’s story does not end there.
This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through the Old Testament book of Jonah, which is a masterfully told story with a great deal of relevance to our lives today. Over the last three weeks, we looked at the chapters 1 & 2 of Jonah and talked about how God called Jonah and calls us to find our identity and purpose in Him and to share His message with others. But Jonah, like many of us, rejected that call. Instead of submitting to that call and finding true purpose and freedom, he decided to run as far as he could from God’s call. We saw that although he boarded a ship and tried to sail as far as he could in the opposite direction from where God wanted him to go, he could not escape from God’s omnipresent sovereignty. As others on the ship experience a storm of suffering because of Jonah’s disobedience, it becomes evident that the only way to survive will be for Jonah to be thrown overboard, to submit himself to God’s saving discipline. And so, the sailors reluctantly throw Jonah overboard, where God provides a great fish to swallow him up. And in the belly of the great fish, Jonah prays to God and acknowledges that those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs, and that salvation comes from the Lord. He is willing, finally, to go to Ninevah. Let’s pick up the story in chapter 3:
Jonah 3:1-10 - Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city-- a visit required three days. 4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." 5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish." 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
Luke 10:1-11 - After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 5 "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' 6 If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. 8 "When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.'
This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through the Old Testament book of Jonah, which is a masterfully told story with a great deal of relevance to our lives today. Over the last two weeks, we looked at the chapter 1 of Jonah and talked about how God called Jonah and calls us to find our identity and purpose in Him and to share His message with others. But Jonah, like many of us, rejected that call. Instead of submitting to that call and finding true purpose and freedom, he decided to run as far as he could from God’s call. We saw that although he boarded a ship and tried to sail as far as he could in the opposite direction from where God wanted him to go, he could not escape from God’s omnipresent sovereignty. As others on the ship experience a storm of suffering because of Jonah’s disobedience, it becomes evident that the only way to survive will be for Jonah to be thrown overboard, to submit himself to God’s saving discipline. And so the sailors reluctantly throw Jonah overboard.
This morning, we are going to read from 1:17 – 2:10 to see what happens to Jonah after he hits the water:
Jonah 1:17 - 2:10 - But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights. NIV Jonah 2:1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 2 He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry. 3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 4 I said, 'I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.' 5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God. 7 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. 8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. 9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD." 10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through the Old Testament book of Jonah, which is a masterfully told story with a lot of relevance to our lives today. Last week we looked at the first three verses of Jonah and talked about how God calls us to find our identity and purpose in Him and to share His message with others. Jonah, like many of us, rejected that call. Instead of submitting to that call and finding true purpose and freedom, he decided to run as far as he could from that call. This morning, we are going to read all of chapter 1 to see what happened as a result of his disobedience and what that has to do with our lives today:
Jonah 1:1-17 - The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." 3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. 4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish." 7 Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" 9 He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." 10 This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.) 11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" 12 "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." 13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried to the LORD, "O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased." 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. 17 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights
This morning, I am beginning a new sermon series through the Old Testament book of Jonah. Now, when you say the name Jonah, most people instinctively know that Jonah is that guy who was swallowed by a whale, or a great fish as the Bible actually puts it. But this story is not just a cute Sunday School story for children; it is a masterfully told story with a lot of relevance to our lives today. We are going to begin by reading the first three verses today:
Jonah 1:1-3 - The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
Before we dive into the relevance of this passage for our lives today, a few background questions need to be answered. Is this a historical story? What is a prophet? And what is the significance of Ninevah and Tarshish?
First, is this a historical story? Maybe. We do know that Jonah is a real person, for he is mentioned elsewhere:
2 Kings 14:23-27 - In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. 24 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. 25 He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher. 26 The LORD had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free, was suffering; there was no one to help them. 27 And since the LORD had not said he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
Jan 8, 2023 – The servant of Jesus Christ – Phil 1:1-2 – Of all possible identities, Paul describes himself as a servant or slave of Jesus Christ. A slave belongs to another person, a slave’s schedule is dictated by the master, and a slave has no rights, only responsibilities. But Paul is not just a slave but a slave of Jesus Christ, the one who loves him and gave his life for him and whose lordship can unlock his greatest potential. To be Jesus’ slave includes seeking him in the morning and returning to him throughout the day, knowing His Word and will, being in fellowship with other believers, and obeying Him.
Jan 15, 2023 – I thank my God every time I remember you – Phil 1:3-8 – Paul is sincerely affectionate towards the Philippians for two main reasons. First, they are true friends who have been there for him in times of crisis, including his current imprisonment. Secondly, they are partnering with him in the gospel, even through suffering. True friends stick by you in times of crisis, and true Christians continue to faithfully serve even when it means self-sacrifice. Take time to express thanks to those who have been true friends and true partners in the gospel in your life.
Jan 22, 2023 – Our desperate need for a wise and discerning love – Phil 1:9-11 – Paul prays for the Philippians to have a love that is growing in knowledge and depth of insight. It is not always easy to know what the loving thing is to do in relationships. We can develop a wise and discerning love by getting to know the love of God, especially as displayed in the life of Jesus, by asking the Holy Spirit to help us discern what is best, and by making it our goal to love like Jesus and bring glory to God.
Jan 29, 2023 – How to face suffering with courage, joy, and hope – Phil 1:12-19 – Paul tells the Philippians about the hardships he has experienced as he has been imprisoned and slandered by others. But instead of being angry or bitter or depressed, he expresses courage, joy, and hope. This is because his meaning, purpose, and identity are found in God and the gospel of Jesus Christ, not in anything in this world. He knows that God works all things for good for those who love Him. And he knows he is following a Lord who suffered and died unjustly for him.
Feb 5, 2023 – To live is Christ and to die is gain – Phil 1:20-26 – Paul does not know if he will get out of the prison or die there, but declares that for him, to live is Christ and to die is gain. This is a powerful belief because it gives us a purpose that death can not take away. If you live for anything other than Jesus, to die is not gain but loss. This belief also gives us a fearlessness towards death, because it will be better to be with Jesus. It also gives us a life of eternal significance. We can give ourselves fully to serving Jesus, knowing that it all matters eternally.
This morning is my final sermon in Philippians; next week will be a summary and testimony time. Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to a church in Philippi that he had started. This morning, I will be in 4:10-20, but before we read, let me ask you a question:
What if I told you that it is easier than you think to be a millionaire? What if there were six simple steps that you could follow that would bring you in seven figures in income? And what if I told you that you could achieve this while only working 10 hours a week from home? Just read my book (real book titles): How to become a millionaire: Easy proven methods to rocket your income to the next level. How to become a millionaire online. How to become a millionaire in 12 months. How to become a millionaire (subtitle: If a black guy can do it, so can you). The automatic millionaire: a powerful one-step plan to live and finish rich. And How to become a multi-millionaire.
What’s that? You’re too spiritual for that kind of get-rich-quick scheme? Don’t worry – I can give you the Christian version too. Pray this prayer – Lord, enlarge my territory – and God will bless you. Speak out your “I am’s” and good things will come your way. Claim Proverbs 10:22, that the blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and just see what God does for you. Repeat these promises after me and believe in faith that great wealth will soon be yours. Read my books: Becoming a Millionaire God’s Way. Or the ever popular “You need more money.”
(slide) Does this line of thinking sound familiar? Take a step back and think with me: what is underneath all of these promises and messages? The obvious subtle message underneath all of these books is that your life will be better if you have more money. And it’s not just the world that is chasing after riches. The church often buys into it, with prosperity gospel teachers spinning the message that you will be rich if you just believe and claim the promises of God.
This morning, I am continuing in a sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which is a letter written by the Apostle Paul from a Roman prison to a church in Philippi that he had started. This morning, I will be in 4:4-9:
Philippians 4:4-9 - Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Apparently verses 6-7 are the most highlighted verses in the entire Bible. Do not be anxious about anything… what does that tell you about how many people struggle with anxiety? I am sure I don’t need to convince you of how prevalent anxiety is in most if not all of our lives. As Max Lucado writes in his book Anxious for Nothing, “Anxiety and fear are cousins… fear sees a threat. Anxiety imagines one. Fear screams, ‘Get out!’ Anxiety ponders, ‘What if?’” Anxiety is what keeps you awake at night, tightens your chest, persistently distracts you from the task at hand. Anxiety over losing a loved one, or potential financial or job loss, or difficult conversations or meetings, or any number of things that we think could go wrong in the future. For some of you, your anxiety gets so bad that it can be hard to get out of bed in the morning. It’s no wonder that anxiety is so prevalent; with so much change and uncertainty in our world, it’s hard not to feel like life is out of control. Yet somehow Paul has the audacity to tell us to not be anxious about anything.
This Easter morning, we will be looking at Luke’s account of Jesus’ resurrection, as found in Luke 24. For those unfamiliar with Luke, he was a doctor and historian who was part of the early church and a traveling companion of Paul, and he wrote an account based on eyewitness testimonies of Jesus’ ministry and then of the early church in the sequel, the book of Acts. This morning, I’ll be focusing particularly on the account of Jesus walking with two disciples on the road to Emmaus, which begins in v. 13 and ends in verse 32. But I want to begin with verse 1, which takes place after Jesus’ body has been in the tomb a couple of days:
Luke 24:1-32- On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. 13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" 19 "What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see." 25 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." ..
This morning marks the beginning of holy week, the final week of Jesus’ life, and so I am taking a break from going through Philippians to help us to understand the meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Next week is Easter, where we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, but today I want to do an overview of the final week of Jesus’ life and why he came to die. Quick summary of the events of Jesus’ final week: he will enter Jerusalem on a donkey to a crowd cheering his entry. He will go to the temple and teach and get involved in many confrontations with the religious leaders there, who will resolve to have Jesus arrested and killed before he leaves Jerusalem. Jesus will celebrate the Passover with his disciples at what comes to be known as the Last Supper. Jesus will go out to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. And there he will be betrayed by Judas, arrested by the Jews, denied by Peter, abandoned by his disciples, put on trial by the Romans, humiliated, rejected by the Jewish crowd, tortured, and then brutally crucified.
But is there more to the story than just a tragic end to a beautiful man? Are we just here this morning to remember a tragedy? Or was there a meaning behind Jesus’ death?
Before we read, I would ask you to take to heart these words of A.W. Tozer in his book “God Tells the Man who Cares”: “The Bible was written in tears and to tears it will yield its best treasure. God has nothing to say to the frivolous man.”
Before Jesus came, there were many prophecies written about his coming, his birth, life, and death. And I think that the best place to go in the Bible in order to understand why Jesus died is to a passage that was written 600-700 years before the birth of Jesus. That passage is Isaiah 52:13- 53:12.
This morning, I am continuing in a sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which is a letter written by the Apostle Paul from a Roman prison to a church in Philippi that he had started. This morning, I will be in 3:17 – 4:3.
Philippians 3:17 – 4:3 - Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 4:1-3 Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! 2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Paul begins this passage by encouraging them to follow his example, as well as others who follow the example of Jesus, like Timothy and Epaphroditus. We talked about this in an earlier sermon, but I want to again remind you of the importance of living examples. As DL Moody put it, “Out of 100 men, 1 will read the Bible, and 99 will read the Christian.” Paul is not saying to follow him because he is perfect. Remember that in the previous section, he said that he is not perfect, but he is pressing on to know Jesus more:
Philippians 3:10-14 - I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Follow not my example of perfection, but the example of how I am pursuing Christ and not putting faith in my spiritual resume but in Jesus’ death for me.
In the passage we read this morning, Paul contrasts two groups of people. One group, he says, live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
This morning, I am continuing in a sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which is a letter written by the Apostle Paul from a Roman prison to a church in Philippi that he had started. This morning is the second week that we will be in verses 1-16 of chapter 3. We will focus mainly on verses 10-16 this morning.
Philippians 3:1-16 - Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-- 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. 7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
Last week we mainly focused on the first half of the passage, where Paul talks about righteousness, which can be defined as being in a right relationship with God. Righteousness is about how you measure up to God’s standard and be right with Him. Paul tells the Philippians that previously he trusted in his spiritual resume – his pedigree and morality and commitment to God – but now he realizes that that approach is worthless, that even the best spiritual resume does not actually meet God’s perfect standard, and that the only way to be right with God is through the righteousness that is given to us by God and is by faith. On the cross, Jesus died for our sins and gives us His righteousness, His right relationship with God.
This morning, I am continuing in a sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which is a letter written by the Apostle Paul from a Roman prison to a church in Philippi that he had started. This morning we will be in verses 1-16 of chapter 3. We are going to spend a couple of weeks on this incredible section.
Philippians 3:1-16 - Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-- 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. 7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
There is a lot worth talking about in this passage. Next week I want to focus more on everything Paul has to say about his goals and motivation, how he is pressing on to know Jesus. Today I want to focus on verses 2-9, where Paul focuses on the concept of righteousness and the difference between trying to gain a righteousness based on our spiritual resume and one that is based on faith in Jesus. The simplest way to understand righteousness is “right-relatedness, especially to God.” The righteous are those who are right with God, accepted by God, and who live in right relationship with others, loving their neighbor as themselves. There are three movements to his argument:
- Reject anyone who adds to justification by faith in Jesus
Justification means declared not guilty, or right with God. Paul begins this section with some strong words:
Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.
Philippians 2:19-30 - I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon. 25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. 26 For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.
I want to begin this sermon with a confession: I almost skipped this passage. After all, at first glance this appears to be nothing more than Paul giving the Philippians a personal update on two men who are laboring alongside him: Timothy, who is like a spiritual son to him and has served with Paul in the work of the gospel for many years, and Epaphroditus, who the Philippians sent to Paul with a letter from them and to take care of his needs while he was in prison. Paul is evidently sending this letter that we are reading to the Philippians with Timothy and Epaphroditus, and so he wants to let the Philippian church know why he has sent these men.
So, I almost skipped this passage. But there are a couple things that are worth our attention today, and I do believe that God has challenged me through this passage and will hopefully encourage you. The first thing worth noting is that if you compare this letter to other letters Paul wrote, you find that in most of his other letters, this kind of section would be in the end. A typical pattern in Paul’s letters is to greet the church, to remind them of the gospel, of what Jesus did for them, to exhort them to live their lives in a manner consistent with the gospel, and then to end with a section like this, where he says hi to some people or gives the church an update on people serving with Paul, or tells them why he is sending certain people to them. But in Philippians, the part that would typically come last comes in the middle. Why is that?
Well, think back to the previous section of his letter, which we looked at over the past three sermons. In this section, he has been pleading with the Philippians to not be so self-centered, but to look to the interests of others, to elevate the needs of others above their own needs. He has pointed them to the example of Jesus, who even though He was in very nature God, the eternal Son of God, He took the lowest place, being a servant, dying a humiliating death on the cross, in order to save them from their sins and restore them to a right relationship with God.
We are continuing this morning in a sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which I am calling “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” a line from last week’s passage. Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul sometime between 60-64 AD to a church in Philippi that he had a deep affection for, which he had started about 10-15 years earlier. This morning we will be in verses 1-11 of chapter 2. Remember that Paul has expressed his affection for this church, prayed that they would have a wise and discerning love, and let them know that even though he is in prison unjustly, that God is doing good things, and for this he rejoices, and will continue to be faithful whether he lives or dies.
Philippians 2:1-11 - If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
We are continuing this morning in a sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which I am calling “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” a line from last week’s passage. Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul sometime between 60-64 AD to a church in Philippi that he had a deep affection for, which he had started about 10-15 years earlier. This morning we will be in verses 1-11 of chapter 2. Remember that Paul has expressed his affection for this church, prayed that they would have a wise and discerning love, and let them know that even though he is in prison unjustly, that God is doing good things, and for this he rejoices, and will continue to be faithful whether he lives or dies.
Philippians 2:1-11 - If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Paul is clearly concerned in this passage about the unity of the Philippian church. He asks them to make his joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and truth. He exhorts them to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility to consider others better than themselves, to look not only to their own interests but to the interests of others.
This is a tall order. After all, we naturally look out for our own interests. Most of us routinely make decisions out of selfish ambition and vain conceit. We don’t usually consider others better than ourselves, or the needs of others more important than our own. Most of us just instinctively operate as if the world revolves around us. We try to accumulate wealth and pleasure and joy and to find comfort for ourselves and those we love. And our culture promotes authenticity and self-expression as two of the highest values – you do you, and no one can tell you what is right for you. Think about it - what do you get when you have an orchestra full of musicians who believe in self-expression? Chaos. And what do you get when you have a world full of people who believe that self-expression and authenticity are the highest values? Chaos.
We are in the sixth week this morning of a sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which I am calling “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” a line from last week’s passage. Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul sometime between 60-64 AD to a church in Philippi that he had a deep affection for, which he had started about 10-15 years earlier. This morning we will be in verses 27-30 of chapter 1, but I want to set the context first. Paul has expressed his affection for this church, prayed that they would have a wise and discerning love, and let them know that even though he is in prison unjustly, that God is doing good things, and for this he rejoices. Let’s pick it up in verse 20:
Philippians 1:20-30 - I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me. 27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, striving as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved-- and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
Paul is in prison, unjustly persecuted by the Romans. He isn’t sure if he will get out, and so in verses 20-26 he is considering the possibilities of what it will mean to live or die, and concludes that even though death would mean gain, for he would be with Jesus, the one he has been living for, he knows that as long as he is here, he will continue to love and serve the Philippian church. He continues in verse 27 to say that no matter what happens, he wants them to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. What does this mean?
In order to answer that question, we first need to answer the question, what is the gospel of Christ? The best place to go to answer that is 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul defines it:
1 Corinthians 15:1-8 - Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep....
We are in the fifth week this morning of a sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which I am calling “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” a line which will be a part of today’s passage. Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul sometime between 60-64 AD to a church in Philippi that he had a deep affection for, which he had started about 10-15 years earlier. This morning we will be in verses 20-26 of chapter 1, but to set the context, let me start at the beginning, reminding you of what we’ve read and looked at the past three weeks:
Philippians 1:1-26 - Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-- to the glory and praise of God. 12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. 15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.
We are in the fourth week this morning of a sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which I am calling “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” a line which Paul writes in chapter 1, verse 21 of this letter. Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul sometime between 60-64 AD to a church in Philippi that he had a deep affection for, which he had started about 10-15 years earlier. This morning we will be in verses 12-19 of chapter 1, but to set the context, let me start at the beginning, reminding you of what we’ve read and looked at the past three weeks:
Philippians 1:1-19 - Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-- to the glory and praise of God. 12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. 15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
Paul begins this section in verse 12 by talking about “what has happened to me.” He wants to encourage them that good things are happening as a result of what has happened to him, that the gospel is advancing. So, what is it that has happened to Paul? In the next couple of verses, we find out: Paul is in prison. He is writing this letter from jail, most likely from Rome as he awaits a trial for the false accusation of inciting an insurrection or uprising. If he is indeed writing from Rome, church history tells us that he is never going to be a free man again, that he will be executed.
We are in the third week this morning of a sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which I am calling “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” a line which Paul writes in chapter 1, verse 21 of this letter. Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison, most likely in Rome, sometime between 60-64 AD, to a church in Philippi that he had started about 10-15 years earlier.
I’m going to begin reading from the beginning, but we will be focusing this morning on verses 9-11, Paul’s prayer for the Philippians:
Philippians 1:1-11 - Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-- to the glory and praise of God.
This is an incredible prayer for something that we could all use answered in our own lives, so let’s turn to the Lord and ask for His insight this morning.
Of all the things Paul could have chosen to focus on in his prayer for the Philippians, he chooses to pray for the quality of their love. He asks God to give them a love that is continually growing in knowledge and depth of insight, because he says that this will have three results: they will be able to discern what is best, they will be pure and blameless, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, and they will bring glory and praise to God.
Do you understand how amazing it would be to have this prayer answered in your life, to have the ability to love in a way that is full of knowledge and depth of insight that can discern what is best? Let me just lay out seven scenarios:
You pull up to a stoplight and there is a woman begging for money with a sign that says “homeless mother, please help.” What is the loving thing to do?
Your adult 25-year-old son or friend is struggling with a drug addiction or serious mental illness and is asking you for money or to live with you. What is the loving thing to do?
Last week, I began a new sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which I am calling “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” a line which Paul writes in chapter 1, verse 21 of this letter. Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison, most likely in Rome, sometime between 60-64 AD, to a church in Philippi that he had started about 10-15 years earlier.
Last week we looked at the first two verses and why Paul, or anyone for that matter, would willingly see their primary identity as that of a servant of Jesus Christ. This morning I’ll read those first two verses again and we’ll go all the way up to verse 8:
Philippians 1:1-8 - Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Let’s pray.
I would say that one of the first things that jump off the page is the intense and sincere affection which Paul feels for the people of this church. He thanks God for them. He prays with joy. He is confident of good things for them. He has them in his heart. And he longs for all of them with the affection of Christ Jesus. These are not just clever words that Paul is sharing for the purpose of manipulating them towards some selfish end. They are welling up from within him because of experiences that he has shared with the people of the Philippian church. So what is it that aroused such affection in Paul, and what can we learn from it about our own faith and relationships?
I think there are two levels to the answer, so let me start with the lower level before moving up a level. Think about the people in your life that you would call your friends. What is it that separates a genuine friend from a fair-weather friend? I think the distinction between the two is revealed when you go through difficult times, when friendship becomes something that costs the friend something: time, money, energy. You may have 1000 friends on Facebook, but how many of them would be there for you in a time of crisis?
This morning, I am beginning a new sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which I am calling “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” a line which Paul writes in chapter 1, verse 21 of this letter. Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison, most likely in Rome, sometime between 60-64 AD, to a church in Philippi that he had started about 10-15 years earlier, which you can read about in Acts 16. And if you’re interested, you can listen to the sermon I preached on Acts 16 on July 31st of last year.
The approach to this series is going to be to read shorter sections and to dive deep, to suck the marrow out of every passage, so to speak, to truly consider what it means to not just be hearers of the word but doers as well. Because we believe that these words are not only Paul’s words, but are God’s words as the Holy Spirit inspired Paul. Trust me, even if you have read or studied this book before or even if you’ve memorized it, there is always something new that God wants to teach you, and His desire is that you would not just know this book but know and love and trust and obey Him more fully.
This morning we are going to read the two introductory verses. I encourage you to always have a Bible with you, as well as something to write with and something to write on.
Philippians 1:1-2 - Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let’s pray.
How do you describe yourself? If a stranger were to say to you, “Tell me about yourself,” where would you begin? Maybe you would talk about your family – I’m married with three children, or I live with my parents and siblings. Maybe you would talk about what you do for work – I’m an accountant, or I’m a teacher. Maybe you would talk about where you live or where you’ve come from – I’ve lived in Wethersfield for 15 years, or I grew up in New York. Maybe you would talk about your personality – I’m an easygoing guy, I’m an adventurous woman. Or maybe you would talk about your hobbies – I love to cook, I love to ride my bike. What is your fundamental identity, the first thing that you would say when asked who you are?
Happy New Year! Next week we begin a series going through Philippians. This Sunday I want to briefly share something related to New Year’s and then give an opportunity for you to share a testimony as we look back at the past year and look ahead to the year to come. You should always have a Bible, something to write with, and something to write on, so that you can take note of those things you feel God is impressing on your heart.
In Matthew 5-7 is a long collection of Jesus’ sayings known as the Sermon on the Mount. Halfway through, Jesus says these words to the gathered crowd:
Matthew 6:24-34 - "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
This is not Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t worry, be happy.” Yes, Jesus tells them not to worry, but there is a call to do more than just stop worrying. Jesus tells the listening crowd that he knows that they are anxious about having material things, but that the antidote to worrying is not to try to stop worrying, but to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, to prioritize God and His will in your life and in this world. He tells them that people everywhere are so worried about food and drink and clothing, about providing for themselves or their family, but that God loves us and knows what we need. And if we will put God first and live for Him, then He will take care of our needs. Once again, the promise is: you put God first, and He will take care of your needs.
Advent Candle. Hope, Peace, Joy and Faith. But the greatest of these is love. The love that Jesus brings. After all, love was the motivation behind the first Christmas.
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
He came out of love, above all else. Out of love for you.
- A love that would sacrifice everything for you
Philippians 2:6-8 - Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
Gave up the comfort of heaven to save you.
Hebrews 12:1-2 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
What do you get the God who has everything? The joy set before him was the only thing he did not have, and that was you. He came into our world out of love for you. Christmas is the greatest love story ever told, the one who came for you.
- A love that knows you fully and never rejects you
Romans 5:6-8 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
When you were at your worst, Christ died for you. And he will never leave you
Romans 8:1,38-39 - Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This love lasts even beyond the grave.
- A love that heals you and makes you a better person
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
This morning, we are in the fourth week of an Advent series that will draw its themes from the four Advent candles: Hope, peace, joy, and faith. This morning, we will look at the faith that Jesus gives us. Let’s begin by reading Matthew’s account of the Christmas story.
Matthew 1:18-25 - This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matthew 2:1-6 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6 "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"
Next Sunday is Christmas, and Christmas is of course famous for two competing, hard-to-believe narratives that bring a lot of joy and wonder to many. The first narrative is about Santa Claus, a large man who lives year-round at the North Pole with his wife and a number of elves. Every Christmas Eve, so the story goes, he gets on his sleigh, pulled by 8 flying reindeer, and goes around the world delivering toys to boys and girls by sliding down their chimneys. The second narrative is about a baby who, as we just read, was born to a virgin teenager in a stable or cave, surrounded by animals, visited by shepherds and Magi. And oh, did I mention that this baby was God in human form, come to save humanity from their sins and to reconcile them to a right relationship with God.
This morning, we are in the third week of an Advent series that will draw its themes from the four Advent candles: Hope, peace, joy, and faith. This morning, we will look at the joy that Jesus gives us.
Luke 2:1-20 - In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
What brings you joy? What gives you pleasure or delight? What do you go back to again and again to put a smile on your face.
Isaiah 9:1-7 - Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-- 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5 Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
This morning, I am beginning an Advent series that will draw its themes from the four Advent candles: Hope, peace, joy, and faith. This morning, we will look at the hope that Jesus gives us.
If you are unfamiliar with the book of Isaiah, it is a collection of prophecies by Isaiah the prophet from the 8th century before Christ. God raised up prophets as His spokespeople when the nation of Israel was violating the covenant that had been set up at Mt. Sinai. At the time of Isaiah, Israel was in moral decay – idolatry, empty worship, and social injustice. Isaiah came to warn them that if they would not repent, that judgment was coming. But instead of trusting in God, Israel’s King, King Ahaz, turned to Assyria for help and protection. And in chapter 8, we see that the people are turning to mediums and spiritists instead of to God. Eventually Assyria would turn on Israel and they would be taken off into captivity.
Listen again to the words used to describe the emotional climate in Israel in the passage we just read. Gloom, distress, darkness, shadow of death. Defeat, yoke that burdens them, rod of their oppressor, battle, blood. Listen to the language of war, oppression, despair. Life is hard and full of suffering and tragedy. Where is the hope?
But in the midst of this oracle of judgment comes this hope:
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
This morning, we are celebrating 30 years as a church. As I considered what to share on today to mark this occasion, I believe the Lord wanted me to share with you some encouragement from Hebrews 12:1-3. We do not know who wrote Hebrews, but we know that it is a letter written to the church made up of Jewish Christians in Rome, encouraging them to remain faithful to Jesus in the midst of suffering. In the first three verses of chapter 12, we read this exhortation:
NIV Hebrews 12:1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Therefore – what is it there for? Follows Hebrews 11, the hall of faith, a long list of people found in the Old Testament who followed God by faith. Hebrews 11 begins with this explanation of what faith is:
NIV Hebrews 11:1-3 - Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Look at the words he uses to describe faith: sure, certain. NOT blind, guessing, believing in something contrary to the evidence. The first example he gives is of God creating the universe – that out of what was unseen, God brought something tangible. This is what faith is like, according to the author. It is being sure of something that you do not yet have, believing it is true even if the fulfillment is not going to happen until some unknown future time.
This morning I am finishing up a series I’ve entitled “The Practical Gospel.” My goal for this series has been to examine what the implications are of the gospel for various areas of our life. In this way I am essentially trying to put into practice what Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, where he told the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Now that you have been saved, now that you have believed the gospel, work out the implications of the gospel into every area of your life as God works in you. Not “work for your salvation” but “work out the implications of your salvation.”
So far we have looked at the gospel and your love life, parenting & family, work, money, personal growth, and community and friendships. This morning, I want to finish up the series by asking what difference the gospel makes for your relationship with the world. How must we be different because of the gospel?
Here is the gospel summary statement I will be using this series: “We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace, learning to live as new creations according to God’s will, trusting in a certain and glorious eternal hope and future.”
If you read that statement closely, you will recognize that it has a past, present, and future dimension. Let me unpack those three aspects and examine what the implications are for the world. For this sermon, I want to work backwards, beginning with the last part of that statement.
We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace
This morning I am continuing in a series I’ve entitled “Practical Christianity.” My goal for this series is to examine what the implications are of the gospel for various areas of our life. In this way I am essentially trying to put into practice what Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, where he told the Philippians to “Therefore my dear friends, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Now that you have been saved, now that you have believed the gospel, work out the implications of the gospel into every area of your life as God works in you. Not “work for your salvation” but “work out the implications of your salvation.”
Here is the gospel summary statement I will be using this series: “We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace, learning to live as new creations according to God’s will, trusting in a certain and glorious eternal hope and future.”
If you read that statement closely, you will recognize that it has a past, present, and future dimension. Let me unpack those three aspects and examine what the implications are for community – your friends and church.
We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace.
We are sinners means that we are separated from a holy God, so full of wickedness that we can not save ourselves by our own good deeds. But we have been saved and justified by grace. The second part means that God loves us so much that His Son, Jesus, died for us, to rescue us from our sins. This humbles us into realizing we are no better than anyone else, and it lifts us up to realize just how loved we are. We are justified, declared not guilty, perfect in the sight of God, not because of anything we did, but because of what Jesus did for us. There is no condemnation and nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
The more the gospel shapes our identity, how does this affect our friendships and community?
We are in the fourth week of a sermon series I’ve entitled “The Practical Gospel,” we are learning to put into practice what Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, where he told the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Now that you have been saved, now that you have believed the gospel, work out the implications of the gospel into every area of your life as God works in you. Not “work for your salvation,” because we are saved by the grace of God and not by anything we have done, but rather “work out the implications of your salvation.” In other words, think through how the gospel shapes the different aspects of your life and allow God’s transformative power to do its work?
The gospel summary statement I will be using this series: “We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace, learning to live as new creations according to God’s will, trusting in a certain and glorious eternal hope and future.”
If you read that statement closely, you will recognize that it has a past, present, and future dimension. Today, we are going to use those three aspects as our framework and examine what the implications of the gospel are for your relationship to money and possessions.
We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace.
We are sinners means that we are separated from a holy God, so full of wickedness that we can not save ourselves by our own good deeds. But we have been saved and justified by grace. The second part means that God loves us so much that His Son, Jesus, died for us, to rescue us from our sins. This humbles us into realizing we are no better than anyone else, and it lifts us up to realize just how loved we are. We are justified, declared not guilty, perfect in the sight of God, not because of anything we did, but because of what Jesus did for us. There is no condemnation and nothing can separate us from the love of God. The more the gospel shapes our identity, how does this affect our relationship with money and possessions?
We are in the fourth week of a sermon series I’ve entitled “The Practical Gospel,” we are learning to put into practice what Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, where he told the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Now that you have been saved, now that you have believed the gospel, work out the implications of the gospel into every area of your life as God works in you. Not “work for your salvation,” because we are saved by the grace of God and not by anything we have done, but rather “work out the implications of your salvation.” In other words, think through how the gospel shapes the different aspects of your life and allow God’s transformative power to do its work?
The gospel summary statement I will be using this series: “We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace, learning to live as new creations according to God’s will, trusting in a certain and glorious eternal hope and future.”
If you read that statement closely, you will recognize that it has a past, present, and future dimension. Today, we are going to use those three aspects as our framework and examine what the implications of the gospel are for your relationship to money and possessions.
We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace.
We are sinners means that we are separated from a holy God, so full of wickedness that we can not save ourselves by our own good deeds. But we have been saved and justified by grace. The second part means that God loves us so much that His Son, Jesus, died for us, to rescue us from our sins. This humbles us into realizing we are no better than anyone else, and it lifts us up to realize just how loved we are. We are justified, declared not guilty, perfect in the sight of God, not because of anything we did, but because of what Jesus did for us. There is no condemnation and nothing can separate us from the love of God. The more the gospel shapes our identity, how does this affect our relationship with money and possessions?
We are in the third week of a sermon series that I have entitled “The practical gospel,” learning to put into practice what Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, where he told the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Now that you have been saved, now that you have believed the gospel, work out the implications of the gospel into every area of your life as God works in you. Not “work for your salvation,” because we are saved by the grace of God and not by anything we have done, but rather “work out the implications of your salvation.” In other words, think through how the truths of the gospel should shape the different aspects of your life and allow the transformative power of the Holy Spirit to do His work.
The past two weeks, we have looked at the implications of the gospel for our love life and for parenting and family. This week, we will look at the implications of the gospel for work. More specifically, the gospel and vocation, because work implies what you do to make money. Vocation, from the Latin “Vocare,” to call, is not a Biblical word but a theological word, defined on dictionary.com as “a divine call to God's service or to the Christian life” or “a function or station in life to which one is called by God.” The word vocation communicates the idea that there is someone else who has called you to your station in life, whether it is as a student, a homemaker, an engineer, a teacher, a grandparent, or anything else. Once again, this sermon is not about “7 tips for being the best employee ever”; this is thinking out the implications of the gospel for every area of your life. If you want to go further, I highly recommend the book “Every Good Endeavor: Connecting your work to God’s work” by Tim Keller and Katherine Leary Alsdorf. But for this morning, what difference does it make to your vocation that you believe the gospel?
The gospel summary statement I will be using this series is this: “We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace, learning to live as new creations according to God’s will, trusting in a certain and glorious eternal hope and future.”
If you read that statement closely, you will recognize that it has a past, present, and future dimension. Today, we are going to use those three aspects as our framework and examine what the implications of the gospel are for your work life, for your vocation?
We are in the second week of a sermon series that I have entitled “The practical gospel,” learning to put into practice what Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, where he told the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Now that you have been saved, now that you have believed the gospel, work out the implications of the gospel into every area of your life as God works in you. Not “work for your salvation,” because we are saved by the grace of God and not by anything we have done, but rather “work out the implications of your salvation.” In other words, think through how the truths of the gospel should shape the different aspects of your life and allow the transformative power of the Holy Spirit to do His work.
The gospel summary statement I will be using this series: “We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace, learning to live as new creations according to God’s will, trusting in a certain and glorious eternal hope and future.”
If you read that statement closely, you will recognize that it has a past, present, and future dimension. Today, we are going to use those three aspects as our framework and examine what the implications of the gospel are for your parenting.
Please understand this is not “7 steps to becoming the most awesomest parent ever,” but a look at the practical differences believing the gospel makes in your parenting. It is born out of the conviction that the gospel is the power for our lives. It is not just the door into the kingdom, and then we learn and follow principles for living. The more deeply we believe the gospel and apply its truths to every area of our lives, the better we will be. Even if you are not a parent, my hope is that this will still be valuable for you if you have young people in your life or are in any sort of mentoring role.
We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace.
This morning I am beginning a new series entitled “The Practical Gospel.” The idea for this series comes from what Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, where he told the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” In other words, now that you have been saved, now that you have believed the gospel, and now that God is working in you through His Holy Spirit, who you received when you put your faith in Jesus, work out the implications of the gospel into every area of your life as God works in you. Not “work for your salvation” but “work out the implications of your salvation.” My goal in this series is to examine what the implications are of the gospel for various areas of our life – love life, parenting, work, money, friends, church, personal growth, and the world.
The gospel summary statement I will be using in this series is this: “We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace, learning to live as new creations according to God’s will, trusting in a certain and glorious eternal hope and future.”
If you read that statement closely, you will recognize that it has a past, present, and future dimension. Today, we are going to use those three aspects as our framework and examine what the implications of the gospel are for your love life.
- We are sinners who have been saved and justified by grace.
We are sinners means that we are all rebels against a holy God, separated from Him and staring at an eternity of separation from God and all that is good. And we are so full of wickedness that we can not save ourselves by our own good deeds, can not make ourselves right with God on our own. But the good news is that Jesus lived the perfect life we could not live and died a sacrificial death on the cross in our place, to take the punishment we deserve, to save us from the penalty of our sins, and to restore us to a right relationship with God. To be justified means that we are declared not guilty before a holy God. And this is all a gift of God’s grace, an undeserved gift given by an unobligated giver.
Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
We are finishing up Acts this morning. Last week, we saw Paul and his fellow travelers shipwrecked on an island called Malta as they were on their way to Rome for Paul’s trial. After some time there, they finally board a new ship for Rome. Let’s pick up the end of Acts, beginning in verse 16:
Acts 28:16-31 - When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him. 17 Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19 But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar-- not that I had any charge to bring against my own people. 20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain." 21 They replied, "We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of the brothers who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect." 23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: 26 "'Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving." 27 For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' 28 "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!" 29 30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have been going through the book of Acts since the beginning of the summer, looking at the story of the early church that formed after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. We are almost done, and today we will be looking at the next to last chapter, chapter 27. The second half of Acts focuses mainly on Paul, a converted Jewish Pharisee who becomes the leading missionary of the early church, preaching the gospel to Jews and Gentiles all over the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, he also faces intense opposition everywhere he goes, and as a result, in ch. 27 he is on a ship with his friends Luke and Aristarchus, along with 273 other people, on his way to Rome as a prisoner to stand trial before Caesar, even though he is not guilty of any crime. In this chapter they experience a storm that threatens to destroy them, and I want to use this account to consider the storms we face in our lives and where God is in the midst of them.
I’m going to begin in v. 8, as much of Luke’s writing here reads like the original travel blog, as the ship makes its way through very windy weather.
Acts 27:8-44 - We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast. So Paul warned them, 10 "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also." 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest. 13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.
This morning, I am continuing to go through the Book of Acts, the story of the early church. In the previous chapters, Paul has been turned over by the Jews to the Romans. In this passage, he goes on trial before three Roman leaders: Felix, Festus, and Herod Agrippa. We’re not going to read the whole passage, which is three chapters long, but we’ll read 24:1-21 in order to understand what Paul is being accused of.
Acts 24:1-21 - Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: "We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. 3 Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. 4 But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly. 5 "We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect 6 and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. 7 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him." 9 The Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true. 10 When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: "I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. 17 "After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. 18 I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance. 19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me. 20 Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin-- 21 unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: 'It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.'"
Notice the accusation they make of Paul in this passage:
5 "We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect 6 and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. 7 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him."
We are continuing this morning to go through the New Testament book of Acts, the story of the early church. We have been following Paul’s missionary journeys, and we are up to chapter 21 today. Everything is going to change for Paul in this chapter as he enters Jerusalem. He is going to be assaulted, arrested, and brought to trial, and over the next six chapters there will be five trials as Paul tries to defend himself from the charges the Jews have brought against him. As we look at chapter 21, I want to speak in particular about courage, something that Paul displays in abundance in this passage throughout Acts, but especially in chapter 21.
Let’s begin in v. 10-15:
Acts 21:10-15 - After we had been in Caesarea a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'" 12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done." 15 After this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem.
Notice his courage. Despite being told that if he enters Jerusalem, the Jews there will seize him and hand him over to the Gentiles, Paul tells them that this will not stop him from following the leading of the Spirit into Jerusalem and preaching the gospel of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection there.
In Jerusalem, as prophesied, Paul is seized by a mob.
This morning, we are continuing through the New Testament book of Acts, the story of the early church. We are looking today at Acts 20:17-38, a passage where Paul meets with the leaders of the church of Ephesus as he is passing through on one of his missionary journeys. This passage is unique in that it is the only speech in Acts given to a Christian audience. It has a lot to tell us about the church and what kind of people God is looking for in His church.
17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. 22 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. 25 "Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. 32 "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" 36 When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
Paul had spent 3 years in Ephesus, and now as he passed through the region he stopped to meet with the elders, the men who were leading the church. While this passage certainly has a lot to say to those who serve as elders in a church, this message is a challenge to all of us in how we live as Christians and as part of a church.
This morning we are continuing to go through the book of Acts, looking at Luke’s account of the 1st century church and what we can learn from it about what it means to know God and be His people. We will be in Acts 19 this morning, as we continue to follow Paul’s missionary journeys. We will focus on verses 21-41, a passage that has a lot to teach us about idolatry.
Acts 19:21-41 - After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome also." 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer. 23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty." 28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. 32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it." 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
This morning we are continuing to go through the book of Acts, looking at Luke’s account of the 1st century church and what we can learn from it about what it means to know God and be His people. We will be in Acts 17 this morning, as we continue to follow Paul’s missionary journeys. We will focus mainly on verses 16-34, but let’s begin with a brief tour through verses 1-15 with a few comments.
NIV Acts 17:1 - When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.
Notice how whenever Paul enters a city, the first place he goes to preach is the synagogue, explaining to the Jews from the Old Testament that Jesus is the promised Messiah they have been waiting for, who died for their sins and rose again. And as usual, some believe, but many are offended and see Paul as blaspheming God.
5 But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus." 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
It’s not an easy life, always facing opposition and persecution. Certainly nothing worth doing if it were a lie or they didn’t really believe it. There is no glory in this ministry. Continuing:
10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. 13 When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
This morning we are continuing through the book of Acts, the story of the early church. We are up to Acts 16 this morning, a section focused on Paul and his missionary journeys as he brings the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection to cities around the Roman Empire in Europe and Asia. In Acts 16, we see Paul in Philippi, and we have recorded here three stories of God using very different means to bring three very different people to faith in Jesus.
Let’s begin in Acts 16:6-12:
Acts 16:6-40 - Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
Notice a couple of things. The narrative moves from third person to 1st person plural here, as Luke, the author of Acts, joins Paul’s missionary team. Notice as well that Luke takes very careful notes about where they go. Again, this is history, this is not fairy tale. And notice the leading of the Spirit, calling them one place and blocking their entrance to another.
13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
Typically when Paul entered a city, he would look for a synagogue. That gave him a place where people were already seeking God where he could share about Jesus. In Philippi, however, there is no synagogue. Ten Jewish men were needed to establish a synagogue, and evidently there weren’t that many. So they looked for a place of prayer, where some people might be gathering for worship. And they find some women who have gathered for prayer and worship. Good lesson in here about looking for signs of spiritual openness.
This morning we are continuing through the book of Acts, the story of the early church. Remember that the resurrected Jesus has told the disciples that they will be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, telling everyone that they forgiveness of sins and eternal life and the very presence of God inside of us is offered to all who would put their faith in Him. They have been given the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and the church in Jerusalem grew like crazy. After experiencing severe persecution, the church has been scattered around the region. But instead of destroying the movement, the disciples have brought the gospel of Jesus all over the known world. We’re going to pick up the story in Acts 11:19, paying special attention to the ministry of a man named Barnabas:
Acts 11:19-26 - Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. 22 News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Most of the first apostles still remain in Jerusalem, where the center of Christian faith resides, but outside of Jerusalem, Antioch becomes a key center for early Christianity (map). We see in this passage how it has become a multicultural, multinational fellowship, and we learn that this is the first place that the disciples are called Christians, or “little Christs.” In response to the growth, the church at Jerusalem sends one of its key leaders, Barnabas, to see what is going on in Antioch. If you’re unfamiliar with Barnabas, we first learned about Barnabas in Acts 4:36-37:
Acts 4:36-37 - Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.
This passage is from back when the church first starts forming, and many of the church’s members are voluntarily selling their possessions so that the proceeds can be used to care for those in need. Joseph, from Cyprus, is one of those. As we see, Barnabas is not his real name, but is a nickname that means “Son of Encouragement” given to him by the apostles because of his gift of encouragement.
This morning we are continuing through the book of Acts, the story of the early church. Remember that the resurrected Jesus has told the disciples that they will be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. They have been given the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and the church in Jerusalem grew like crazy. But after experiencing severe persecution, the church has been scattered around the region. Last week, Saul, one of the biggest persecutors of the church, was converted, and would become known as Paul. In the rest of chapter 9, we read about Peter and his ministry preaching the gospel and healing people. By the end of chapter 9, he is staying in Joppa with a man named Simon, and another milestone in the history of God’s work in this world is about to happen, as the first Gentiles, or non-Jewish people, come to faith in Jesus.
Acts 10:1At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.
Centurion means that he was over 100 men in the army.
2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!" 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked. The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea." 7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa. 9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13 Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." 14 "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." 15 The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." 16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
This morning we are continuing through the book of Acts, the story of the early church. It has been quite an exciting ride for the early disciples so far. Remember that they had been following Jesus, convinced that he was the Messiah, the one who would overthrow their Roman oppressors and restore Israel to its former glory. But Jesus was brutally crucified, nailed to a cross, crushing his followers. But Jesus rose from the dead, proclaiming to them that His mission was not to overthrow Rome but to destroy the power of a bigger enemy, the devil, to overthrow death, to make a way by His death for people around the world, whose sins had separated them from God, to be brought back into relationship with God, both now and beyond the grave.
After his resurrection, Jesus spends time over a period of 40 days with his disciples. He then ascends to heaven, and sends His Holy Spirit to be the presence and power of God inside each believer. He sends the disciples out as witnesses to His life, death, and resurrection, calling people to turn from their sin and self-centeredness to faith in Jesus. Thousands of people are coming to faith in Jesus, and a multi-ethnic community has formed in Jerusalem that is growing like crazy, devoted to following Jesus and caring for everyone’s needs. But they also face a great deal of persecution. In chapter 7, we read about a Jewish religious leader named Saul who is dedicated to destroying this church, and by the end of chapter 8, a great persecution has broken out and most of the disciples are scattered among the neighboring countries. But God has plans for this man named Saul, and that is the focus of this morning’s reading in chapter 9.
Acts 9:1-31 - Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" 5 "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6 "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. 10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. 11 The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." 13 "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
This morning we are continuing through the book of Acts, the story of the early church. It has been quite an exciting ride for the early disciples so far. They had been following Jesus, convinced that he was the Messiah, the one who would overthrow their Roman oppressors and restore Israel to its former glory. But Jesus was brutally crucified, nailed to a cross, crushing his followers. But Jesus rose from the dead, proclaiming to them that His mission was not to overthrow Rome but to destroy the power of a bigger enemy, the devil, to overthrow death, to make a way by His death for people around the world, whose sins had separated them from God, to be brought back into relationship with God, both now and beyond the grave.
After his resurrection, Jesus spends time over a period of 40 days with his disciples. He then ascends to heaven, and sends His Holy Spirit to be the presence and power of God inside each believer. Remember that before he ascended, Jesus said to his disciples in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Since then, the transformed disciples have been boldly sharing about Jesus’ death for their sins and his resurrection and triumph over death, calling people to turn from their sin and self-centeredness to faith in Jesus, and thousands of people are coming to faith in Jesus. A multi-ethnic community has formed in Jerusalem that is growing like crazy, devoted to following Jesus and caring for everyone’s needs. But by the end of chapter 7, one thing has not yet happened – they have not yet left Jerusalem or Judea to follow Jesus’ commands to be his witnesses in Samaria and the ends of the earth. But in the beginning of chapter 8, a great persecution breaks out, and the disciples are scattered. It's a reminder that sometimes it takes an inciting incident to move us out of our comfort zone into the future God has called us to. This morning, chapter 8 will focus on the ministry of Philip, one of the men raised up in chapter 6 to be a servant in the church.
This morning we are continuing through the book of Acts, the story of the early church. In the first chapters, Jesus has risen from the dead, ascended to heaven, and sent His Holy Spirit to be the presence and power of God inside each believer. Since then, the transformed disciples have been boldly sharing about Jesus’ death for their sins and his resurrection and triumph over death, calling people to turn from their sin and self-centeredness to faith in Jesus, and thousands of people are coming to faith in Jesus. A multi-ethnic community has formed in Jerusalem that is growing like crazy, devoted to following Jesus and caring for everyone’s needs. But they have also experienced persecution, corruption, and leadership challenges as they try to follow Jesus and bring the good news to their community and world. In the last section, they chose seven godly men to take on the task of meeting the needs of the widows that their church was caring for. One of them, Stephen, will be the focus of today’s passage. Beginning in verse 8:
8 Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)-- Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, 10 but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. 11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God." 12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us." 15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true?"
What is going on here? The Jewish religious and political elite are unhappy with Stephen’s ministry, because they do not want people believing that Jesus is the Messiah. They attempt to argue with him theologically, but can not out-argue him or quiet him, and so they resort to slander. They falsely accuse of him of speaking against the temple and against God’s law, and they stir up opposition against him. Unfortunately that works, and Stephen is brought before the Sanhedrin, the supreme court in Israel, made up of 70 men and the high priest.
This morning we are continuing through the book of Acts, the story of the early church. In the first couple of chapters, Jesus has risen from the dead, ascended to heaven, and sent His Holy Spirit to be the presence and power of God inside each believer. Since then, the transformed disciples have been boldly sharing about Jesus’ death for their sins and his resurrection and triumph over death, calling people to turn from their sin and self-centeredness to faith in Jesus, and thousands of people are coming to faith in Jesus. A multi-ethnic community has formed in Jerusalem that is growing like crazy, devoted to following Jesus and caring for everyone’s needs.
But in the past few chapters, the church has to deal with some real threats to their unity and witness. The first threat is persecution, as Peter and John are arrested by the Jewish religious leaders for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus to the crowd, and are warned to stop what they are doing. Soon after, all of the apostles are thrown in jail for doing the same in chapter 5. The second threat comes from inside: corruption, as the hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira threatens to sow discord within the church. But the church passes both of those tests. In chapter 6, which we will look at today, the third threat comes in a very subtle way.
Read Acts 6:1-7
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word." 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Date: May 29, 2022
Speaker: Ryan Warner
Series: Acts of the Holy Spirit
Scripture: Acts 4:32–5:42
This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through the Book of Acts. So far, Jesus has risen from the dead, ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit has been given to the disciples at Pentecost to be God’s presence inside of them, Peter has preached to the gathered crowd, and in one day the church has grown from 120 to 3120 in one day. Last week we looked at the inspiring way in which this newly formed community was devoted to knowing and worshiping God and to loving each other and their community. This morning, we’ll be reading a long passage that I think truly highlights the courage and boldness of the first disciples.
Acts 3:1 - 4:31 - One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer-- at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. 17 "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you-- even Jesus. 21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.' 24 "Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days.
This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through the Book of Acts. So far, Jesus has risen from the dead, ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit has been given to the disciples at Pentecost to be God’s presence inside of them, Peter has preached to the gathered crowd, and in one day the church has grown from 120 to 3120 in one day. We’re going to go back to v. 37 to read about the end of that sermon, and then look at the picture of the early church, a truly inspiring vision of what a community filled with the Holy Spirit can look like.
Acts 2:37-47 - When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-- for all whom the Lord our God will call." 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
What a beautiful vision of the church. Look at the transformation brought about by the Holy Spirit, uniting people from all different backgrounds into one dynamic community. The early church community that we see in this passage is marked by three features:
This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series through the Book of Acts. So far, Jesus has risen from the dead, ascended to heaven, and now the Holy Spirit has been given to the disciples at Pentecost, as Jews from all over gather for this annual feast to celebrate the first fruits of the harvest and the giving of the law to Moses at Mt. Sinai many years ago. After the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples, they tell the wonders of God in other languages, and a crowd of Jews and God-fearers has gathered, asking “what does this mean?” In verse 14, Peter begins to speak.
Acts 2:14-41 - Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' 22 "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know....
Last week, I began a new sermon series going through the book of Acts. This morning we’ll be in Acts 2, looking at what is known as the Day of Pentecost. In Acts 1, we saw Jesus, after rising from the dead, spend 40 days in Jerusalem teaching his disciples about the kingdom of God before He ascended to heaven. The ascension is an often-overlooked event in the life of Jesus, but it is significant for three primary reasons. The first is that Jesus now has divine authority, and so we can trust Him, no matter what is going on in our lives, knowing that He is working all things together for good, as it says in Romans 8:28-29. The second is that Jesus is exercising a divine advocacy on our behalf before the Father, so that no charge brought against us can stand, but we are declared not guilty, as he says in Romans 8:33-34.
And the third reason the ascension of Jesus is significant is that we can have divine intimacy with God. If Jesus were to remain on earth, he would only be in one location, but because he has ascended, he now sends His Holy Spirit to live inside of every believer, so that we can have God living in us at all times. That is what this morning and Acts 2 is all about. As Jesus said in John 14:16-17- And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you
As Acts 1 ends, the disciples are in Jerusalem praying and waiting for God to send the Holy Spirit. Let’s read Acts 2:1-13:
In January of this year, we began a focus as a church on prayer and revival. Revival is an increase in the presence and power of God in a life, church, or community. This morning, I am beginning a new sermon series through the book of Acts, which we will look at while continuing to keep one eye on what we learn from God’s work in the early church about prayer and revival. Before we dive in, let me give some background information. Acts was written by a man named Luke, who is responsible for writing both Luke and Acts. Luke was an educated doctor who wrote in good literary Greek. We learn this from Colossians 4:14:
Colossians 4:14 - Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.
He was also a travelling companion of Paul, which we learn in 2 Timothy 4:11. Also, at one point in Acts the writing goes from “they” to “we” as Luke joins Paul’s missionary team. Luke and Acts are two of the books that has the most scholarly consensus as to the author. After all, if it wasn’t Luke who wrote these books, it’s difficult to explain how the tradition connecting his name with those documents arose, since he is otherwise an insignificant figure in the early church and you would have expected it to be named after someone more well-known.
When you read the intro to Luke and to Acts, you see that Luke claims to be writing accurate history.
Luke 1:1-4 - Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
John 20:1-31 - Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her. 19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." 24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." 28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
This morning is Palm Sunday, the first day of what is known as Holy Week, the last week of Jesus’ earthly life. Palm Sunday is the day which looks back at the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem that begins that final week. In a few days will be Good Friday, the day which commemorates his crucifixion. And next Sunday of course is Easter, the day in which we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. We read the Matthew passage earlier in the service. Let’s read John’s account now:
John 12:12-19- The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!" 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, 15 "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." 16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. 17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!"
Jesus has been teaching and healing people around the region for almost three years at this point. As he enters Jerusalem for the Passover Feast, the crowd is really excited. They are waving palm branches, and shouting “Hosanna,” an exclamation that communicates their belief that Jesus has come to save them. They call him the King of Israel. Clearly, the crowd sees him as more than just a good teacher or miracle worker. In fact, John references the Old Testament prophecy that the people believe is being fulfilled here:
Zechariah 9:9 - Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
This winter, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. A simple definition of revival would be an increase in the presence and power of God in both a church and a community. Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal the two preconditions of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. The more we are aware of the greatness of God, the high expectations of God, the incredible promises of God, along with our own inability to live up to His expectations and the terrible effect of our sin on ourselves and others, the closer we are to revival. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things – Lord, increase my awareness of your holiness and the depth of my sin.
While those are the preconditions of revival, I believe that the one thing truly revives our hearts comes when we see what Jesus did to bridge that gap. This morning, we are going to look at one of the great stories of what Jesus did, as we focus on Jesus’ time in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:20-50. Before we read, I would ask you to take to heart these words of A.W. Tozer in his book “God Tells the Man who Cares”: “The Bible was written in tears and to tears it will yield its best treasure. God has nothing to say to the frivolous man.” The one whose mind is consumed by frivolities, by unimportant things, will miss what God has to say this morning. Do not let that be you.
With that in mind, let’s pray that God would help us to truly apprehend what this account means for us. Let’s begin reading from verse 20, when Jesus was sharing the Last Supper with his twelve apostles:
Matthew 26:20-50 - When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me." 22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?" 23 Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born." 25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you." 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." 27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: "'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." 33 Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." 34 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." 35 But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you."
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
This is a portrait of the one God favors, the person who is blessed by God. The Beatitudes build off each other. It begins with coming poor in spirit. The poor in spirit know they are spiritually bankrupt and are dependent upon God for everything. They come with no spiritual resume in hand, not thinking that they are accepted by God because they attend church or give to the poor or try to be good people. They know that they are completely dependent upon God for every single breath that they breathe. Any holiness, any desire for goodness, and love displayed towards others, originated with God and is an undeserved gift from Him. It’s best exemplified by the parable Jesus told in Luke 18:10-14 -
Luke 18:10-14 - Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-- robbers, evildoers, adulterers-- or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Or as Paul put it in Galatians 6:3, “If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”
“There is the mountain that you have to scale, the heights you have to climb; and the first thing you must realize, as you look at that mountain which you are told you must ascend, is that you cannot do it, that you are utterly incapable in and of yourself, and that any attempt to do it in your own strength is proof positive that you have not understood it.”
Martin Lloyd-Jones, The Sermon on the Mount
“Just as water ever seeks and fills the lowest place, so the moment God finds you abased and empty, His glory and power flow in.”
Andrew Murray
This winter, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. A simple definition of revival would be an increase in the presence and power of God in both a church and a community. This series came out of a conviction that God has so much more available for us individually and as a church, but if we choose complacency, if we are fine with the status quo, if we live for the things of this world while relegating God to an afterthought, then we will miss out on all the power, the joy, the love, and the wonder that He has for us. Oh, that we would not live our lives and never experience the power and reality of our great God! May we give ourselves to Him and earnestly plead for a revival of our souls and of our church, that His kingdom would come and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal the two preconditions of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. The more we are aware of the greatness of God, the high expectations of God, the incredible promises of God, along with our own inability to live up to His expectations and the terrible effect of our sin on ourselves and others, the closer we are to revival. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things – Lord, increase my awareness of your holiness and the depth of my sin.
Few places in the Bible highlight the gap between God’s holiness and our sin more than Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Over the past seven weeks, I’ve been looking at the Beatitudes, the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes describe the blessed life, the characteristics of the man or woman who is favored by God. So far, these are the beatitudes we have looked at:
Matthew 5:3-9 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
This winter, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. You could define revival as an increase in the presence and power of God in both a church and a community. This series came out of a conviction that God has so much more available for us individually and as a church, but if we choose complacency, if we are fine with the status quo, if we live for the things of this world while relegating God to an afterthought, then we will miss out on all the power, the joy, the love, and the wonder that He has for us. Oh, that we would not live our lives and never experience the power and reality of our great God! May we give ourselves to Him and earnestly plead for a revival of our souls and of our church, that His kingdom would come and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Consider this quote from the Hebrides’ Revival, which occurred in the mid-20th century in Scotland: “Brethren, it is just so much humbug to be waiting for this, night after night, month after month, if we ourselves are not right with God. I must ask myself – “‘Is my heart pure? Are my hands clean?’” What if God were depending upon YOU? What if it were your sin that is holding God back from bringing revival to this place?
Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal the two preconditions of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. The more we are aware of the greatness of God, the high expectations of God, the incredible promises of God, along with our own inability to live up to His expectations and the terrible effect of our sin on ourselves and others, the closer we are to revival. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things – Lord, increase my awareness of your holiness and the depth of my sin.
Few places in the Bible highlight the gap between God’s holiness and our sin more than Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Over the past six weeks, I’ve been looking at the Beatitudes, the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes describe the blessed life, the characteristics of the man or woman who is favored by God. So far, these are the beatitudes we have looked at:
Matthew 5:3-9 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
This winter, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. This series came out of a conviction that God has so much more available for us individually and as a church, but if we choose complacency, if we give ourselves to worldly pursuits while relegating him to an afterthought, then we will miss out on all the power, the joy, the love, and the wonder that He had for us. Oh, that we would not live our lives and never experience the power and reality of our great God! May we give ourselves to Him and earnestly plead for a revival of our souls and of our church, that His kingdom would come and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal the two preconditions of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. The more we are aware of the greatness of God, the high expectations of God, the incredible promises of God, along with our own inability to live up to His expectations and the terrible effect of our sin on ourselves and others, the closer we are to revival. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things – Lord, increase my awareness of your holiness and the depth of my sin.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to dive deeper into the second part, the awareness of the depth of our sin, and to do so by looking at the Beatitudes, the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes describe the blessed life, the characteristics of the man or woman who is favored by God, what a life touched by revival will look like. So far, these are the beatitudes we have looked at:
Matthew 5:3-8 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
This morning, we will be looking at Matthew 5:8 – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
This winter, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. This series came out of a conviction that God has so much more available for us individually and as a church, but if we choose complacency, if we give ourselves to worldly pursuits while relegating him to an afterthought, then we will miss out on all the power, the joy, the love, and the wonder that He had for us. Oh, that we would not live our lives and never experience the power and reality of our great God! May we give ourselves to Him and earnestly plead for a revival of our souls and of our church, that His kingdom would come and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal the two preconditions of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. The more we are aware of the greatness of God, the high expectations of God, the incredible promises of God, along with our own inability to live up to His expectations and the terrible effect of our sin on ourselves and others, the closer we are to revival. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things – Lord, increase my awareness of your holiness and the depth of my sin.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to dive deeper into the second part, the awareness of the depth of our sin, and to do so by looking at the Beatitudes, the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes describe the blessed life, the characteristics of the man or woman who is favored by God, what a life touched by revival will look like. This morning, we will be looking at Matthew 5:7 – “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
This winter, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. My hope in this series is to lead us into a deeper experience of God, that God would give us greater spiritual life and vitality both individually and collectively, that we would experience more of His love and power, and that through us, He would bring His salvation and redemption to our world.
Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal the two preconditions of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. The more we are aware of the greatness of God, the high expectations of God, the incredible promises of God, along with our own inability to live up to His expectations and the terrible effect of our sin on ourselves and others, the closer we are to revival. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things – Lord, increase my awareness of your holiness and the depth of my sin.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to dive deeper into the second part, the awareness of the depth of our sin, and to do so by looking at the Beatitudes, the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes describe the blessed life, the characteristics of the man or woman who is favored by God. In this sense, if we want to live a life that is blessed or favored by God, then the beatitudes are something we should all pay close attention to and strive to live out. But on the other hand, the characteristics emphasized by Jesus are incredibly countercultural, running precisely against what we are taught is the happy life by our world and often by Christian teachers as well. And so, they require a huge shift in our perspective. This morning, we will be looking at Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
If we’re going to understand what Jesus means, we have to answer a few questions: What is righteousness? What does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness? What does it mean to be filled? What do I do if I do not hunger and thirst for righteousness?
This morning, we are in week 7 of a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. My hope in this series is to lead us into a deeper experience of God, that God would give us greater spiritual life and vitality both individually and collectively, that we would experience more of His love and power, and that through us, He would bring His salvation and redemption to our world.
Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls the two precursors of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to dive deeper into the second part, the awareness of the depth of our sin, and to do so by looking at the Beatitudes, the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes describe the blessed life, the man or woman who is favored by God. In this sense, if we want to live a life that is blessed or favored by God, then the beatitudes are something we should all pay close attention to and strive to live out. But on the other hand, the characteristics emphasized by Jesus are incredibly countercultural, running precisely against what we are taught is the happy life by our world and often by Christian teachers as well. And so, they require a huge shift in our perspective. This morning, we will be looking at Matthew 5:5 – “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
Meek is not a word you hear used today, except as the first name of the rapper Meek Mill. I can’t tell when I have ever heard someone described as meek, or a time I have ever prayed that God would make me meeker. So what does it mean to be meek? Why does Jesus say that those who are meek will be blessed, favored by God? And what does it mean that the meek will inherit the earth?
This morning, we are in week 6 of a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. My hope in this series is to lead us into a deeper experience of God, that God would give us greater spiritual life and vitality both individually and collectively, that we would experience more of His love and power, and that through us, He would bring His salvation and redemption to our world.
Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls the two precursors of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, our brokenness. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things.
Last week I began to dive deeper into the second aspect, and we looked at Jesus’ opening words in his Sermon on the Mount, the section known as the Beatitudes, where he said “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The word “blessed” means that God’s favor and approval are upon you. Blessed are those who recognize that they are spiritually bankrupt, that they are completely dependent upon God for everything good. It is the promise that it is those who come to God empty who will be filled with His Holy Spirit, with the life of Jesus. That is where revival happens.
Today, I want to look at the second line of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” At first glance, it sounds like Jesus is referring to those who are grieving the death of a loved one or some other earthly tragedy. But there is more going on here, and it is absolutely connected to an increased awareness of the depth of our sin and therefore to revival. Let me explain.
This morning, we are in week 5 of a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. My hope in this series is to lead us into a deeper experience of God, that God would give us greater spiritual life and vitality both individually and collectively, that we would experience more of His love and power, and that through us, He would bring His salvation and redemption to our world.
Up to this point, I have not really defined revival. And I recognize that depending upon your background, it may conjure up different things. For many of you, you may expect revival to result in a spiritually heightened church or prayer meeting, full of ecstatic experiences. But that is not necessarily the case. Put simply by Roy Hession in The Calvary Road, “Revival is the life of the Lord Jesus poured into human hearts.” Listen to Roy Hession’s description of what accompanies revival:
New experience of conviction of sin among the saints
A new vision of the cross of Jesus and redemption
A new willingness on man’s part for brokenness, confession, repentance, and restitution
A joyful experience of the power of the blood of Jesus to cleanse fully from sin and restore and heal all that that sin has lost and broken
A new entering into the fullness of the Holy Spirit and of his power to do his own work through his people
A new gathering in of the lost ones to Jesus
It may not be flashy or showy, but it will be filled with the life of Jesus in an unmistakable way.
This morning, we are in week 3 of a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. My hope in this series is to lead us into a deeper experience of God, that God would give us greater spiritual life and vitality both individually and collectively, that we would experience more of His love and power, and that through us, He would bring His salvation and redemption to our world.
In Matthew 6:5-13, Jesus teaches us how to pray, and while there are many things we could say about it, I want to focus on one aspect in particular this morning that is key to revival.
Matthew 6:5-13 - "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Traditionally on this Sunday between Christmas and New year’s, I give a brief sermon and then we open up the mic for a time of testimonies from all of you. It can be an opportunity to reflect on something you went through or that God taught you in the past year, or to look ahead in hope to 2022. It can also be an opportunity for those of you who have been reading through the Bible this year to share what that experience meant to you, or something in particular you took away from your trip through the Bible. I want to begin by reading Philippians 3:1-14, part of Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. I have always found this passage to be particularly relevant at New Year’s. Let’s read the passage:
Philippians 3:1-6 - Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-- 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
This morning, we are in week 2 of a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. My hope in this series is to lead us into a deeper experience of God, that God would give us greater spiritual life and vitality both individually and collectively, that we would experience more of His love and power, and that through us, He would bring His salvation and redemption to our world.
This morning we will be in Isaiah 6:1-8, a vision that Isaiah has of the throne room of heaven:
Isaiah 6:1-8 - In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
There is a whole back story to this of course about what was going on in Israel in the 8th century BC, about King Uzziah and Isaiah. But for the sake of this sermon series, my concern is strictly on what Isaiah witnesses in his heavenly vision and what that has to teach us about revival.
This morning, I am beginning a new sermon series entitled Revival. My hope in this series is to lead us into a life of deeper prayer, where we ask for God to bring greater spiritual life to us individually and collectively, and through us to bring His salvation and redemption to our world.
This morning, I want to look at Ephesians 1:15-23. Now that Paul has listed the spiritual blessings we have in Christ, and has let them know how thankful he is for them, he continues to let them know how he is praying for them. Take this to heart this morning:
Ephesians 1:15-23 - For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Paule has reminded them of every spiritual blessing that is theirs in Christ. He lets them know how thankful he is to God for them, and how often he prays for them. But what specifically does Paul pray for them? This section reveals the answer: A deeper knowledge of God. An understanding of the hope to which they are called. A comprehension of the rich inheritance they have in Christ. And faith in the great power that resides within them. Let’s look at these things one at a time
This morning, I am beginning a new sermon series for Advent entitled “Waiting for God.” One of the main themes of this time of the year is waiting for God, as we look back to the long wait for the first coming of Christ, and as we wait in the present for Jesus’ return. Now, we are all familiar with waiting. I’m sure many of you spent some time waiting the past few days. Waiting in long lines. Waiting for a package to arrive. Waiting for the meat thermometer in the turkey to hit 160. Waiting for your family to arrive, or, in some cases, to leave.
We are currently in Advent, the time of the year where we look back at Jesus’ first coming and look ahead to His return. I’ve entitled this sermon series Waiting on God, as one of the themes of Advent is waiting – waiting for the Messiah to come, and waiting for Jesus to return. In this series, I’ll be looking at some of the major times of waiting in the Biblical story to see how they can help us in those times when we feel like God is distant, delayed, or not answering our prayers.
Last week we looked at the story of Abram, Sarai and the child of promise and waiting on God’s promises. Specifically, the challenge it is to wait for God’s blessing instead of trying to manufacture the blessing ourselves.
We are currently in Advent, the time of the year where we look back at Jesus’ first coming and look ahead to His return. I’ve entitled this sermon series Waiting on God, as one of the themes of Advent is waiting – waiting for the Messiah to come, and waiting for Jesus to return. In this series, I’ll be looking at some of the major times of waiting in the Biblical story to see how they can help us in those times when we feel like God is distant, delayed, or not answering our prayers.
Two weeks ago, we looked at the story of Abram, Sarai and the child of promise and waiting on God’s promises. Specifically, the challenge it is to wait for God’s blessing in God’s timing instead of trying to manufacture the blessing ourselves. Last week, we looked at waiting for the resurrection, and how to have hope in times that feel hopeless. Today’s sermon is entitled “Waiting for the Spirit,” as we will look at the time after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to heaven when the disciples were waiting for the gift of the Holy Spirit. We will look at this to learn about who the Holy Spirit is and how to be filled with the Spirit.
These past 10 weeks, I have preached a sermon series on what the Bible has to say about justice, while also contrasting Biblical justice from much of what is called justice in the world around us. This morning, I am going to attempt to summarize the past ten weeks, and then we will open it up for a time of testimonies, where you will have the opportunity to share what you have learned or what God has done in your life through this series. This series was something I originally planned to preach in the spring of 2021, as I had been noticing an increased focus in what the world calls Social Justice, particularly since the death of George Floyd in 2020. And while there were elements of this increased call for justice that were admirable and encouraging, such as the passion to make the world a better place and to lift up those who were perceived to be oppressed and to give a voice to those who were considered marginalized, there were other aspects that felt misguided and dangerous. But since justice is such a big issue, I just didn’t feel ready to tackle this in the spring, nor was I ready in the summer. I still didn’t feel ready heading into the fall, but I decided that I needed to just dive in and see how the Lord would lead. And now, having spent ten weeks on the topic, I feel like this summary sermon will truly lay out what I believe God’s heart for justice is, and why it is better than the justice movements of our world.
This fall, I am preaching a sermon series I have entitled “Justice,” looking at what the Bible has to say about justice and how to evaluate the cultural messages on justice that are all around us. Each week, I have begun with three preliminary comments. First of all, this is not primarily a political sermon series or a social science lecture series. I will be trying to stay in my lane as a pastor, helping our church to know Jesus and to better love Him and love your neighbor. Secondly, I recognize that I will be addressing some sensitive subjects, and I do not expect everyone to agree with every word I speak. I do expect, however, that we will model speaking the truth in love. If you disagree with me on something I say, or have other insights or experience that you feel would enhance my understanding or my teaching, or if something I say does not sit well with you, please speak up. Consider this an invitation to a conversation. And thirdly, my goal in this series is not to help us wag our finger at the world for acting like the world, but to challenge the church to do better in the realm of justice.
This fall, I am preaching a sermon series I have entitled “Justice,” looking at what the Bible has to say about justice and how to evaluate the cultural messages on justice that are all around us. Each week, I have begun with three preliminary comments. First of all, this is not primarily a political sermon series or a social science lecture series. I will be trying to stay in my lane as a pastor, helping our church to know Jesus and to better love Him and love your neighbor. Secondly, I recognize that I will be addressing some sensitive subjects, and I do not expect everyone to agree with every word I speak. I do expect, however, that we will model speaking the truth in love. If you disagree with me on something I say, or have other insights or experience that you feel would enhance my understanding or my teaching, or if something I say does not sit well with you, please speak up. Consider this an invitation to a conversation. And thirdly, my goal in this series is not to help us wag our finger at the world for acting like the world, but to challenge the church to do better in the realm of justice.
In our quest for justice, we will undoubtedly run up against those who we feel have committed injustices. We will meet people who do not treat people equitably, who we feel are biased or prejudiced in a way that is harming others and contributing to an unjust society. The question is, what is the best way to deal with people who we feel are acting unjustly?
This fall, I am preaching a sermon series I have entitled “Justice,” looking at what the Bible has to say about justice and how to evaluate the cultural messages on justice that are all around us. Each week, I have begun with three preliminary comments. First of all, this is not primarily a political sermon series or a social science lecture series. I will be trying to stay in my lane as a pastor, helping our church to know Jesus and to better love Him and love your neighbor. Secondly, I recognize that I will be addressing some sensitive subjects, and I do not expect everyone to agree with every word I speak. I do expect, however, that we will model speaking the truth in love. If you disagree with me on something I say, or have other insights or experience that you feel would enhance my understanding or my teaching, or if something I say does not sit well with you, please speak up. Consider this an invitation to a conversation. And thirdly, my goal in this series is not to help us wag our finger at the world for acting like the world, but to challenge the church to do better in the realm of justice.
This last point is an especially seductive temptation for many of us. We can get caught up in critiquing what is wrong with the world’s social justice movements, while conveniently ignoring the reality that the Bible speaks strongly and repeatedly about God’s heart for justice and his hatred of injustice. There is a word for people like that: Pharisees. And so this morning, I want to look at a parable Jesus taught that speaks directly and loudly to God’s heart for justice. If you’re unfamiliar with the term parable, the best definition I have found comes from Pastor John MacArthur: A parable is an ingeniously simple word picture illuminating a profound spiritual lesson. Jesus often taught in parables, using word pictures like “God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field” or “God is like a Father welcoming home a wayward Son.” By using everyday language that was familiar to his audience, he ensured that the stories would stay with them long after he left....
This fall, I am preaching a sermon series I have entitled “Justice,” looking at what the Bible has to say about justice and how to evaluate the cultural messages on justice that are all around us. Each week, I have begun with three preliminary comments. First of all, this is not primarily a political sermon series or a social science lecture series. I will be trying to stay in my lane as a pastor, helping our church to know Jesus and to better love Him and love your neighbor. Secondly, I recognize that I will be addressing some sensitive subjects, and I do not expect everyone to agree with every word I speak. I do expect, however, that we will model speaking the truth in love. If you disagree with me on something I say, or have other insights or experience that you feel would enhance my understanding or my teaching, or if something I say does not sit well with you, please speak up. Consider this an invitation to a conversation. And thirdly, my goal in this series is not to help us wag our finger at the world for acting like the world, but to challenge the church to do better in the realm of justice.
The idea of justice is not about the individual but is all about community; what does a just society or community look like? This morning, I want to look at the Biblical vision for community and contrast it to what the visions for social justice we see around us today.
This fall, I am preaching a sermon series I have entitled “Justice,” looking at what the Bible has to say about justice and how to evaluate the cultural messages on justice that are all around us. Each week, I have begun with three preliminary comments. First of all, this is not primarily a political sermon series or a social science lecture series. I will be trying to stay in my lane as a pastor, helping our church to know Jesus and to better love Him and love your neighbor. Secondly, I recognize that I will be addressing some sensitive subjects, and I do not expect everyone to agree with every word I speak. I do expect, however, that we will model speaking the truth in love. If you disagree with me on something I say, or have other insights or experience that you feel would enhance my understanding or my teaching, or if something I say does not sit well with you, please speak up. Consider this an invitation to a conversation. And thirdly, my goal in this series is not to help us wag our finger at the world for acting like the world, but to challenge the church to do better in the realm of justice.
As we look at what Jesus has to say about justice this morning, I want to camp out on that last point about wagging our finger at the world vs. doing better as the church for a minute. I have many concerns about the social justice movements of our culture. I think they are very dangerous in how they emphasize what divides us, labeling people by group identities based on skin color, religion, sexuality, gender, and so on, and then calling one group oppressors and the other oppressed. I am fairly confident that is going to make things worse rather than emphasizing what we have talked about in this series, that every human being is created in the image of God and therefore deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and to receive the justice they are due. I think the movements of our day are dangerous in how they often use mob violence, whether in person or online, to advance what they consider justice. Using threats and public shaming or canceling is more likely to advance something evil than something good. And I think they are dangerous in how they promote propaganda and certain agendas while silencing dissenting voices, not allowing for true freedom of speech and a seeking of the truth. This is partly why we are doing this sermon series, to give an alternate – and better – view of justice than what the world is offering.
This fall, I am preaching a sermon series I have entitled “Justice,” looking at what the Bible has to say about justice and how to evaluate the cultural messages on justice that are all around us. I’m going slowly through this series, trying not to take on too much at once. Each week, I begin with three preliminary comments, which I want to repeat this week. First of all, this is not primarily a political sermon series or a social science lecture series. I will be trying to stay in my lane as a pastor, helping our church to know Jesus and to better love Him and love your neighbor. Secondly, as I said last week, I recognize that I will be addressing some sensitive subjects, and I do not expect everyone to agree with every word I speak. I do expect, however, that we will model speaking the truth in love. If you disagree with me on something I say, or have other insights or experience that you feel would enhance my understanding or my teaching, or if something I say does not sit well with you, please speak up. Consider this an invitation to a conversation. And thirdly, my goal in this series is not to help us wag our finger at the world for acting like the world, but to challenge the church to do better in this area.
This fall, I am preaching a sermon series I have entitled “Justice,” looking at what the Bible has to say about justice and how to evaluate the cultural messages on justice that are all around us. I’m going slowly through this series, trying not to take on too much at once. Each week, I begin with three preliminary comments, which I want to repeat this week. First of all, this is not primarily a political sermon series or a social science lecture series. I will be trying to stay in my lane as a pastor, helping our church to know Jesus and to better love Him and love your neighbor. Secondly, as I said last week, I recognize that I will be addressing some sensitive subjects, and I do not expect everyone to agree with every word I speak. I do expect, however, that we will model speaking the truth in love. If you disagree with me on something I say, or have other insights or experience that you feel would enhance my understanding or my teaching, or if something I say does not sit well with you, please speak up. Consider this an invitation to a conversation. And thirdly, my goal in this series is not to help us wag our finger at the world for acting like the world, but to challenge the church to do better in this area.
This fall, I am preaching a sermon series I have entitled “Justice,” looking at what the Bible has to say about justice and how to evaluate the cultural messages on justice that are all around us. I’m going slowly through this series, trying not to take on too much at once. Each week, I begin with three preliminary comments that I want to repeat this week. First of all, this is not a political sermon series or a social science lecture series. I will be trying to stay in my lane as a pastor, helping our church to know Jesus and to better love Him and love your neighbor. Secondly, as I said last week, I recognize that this is a dangerous subject to tackle these days, and I do not expect everyone to agree with every word I speak. I do expect, however, that we will model speaking the truth in love. If you disagree with me on something I say, or have other insights or experience that you feel would enhance my understanding or my teaching, please speak up. Consider this an invitation to a conversation. And thirdly, my goal in this series is not to help us wag our finger at the world for acting like the world, but to challenge the church to do better in this area.
This fall, I am preaching a sermon series I have entitled “Justice,” looking at what the Bible has to say about justice and how to evaluate the cultural messages on justice that are all around us. Last week, I began with three preliminary comments that I want to repeat this week. First of all, this is not a political sermon series or a social science lecture series. I will be trying to stay in my lane as a pastor, helping our church to know Jesus and to follow Him better. My hope is to open up the Bible in order to give you principles that will inform a Biblical worldview on justice and show why it is preferable to the different worldviews out there, so that you can walk faithfully with Jesus by loving God and loving your neighbor. Secondly, as I said last week, I recognize that this is a dangerous subject to tackle these days, and I do not expect everyone to agree with every word I speak. I do expect, however, that we will model speaking the truth in love. If you disagree with me on something I say, or have other insights or experience that you feel would enhance my understanding or my teaching, please speak up. Consider this an invitation to a conversation. And thirdly, my goal in this series is not to help us wag our finger at the world for acting like the world, but to challenge the church to do better in this area.
This morning, I am beginning a new sermon series that I have titled “Justice.” If you’ve listened to me preach, you know that my typical style is to work through a book of the Bible or a specific passage of Scripture, looking at what it meant in its original context and what it means for us today. But usually about once every year I preach a more topical sermon series, especially if I feel there is something important for us to focus on. Last year, I did a sermon series on lament and suffering, which I felt was important given the amount of loss many of us were dealing with. And this fall, I will be preaching a sermon series on justice.
I think that this past year and a half has been particularly noteworthy for two focuses: the pandemic, and the increased focus in our world on what is called “social justice.” If you work for a large company, or in a school system, I would bet that you have probably received some kind of justice-focused education over the past year, as school districts and corporations try to fall in line with the way our culture is defining justice. I have been wanting to do a sermon series for months now examining the topic of justice Biblically, as it is so important to evaluate the messages we are getting from our culture in the light of what God says in Scripture. But the problem is that justice is a huge topic, with many voices and books and opinions out there on subjects ranging from racial justice to economic inequalities to prison reform to immigration to LGBTQ justice and women’s rights to voting rights, and on and on and on. So this sermon series, which I originally wanted to do in the spring, kept getting pushed back as I kept reading more books and listening to divergent voices. And now, even though I don’t feel entirely ready, I’m diving in. Let me begin by making three opening comments:
This morning, I am finishing up my sermon series “Meeting Jesus,” looking at various interactions that people had with Jesus in the book of John. Today, I will be looking at the interaction Jesus has with Thomas, one of his disciples, in chapter 20, after his resurrection.
John 20 - Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." 28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." 30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
This summer, I have been preaching through a sermon series entitled “Meeting Jesus,” looking at various interactions that Jesus had with people in the gospel of John, in order to learn more about what it means to know and follow Jesus. Next week is the final week in the series, and for this week and next week, I will be looking at two interactions that Jesus had after he was raised from the dead: this week with Peter, and next week with Thomas.
Peter was a particularly passionate and devoted disciple of Jesus, and you may remember that at the last supper, when Jesus told his disciples that he was going to be killed and that they would all abandon him, Peter had a particularly strong reaction to that:
John 13:36-38 - Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later." 37 Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." 38 Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
After he finishes sharing the last supper with his disciples, Jesus goes out with his disciples to the Mt. of Olives. There, Jesus is betrayed by Judas, and arrested by the religious leaders. As Jesus is being abused, Peter denies three times that he knows Jesus, and goes away weeping bitterly, crushed by his cowardice. Eventually, Jesus is put on trial, sentenced to death, and crucified by the Roman authorities. But after three days in the grave, he rises again from the dead.
This summer, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled “Meeting Jesus,” in which I am looking through the gospel of John at the interactions of various people with Jesus, in order to discover who Jesus is and what it means to know and follow Him. Last week, we looked at Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11. After that, his public ministry is over, as the Pharisees have decided to arrest him next time he is in Jerusalem. But in John 13, the time has finally come for Jesus to come to Jerusalem, where he will eventually be betrayed, arrested, tried, and crucified. And he begins this momentous week by doing something completely unexpected with his disciples.
John 13:1-17 - It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. 2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" 7 Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 8 "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." 9 "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" 10 Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
This morning, I am continuing in my sermon series entitled Meeting Jesus, in which I am looking at various interactions that Jesus had with people in the gospel of John and what we learn from them about what it means to know and follow Jesus. This morning, we will be looking at Jesus’ interaction with Mary and Martha at the tomb of their brother Lazarus:
John 11:1-45 - Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. 7 Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." 8 "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. 10 It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." 11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." 12 His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16 Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." 17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days......
This summer, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled “Meeting Jesus,” where I am looking through the gospel of John at the interactions of various people with Jesus, in order to discover who Jesus is and what it means to know and follow Him. This Sunday, we will be in John 2, looking at a very unique and shocking interaction between Jesus and a group of moneychangers.
John 2:13-22 - When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me." 18 Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." 20 The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
This summer, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled “Meeting Jesus,” where I am looking through the gospel of John at the interactions of various people with Jesus, in order to discover who Jesus is and what it means to know and follow Him. This Sunday, we will be in John 5, looking at the interaction between Jesus and a disabled man.
John 5:1-18 - Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie-- the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 4 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" 7 "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."
This summer, I am preaching on interactions that various people had with Jesus in John’s gospel, so that we can better understand who Jesus is and what it looks like for us to know and follow Him. This morning, we’ll be in John 9, looking a meeting between Jesus and an unnamed blind man. If you’re unfamiliar, there are four accounts of Jesus’ life – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, with John being from the perspective of one of Jesus’ disciples named John, and directed towards a non-Jewish audience more than the other three. One of the distinct features of John’s gospel is that he includes a number of “I am” statements by Jesus that illustrate who He is and what He came to do – for example, “I am the bread of life,” “I am the good shepherd,” “I am the gate.” In chapter 8, we read another I am statement:
John 3:1-21 - Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."Before we continue, let me take a minute to talk about Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a Pharisee, which means he was a religious leader in Israel, part of a group that stressed careful observance of God’s law and the traditions of the elders. He was also a part of the Jewish ruling council, known as the Sanhedrin, which was made of up current and former high priests and elders and scribes educated in Jewish law. The Sanhedrin was primarily responsible for trying false prophets and rooting out idolatry in Israel. So, Nicodemus was probably old, rich, educated, and powerful. So why is he coming to Jesus? Based on the context, I would guess that Nicodemus, this elder religious leader, is coming to Jesus, the young, up-and-coming rabbi, to see if they can work together, if Jesus might join the ranks of the Pharisees or at least partner with them in some way. But the fact that Nicodemus is coming to Jesus at night could be because he holds a minority opinion among the Pharisees and is afraid of retribution from the other Pharisees.
John 8:1-11 - But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
This morning, I am beginning a new sermon series that I am calling “Meeting Jesus.” Throughout this summer, we will be looking through the gospel of John at various interactions that people had with Jesus in order to learn about Jesus and about ourselves. My hope and prayer is that as we look at these stories, that you will grow in your faith in and love for Jesus and that you would know better what it means to know and follow God.
This morning, we are in the eighth and final week of our sermon series through the New Testament book of 1 Peter, a letter written by the apostle Peter, one of the early church leaders, to a group of Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. I have entitled this sermon series “Stranger,” because one of the main themes throughout this letter is that those of us who believe in Jesus are citizens of heaven, living here as strangers or resident aliens. Our primary identity, values, and hope are not given to us by the culture in which we live but are found in heaven. This letter has been mainly to encourage these Christians to remain faithful and trust in God as they go through times of suffering. This morning, we will be in 1 Peter 5:
This morning, we are in the seventh week of our sermon series through the New Testament book of 1 Peter, a letter written by the apostle Peter, one of the early church leaders, to a group of Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. I have entitled this sermon series “Stranger,” because one of the main themes throughout this letter is that those of us who believe in Jesus are citizens of heaven, living here as strangers or resident aliens. Our primary identity, values, and hope are not given to us by the culture in which we live but are found in heaven. This morning, we will be in 1 Peter 4:1-19
This morning, I am taking a break from my sermon series through 1 Peter to look at Acts 2 and what is known as the Day of Pentecost, a holiday we celebrate today. In Acts 1, we read about how Jesus, after rising from the dead, spent 40 days in Jerusalem teaching his disciples about the kingdom of God before He ascended to heaven. Because Jesus ascended he is sovereign over this world, prays for us to the Father, and, as we will look at today, has sent His Holy Spirit to live inside of every believer, so that we can have God living in us at all times. As Jesus said in John 14:16-17- And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you
This morning, we are in the sixth week of our sermon series through the New Testament book of 1 Peter, a letter written by the apostle Peter, one of the early church leaders, to a group of Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. I have entitled this sermon series “Stranger,” because one of the main themes throughout this letter is that those of us who believe in Jesus are citizens of heaven, living here as strangers or resident aliens. Our primary identity, values, and hope are not given to us by the culture in which we live but are found in heaven. The letter begins by focusing on who we are as believers in Jesus Christ, then moves on to a section on how we relate to each other in the church, and in the current section, Peter focuses on how we relate to the world. Let’s read 1 Peter 3:8-22:
This morning, we are in the fifth week of our sermon series through the New Testament book of 1 Peter, a letter written by the apostle Peter, one of the early church leaders, to a group of Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. I have entitled this sermon series “Stranger,” because one of the main themes throughout this letter is that those of us who believe in Jesus are citizens of heaven, living here as strangers or resident aliens. Our primary identity, values, and hope are not given to us by the culture in which we live but are found in heaven. The letter begins by focusing on who we are as believers in Jesus Christ, then moves on to a section on how we relate to each other in the church, and in today’s section, part of which we read last week, Peter focuses on how we relate to the world.
This morning, we are in the fourth week of our sermon series through the New Testament book of 1 Peter, a letter written by the apostle Peter, one of the early church leaders, to a group of Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. I have entitled this sermon series “Stranger,” because one of the main themes throughout this letter is that those of us who believe in Jesus are citizens of heaven, living here as strangers or resident aliens. Our primary identity, values, and hope are not given to us by the culture in which we live but are found in heaven. The letter begins by focusing on who we are as believers in Jesus Christ, then moves on to a section on how we relate to each other in the church, which we looked at last week, and today it moves to a section focusing on how we relate to the world.
This morning, we are in the third week of our sermon series through the New Testament book of 1 Peter, a letter written by the apostle Peter, one of the early church leaders, to a group of Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. I have entitled this sermon series “Stranger,” because one of the main themes throughout this letter is that those of us who believe in Jesus are citizens of heaven, living here as strangers or resident aliens. Our primary identity, values, and hope are not given to us by the culture in which we live but are found in heaven. As we learned last week, God calls us to be holy as he is holy, which means to be set apart to belong to Him and to be used by Him for His purposes.
Last week, I began a new sermon series that I have called “Stranger,” which will be going through the New Testament book 1 Peter. 1 Peter is a letter written by the apostle Peter to churches in Asia Minor, part of modern-day Turkey. The title of my sermon series is a reference to a theme that is found throughout the letter, that for those who believe in Jesus, this world is not our home, but that we are citizens of heaven. And therefore, we must learn to live in this world as strangers, resident aliens, living here but not finding our identity or hope here or conforming to the values of the culture. This morning, we will read 1:13 – 2:10, paying special attention to the call to be holy. The passage begins with a “therefore”; in the letters, you will always find indicative followed by imperative – first, what God has done and who we are in Christ, followed by how we are then to live. It’s very important to follow that order, for it isn’t our good behavior that makes us acceptable to God, but God saves us, and then we respond in obedience to Him.
This morning, I am beginning a new sermon series I’ve entitled “Stranger,” based on the New Testament book 1 Peter, a letter written by Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus and one of the key leaders in the early church. The title of the series comes from one of the themes of the book, that as followers of Jesus we are strangers in this world, that this world is not our true home. But before I begin, let me remind you why we take the Bible so seriously.
This Easter morning, we will be looking at Luke’s account of Jesus’ resurrection, as found in Luke 24. For those unfamiliar with Luke, he was a doctor and historian who was part of the early church and a traveling companion of Paul, and he wrote an account based on eyewitness testimonies of Jesus’ ministry and then of the early church in the sequel, the book of Acts. This morning, I’ll be focusing particularly on the account of Jesus walking with two disciples on the road to Emmaus, which begins in v. 13 and ends in verse 32. But I want to begin with verse 1, which takes place after Jesus’ body has been in the tomb a couple of days:
Last week and this week, I am looking at some of the events surrounding the end of Jesus’ earthly life, as we prepare for Easter Sunday next week. Last week we focused on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus willingly submitted to the plan that He and the Father and the Spirit had from all eternity to save us from sin and death by drinking to the bottom the cup of God’s righteous wrath on human sin. At the end of Jesus’ time in the garden, he was betrayed by Judas and arrested. The Jewish religious leaders charged him with blasphemy, for making himself out to be God, and turned him over to the Romans, accusing him of setting himself up against Caesar as a king. And although Pilate found no reason to execute him, he feared the anger of the crowd, and so he gave in to their demands, sentencing Jesus to death by crucifixion.
Easter Sunday is in two weeks, and so during this week and next, we will be looking at some of the final events of Jesus’ life. This week we will look at Matthew 26:20-50, focusing particularly on Jesus’ time in the Garden of Gethsemane. Before we read, I would ask you to take to heart these words of A.W. Tozer in his book “God Tells the Man who Cares”: “The Bible was written in tears and to tears it will yield its best treasure. God has nothing to say to the frivolous man.”
This morning, I am in the final week of my sermon series entitled “Strength in Weakness,” looking at the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians. If you are unfamiliar with this book, it is a letter written by an early church leader named Paul to a church he had started around the year 50 AD in the Greek city of Corinth, which in Paul’s day was part of the Roman Empire. After he had started the church and built it up, he moved on to start other churches, but he visited Corinth and wrote letters to them as issues arose in the church. One of the biggest issues was that false teachers had come into their community and were tearing down Paul’s reputation, winning the hearts of many of the Corinthians, and causing tension in Paul’s relationship with this church that he loved so much. He has had to spend a good deal of this letter trying to challenge the Corinthians, expose the false teachers, and restore his relationship with these people he loves so much without pushing them away. We’re going to read the final section, from 12:14 – 13:14, and use that to summarize what Paul wanted to communicate through this letter.
This morning, I am in the tenth week of my sermon series entitled “Strength in Weakness,” looking at the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians. If you are unfamiliar with this book, it is a letter written by an early church leader named Paul to a church he had started around the year 50 AD in the Greek city of Corinth, which in Paul’s day was part of the Roman Empire. After he had started the church and built it up, he moved on to start other churches, but he visited Corinth and wrote letters to them as issues arose in the church. One of the biggest issues was that false teachers had come into their community and were tearing down Paul’s reputation, winning the hearts of many of the Corinthians, and causing tension in Paul’s relationship with this church that he loved so much. This left Paul in a really difficult situation. If he ignored the attacks, the Corinthians might think that the false teachers were right. But if Paul defended himself, boasting in his credentials, he would be stooping to their level and appear foolish. In the passage we will be reading today, Paul takes a very unique and creative approach to handling this issue. In the process, he helps us to understand how to identify false teachers, and how to access God’s power.
This morning, I am in the ninth week of my sermon series entitled “Strength in Weakness,” looking at the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians. If you are unfamiliar with this book, it is a letter written by an early church leader named Paul to a church he had started around the year 50 AD in the Greek city of Corinth, which in Paul’s day was part of the Roman Empire. After he had started the church and built it up, he moved on to start other churches, but visited and wrote letters as issues arose in the church. One of the biggest issues was that false teachers had arisen in their midst who were tearing down Paul’s reputation, winning the hearts of some of the Corinthians, and causing tension in his relationship with this church he loved so much. As we read in v. 10 of today’s reading:
10 For some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing."
This morning, I am in the eighth week of my sermon series entitled “Strength in Weakness,” looking at the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians. If you are unfamiliar with this book, it is a letter written by an early church leader named Paul to a church he had started around the year 50 AD in the Greek city of Corinth, which in Paul’s day was part of the Roman Empire. This morning, we are going to be in chapters 8 & 9, a long section in which Paul is reminding them about a collection he was taking for the church in Judea, which had experienced a famine and was in need of help. Judea included Jerusalem, so it was a mostly Jewish church, and Corinth was a Greek church. As was his custom, Paul does not just remind them of the collection, but lays out a long treatise on generosity and why being generous should be a distinctive mark of the follower of Jesus. Let’s read the passage.
NIV 2 Corinthians 8:1- And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
This morning, I am in the seventh week of my sermon series entitled “Strength in Weakness,” looking at the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians. If you are unfamiliar with this book, it is a letter written by an early church leader named Paul to a church he had started around the year 50 AD in the Greek city of Corinth, which in Paul’s day was part of the Roman Empire. After starting the church, he moved on to start another church. As he got news of some issues happening in the Corinthian church, he wrote and sent the letter known as 1 Corinthians. He followed that up with a visit to Corinth, which he calls in this letter “the painful visit,” where apparently, he met with opposition from an individual who had stirred up people against him, while unfortunately the other Corinthians did nothing about it. In 2 Corinthians 2:1-4 we hear about the next letter he wrote to them:
2 Corinthians 2:1-4 - So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? 3 I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. 4 For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.
This morning, I am in the sixth week of my sermon series entitled “Strength in Weakness,” looking at the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians. If you are unfamiliar with this book, it is a letter written by an early church leader named Paul to a church he had started around the year 50 AD in the Greek city of Corinth, which in Paul’s day was part of the Roman Empire. As we have seen in the first few chapters, after Paul moved on from Corinth to start other churches, the relationship between Paul and the church became strained, and so throughout this letter, we see Paul having to defend himself against false teachers who have been slandering him and remind the Corinthians of his love for them and devotion to them.
This morning, I am in the fifth week of my sermon series entitled “Strength in Weakness,” looking at the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians. If you are unfamiliar with this book, it is a letter written by an early church leader named Paul to a church he had started around the year 50 AD in the Greek city of Corinth, which in Paul’s day was part of the Roman Empire. As we have seen in the first few chapters, after Paul moved on from Corinth to start other churches, the relationship between Paul and the church became strained, and so throughout this letter, including the beginning of this section, we see Paul having to defend himself against false teachers who have been slandering him and remind the Corinthians of his love for them. In the section we read last week, he talked about how suffering is part of being a follower of Jesus, as we sacrificially love others just as Jesus sacrificially loved us.
This morning, I am in the fourth week of my sermon series entitled “Strength in Weakness,” looking at the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians. If you are unfamiliar with this book, it is a letter written by an early church leader named Paul to a church he had started around the year 50 AD in the Greek city of Corinth, which in Paul’s day was part of the Roman Empire. As we have seen in the first few chapters, after Paul moved on from Corinth to start other churches, the relationship between Paul and the church became strained, and he unfortunately has to spend a good amount of time in this letter defending himself to them. One reason in particular for the strained relationship is that Paul has suffered a lot in his life as a result of his discipleship to Christ, and it has caused other teachers in Corinth to throw shade on Paul and his ministry in order to question his authenticity as an apostle. After all, they argue, shouldn’t a follower of Christ be experiencing success and blessing and prosperity, not hardship and suffering? Aren’t Paul’s struggles and his trials a sign that there is something inferior about him? Well, in the last section Paul talked about the surpassing greatness of the gospel of Jesus, and how when you faithfully proclaim it, some will receive it and find life while others will think it stinks and reject it and you as well. And in this section, we see Paul addressing the relationship between this great gospel and the reality of suffering with some powerful words.
This morning, I am in the third week of my sermon series entitled “Strength in Weakness,” looking at the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians. If you are unfamiliar with this book, it is a letter written by an early church leader named Paul to a church he had started around the year 50 AD in the Greek city of Corinth, which in Paul’s day was part of the Roman Empire. As we have seen in the first two weeks, after Paul moved on to start another church, there were many issues in this young church, and unfortunately, these issues had led to a strained relationship between Paul and the Corinthian Christians. As a result, he had made what he called a “painful visit” to them, followed up by a confrontational letter, and apparently some in Corinth took issue with his brazenness. In today’s section, we find him defending his boldness, and in the process teaching some incredible things about the gospel.
This morning, I am in the second week of my sermon series entitled “Strength in Weakness,” looking at the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians. If you are unfamiliar with this book, it is a letter written by an early church leader named Paul to a church he had started around the year 50 AD in the Greek city of Corinth, which in Paul’s day was part of the Roman Empire. Corinth was a very wealthy city and experienced all kinds of issues in their young church, which is why we have two lengthy letters in the Bible from Paul to this church, as well as evidence of at least two other letters that are not in the Bible and no longer in existence.
The timeline that we learn by reading these letters is that after Paul left Corinth to start another church, things were not going well with the church he left behind, and so he wrote the letter we call 1 Corinthians to address some of the problems. Apparently, a number of the Corinthian Christians rejected Paul’s authority and questioned his integrity, and so he followed up on his letter by making what he calls in this passage a “painful visit” to them to set things straight. In particular, we find in today’s reading that there is one individual in particular who caused a great deal of trouble who needed to be disciplined by the church by being confronted regarding his sin. Paul makes plans for a return visit, but his plans are changed, and so instead of visiting, he sends another letter with a man named Titus, which he references in 2 Corinthians 7, to confront the issues that persist. While many in the church take his words to heart and repent, there are others who are still doubting Paul’s authority or integrity. To add to the trouble, there are other teachers who have entered the community, who Paul calls “the super-apostles,” who are more impressive than Paul and are teaching a message that appeals to their desire for health, wealth, and comfort, while also throwing shade on Paul because he is poor, seems to be suffering a great deal, and is not as impressive as they are. Paul is very troubled by this reality, so much so that in today’s passage we read that he was anxiously awaiting Titus’ return visit so that he would know whether things have gotten better or worse with the Corinthian church that he loves so much.
This morning, I am beginning a new sermon series called Strength in Weakness, based on the New Testament book Second Corinthians, the Apostle Paul’s second letter in the Bible to the church at Corinth. As we begin a new year of sermons, I want to reiterate that we believe that:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
And that goes for the letters of Paul as well as the gospels or any other book of the Bible. When you read a New Testament letter like 2 Corinthians, you need to understand that these letters are not addressed to you. They weren’t dropped out of the sky to 21st century America. They are letters addressed to specific people in a specific context. This means that some of what is written will be particular to the culture, while some of it will be transcultural – for all people in all circumstance and all times. And so, in order to understand what these passages meant to its listeners and what it means for us today, you need to do some work to understand the historical and cultural context: what the culture was like, what the Corinthian church was like, and what problems were going on in that he was addressing. This may mean consulting commentaries, Bible dictionaries, concordances, other Biblical as well as historical sources outside of the Bible. With that in mind, let’s begin with the first two verses of 2 Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 1:1-2 - Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Traditionally on this Sunday between Christmas and New year’s, I give a brief sermon and then we open up the mic for a time of testimonies from all of you. However, given the realities of our situation with COVID, it would not be wise to share the mic like that, so I will just give a shorter sermon today and give you some time for silent reflection. New Year’s is a time for reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to what is to come. I have always found Philippians 3:1-14, part of Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, to be a great passage to reflect upon during this season. Let’s read that this morning and take to heart the three lessons we learn there.
This morning is the fourth Sunday in Advent, the season that leads us right up to Christmas, and I am in the last week of my sermon series through the book of Malachi, the final book of the Old Testament. Malachi is a prophetical book by genre, which means that as the people of Israel were falling away from faithfulness to God, that God raised up Malachi as a prophet, to be God’s mouthpiece, to confront the people with their sins and call them to repent, to turn back to faithfulness to God. That means that you are going to find that this book, like most prophetical books, is very direct and confrontational in its style. It is meant to make those whose lives are not lining up with God’s design very uncomfortable when they hear it. I believe that if you are willing to listen to what God has to say through Malachi, that you will be challenged as well.
This morning is the third Sunday in Advent, the season that leads us right up to Christmas, and I am in the third week of my sermon series through the book of Malachi, the final book of the Old Testament. Malachi is a prophetical book by genre, which means that as the people of Israel were falling away from faithfulness to God, that God raised up Malachi as a prophet, to be God’s mouthpiece, to confront the people with their sins and call them to repent, to turn back to faithfulness to God. That means that you are going to find that this book, like most prophetical books, is very direct and confrontational in its style. It is meant to make those whose lives are not lining up with God’s design very uncomfortable when they hear it. I believe that if you are willing to listen to what God has to say through Malachi, that you will be challenged as well.
This morning is the second Sunday in Advent, a season that will lead us up to Christmas, and I am in the second week of my sermon series through the book of Malachi, the final book of the Old Testament. Malachi is a prophetical book, which means that as the people of Israel were falling away from faithfulness to God, that God raised up Malachi as a prophet, to be God’s mouthpiece, to confront the people with their sins and call them to repent, to turn back to faithfulness to God. That means that you are going to find that this book, like most prophetical books, will be very direct and confrontational in its style. It is meant to make those who hear it very uncomfortable with the way they are living if their lives do not line up with God’s design. And that means that if you are willing to listen to what God has to say through Malachi, I believe it will confront and challenge you as well.
This morning is the first Sunday in Advent, a season that will lead us up to Christmas, and I am beginning a new sermon series this morning through the Old Testament book of Malachi. There are four chapters to this book, and so this will take us through the four Sundays leading up until Christmas. Before we dive into chapter 1, let me share three important details by way of background that will help you to get the most out of this book.
This morning I am in the final week of the sermon series I have been doing on the Old Testament book of Joshua, the sixth book of the Bible. If you’re unfamiliar with this book of the Bible, the historical context is that the Israelites, who were enslaved in Egypt, have been set free by God, using a man named Moses, with the plan of bringing them to the land of Canaan, a land which God had promised to their ancestor Abraham 600 years earlier. After the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a result of their disobedience, Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land, where they fight many battles and drive out the wicked inhabitants of the land. This morning we are in chapter 24, the final message that Joshua gives to the people of Israel.
This morning I am in the ninth week of a sermon series I am doing on the Old Testament book of Joshua, the sixth book of the Bible. If you’re unfamiliar with this book of the Bible, the historical context is that the Israelites, who were enslaved in Egypt, have been set free by God, using a man named Moses, with the plan of bringing them to the land of Canaan, a land which God had promised to their ancestor Abraham 600 years earlier. After the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a result of their disobedience, Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land, where they fight many battles and drive out the wicked inhabitants of the land. This morning we are in chapters 22-23. The tribes of Israel have settled in their individual territories, and Joshua is going to be giving a couple closing addresses to the people. I’m not going to be addressing chapter 22, in which a couple of Israelite tribes set up an altar to remember God by that causes some misunderstanding among the tribes. We’ll look mainly at chapter 23 this week and the final chapter, chapter 24, next week.
This morning I am in the eighth week of a sermon series I am doing on the Old Testament book of Joshua, the sixth book of the Bible. If you’re unfamiliar with this book of the Bible, the historical context is that the Israelites, who were enslaved in Egypt, have been set free by God, using a man named Moses, with the plan of bringing them to the land of Canaan, a land which God had promised to their ancestor Abraham 600 years earlier. After the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a result of their disobedience, Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land, where they fight many battles and drive out the wicked inhabitants of the land. There are essentially three parts to Joshua: the preparation for the Promised Land, the conquest of the Promised Land, and the division of the Promised Land. This week, we are squarely in part 3, which spans from Joshua 13-21. I will not be reading long sections of these chapters, since most of it is a record of the boundaries of the sections of land given to the various tribes. But I will be summarizing the four main points that we need to take away for our life and faith today.
This morning I am in the seventh week of a sermon series I am doing on the Old Testament book of Joshua, the sixth book of the Bible. If you’re unfamiliar with this book of the Bible, the historical context is that the Israelites, who were enslaved in Egypt, have been set free by God, using a man named Moses, with the plan of bringing them to the land of Canaan, a land which God had promised to their ancestor Abraham 600 years earlier. After the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a result of their disobedience, Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. There are essentially three parts to Joshua – the preparation for the Promised Land, the conquest of the Promised Land, and the division of the Promised Land. Last week finished up the section on the conquest of the Promised Land. This week, we’ll be in Joshua 13-15, a section which is part of the division of the Promised Land, looking specifically at the life of a man named Caleb. While this book may have been named after Joshua, Caleb deserves to be remembered as the only other person who 40 years prior had the faith to trust that God would give them the Promised Land.
This morning I am in the sixth week of a sermon series I am doing on the Old Testament book of Joshua, the sixth book of the Bible. If you’re unfamiliar with this book of the Bible, the historical context is that the Israelites, who were enslaved in Egypt, have been set free by God, using a man named Moses, with the plan of bringing them to the land of Canaan, a land which God had promised to their ancestor Abraham 600 years earlier. After the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a result of their disobedience, Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. There are essentially three parts to Joshua – the preparation for the Promised Land, the conquest of the Promised Land, and the division of the Promised Land. This week, we’ll be in Joshua 9-12, looking at the last section of the conquest of the Promised Land. I don’t plan to read the whole thing, just selected sections. My goal is to summarize what happened, and then to look at what this section has to teach us about the warfare we face today, which is spiritual in nature.
This morning I am in the fifth week of a sermon series I am doing on the Old Testament book of Joshua, the sixth book of the Bible. If you’re unfamiliar with this book of the Bible, the historical context is that the Israelites, who were enslaved in Egypt, have been set free by God, using a man named Moses, with the plan of bringing them to the land of Canaan, a land which God had promised to their ancestor Abraham 600 years earlier. After the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a result of their disobedience, Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. Last week we looked at the battle of Jericho, where Israel defeats the first military establishment in Canaan, not through their own power but by God’s intervention. This week, we will be in Joshua 7 & 8, and if you’re going to understand what happens in this week’s passage, you need to remember one important critical detail from last week, from 6:17-19, where God gives Joshua these instructions:
This morning I am in the fourth week of a sermon series I am doing on the Old Testament book of Joshua, the sixth book of the Bible. If you’re unfamiliar with this book of the Bible, the historical context is that the Israelites, who were enslaved in Egypt, have been set free by God, using a man named Moses, with the plan of bringing them to the land of Canaan, a land which God had promised to their ancestor Abraham 600 years earlier. After the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a result of their disobedience, Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land, which we looked at last week. This morning, we are in chapters 5 & 6, as the Israelites prepare to attack the first city in the Promised Land, Jericho. I plan to read the passage and talk about its significance for us today, and also to address the important question of how you make sense of the what the new atheists would call the “Canaanite genocide.”
This morning I am in the third week of a sermon series I am doing on the Old Testament book of Joshua, the sixth book of the Bible. If you’re unfamiliar with this book of the Bible, the historical context is that the Israelites, who were enslaved in Egypt, have been set free by God, using a man named Moses, with the plan of bringing them to the land of Canaan, a land which God had promised to their ancestor Abraham 600 years earlier. Unfortunately, when Moses sent people to spy out the land, 10 of the 12 spies came back saying that there was no way they could defeat the inhabitants of the land, while only 2 of the spies – Joshua and Caleb – encouraged them that if God had promised them the land, then He would make a way for them to enter it. Unfortunately, the negative report of the 10 spies caused fear to spread throughout the camp. As a result of their fear and disobedience, God caused the Israelites to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that generation, except for Joshua and Caleb, would die out. In the beginning of the book of Joshua, the 40 years of wandering has passed, Moses has died, and they are once again on the border of the promised land. This morning, we are going to read through chapters 3-4, which detail the crossing of the Jordan River and entrance into the promised land, and see what we learn about knowing and following God.
This morning I am in the second week of a sermon series I am doing on the Old Testament book of Joshua, the sixth book of the Bible. If you’re unfamiliar with this book of the Bible, the historical context is that the Israelites, who were enslaved in Egypt, have been set free by God, using a man named Moses, with the plan of bringing them to the land of Canaan, a land which God had promised to their ancestor Abraham 600 years earlier. Unfortunately, when Moses sent people to spy out the land, 10 of the 12 spies came back saying that there was no way they could defeat the inhabitants of the land, while only 2 of the spies – Joshua and Caleb – encouraged them that if God had promised them the land, then He would make a way for them to enter it. Unfortunately, the negative report of the 10 spies caused fear to spread throughout the camp. As a result of their fear and disobedience, God caused the Israelites to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that generation, except for Joshua and Caleb, would die out. In the beginning of the book of Joshua, the 40 years has passed, Moses has died, and they are once again on the border of the promised land. This morning, we are going to read through chapter 2 and see what we learn about knowing and following God:
I am beginning a new sermon series on the Old Testament book of Joshua, the sixth book of the Bible.
This summer I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Masterclass: Storyteller, in which I am looking at the parables of Jesus, the stories that He told, and what we can learn from them about what it means to know and follow God. If you’re unfamiliar with the term parable, the best definition I have found comes from Pastor John MacArthur: A parable is an ingeniously simple word picture illuminating a profound spiritual lesson. Jesus often taught in parables, using word pictures like “God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field” or “God is like a Father welcoming home a wayward Son.” By using everyday language that was familiar to his audience, he ensured that the stories would stay with them long after he left. But he also used parables because the way they were told would cause the self-righteous and sophisticated to reject his teaching as basic, completely missing the deeper spiritual truth hidden in the story, while those with childlike faith would respond to Jesus and want to know Him better.
This summer I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Masterclass: Storyteller, in which I am looking at the parables of Jesus, the stories that He told, and what we can learn from them about what it means to know and follow God. If you’re unfamiliar with the term parable, the best definition I have found comes from Pastor John MacArthur: A parable is an ingeniously simple word picture illuminating a profound spiritual lesson. Jesus often taught in parables, using word pictures like “God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field” or “God is like a Father welcoming home a wayward Son.” By using everyday language that was familiar to his audience, he ensured that the stories would stay with them long after he left. But he also used parables because the way they were told would cause the self-righteous and sophisticated to reject his teaching as basic, completely missing the deeper spiritual truth hidden in the story, while those with childlike faith would respond to Jesus and want to know Him better.
This summer I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Masterclass: Storyteller, in which I am looking at the parables of Jesus, the stories that He told, and what we can learn from them about what it means to know and follow God. If you’re unfamiliar with the term parable, the best definition I have found comes from Pastor John MacArthur: A parable is an ingeniously simple word picture illuminating a profound spiritual lesson. Jesus often taught in parables, using word pictures like “God’s kingdom is like a seed” or “God is like a Father welcoming home a wayward Son.” By using everyday language that was familiar to his audience, he ensured that the stories would stay with them long after he left. But he also used parables because the way they were told would cause the self-righteous and sophisticated to reject his teaching as basic, completely missing the deeper spiritual truth hidden in the story, while those with childlike faith would respond to Jesus and want to know Him better.
This morning is the second week in my new sermon series, which I am calling Masterclass: Storyteller. In this sermon series, I will be looking at the parables of Jesus, the stories that He told, and what we can learn from them about what it means to know and follow God. The best definition I have found of what a parable is comes from John MacArthur: A parable is an ingeniously simple word picture illuminating a profound spiritual lesson. Jesus often taught in parables, using word pictures like “God’s kingdom is like a seed” or “God is like a Father welcoming home a wayward Son.” By using everyday language that was familiar to his audience, he ensured that the stories would stay with them long after he left. But he also used parables because it would cause the self-righteous and sophisticated to reject his teaching as basic, completely missing the deeper spiritual truth hidden in the story, while those with childlike faith would respond to Jesus and want to know Him better.
This Sunday is my final sermon in my sermon series entitled “How Long, O Lord?” about suffering, loss, lament, and trust. During this series, we’ve talked about how to deal with all kinds of suffering that might be experienced in this life, from the death of loved ones to physical suffering, from the futility of life to our sin, and last week, the specific sin of racism. Suffering is inevitable in life, and there are many ways you can respond to suffering and loss, but the Bible gives us a way to face our suffering that includes emotional honesty but leads to a place of trust and hope, and that is the way of lament. This morning, I want to summarize some of the main points of this series, and talk about why it is so important to listen to lament and to those who are lamenting.
During May and June, I am preaching through a sermon series called “How Long, O Lord?” about suffering, loss, lament, and trust. Suffering is inevitable in life, and there are many ways you can respond to suffering and loss, but the way that the Bible gives us is lament. Lament is “a prayer in pain that leads to trust,” as Mark Vroegop defines it in his book “Dark clouds, deep mercy.” It consists of four movements: turn to God, voice your complaint, ask boldly, and choose to trust. In these movements, we resist the temptation to turn away from God in anger or to turn to other people or even addictions or substances to deal with our hurt. We refuse to stuff down our emotions, on the one hand, or to be overcome by them, on the other hand. We do not simply resign ourselves to what has happened to us as our fate, but we ask boldly for what it is we need. And in the end, we choose to trust in God, that whether or not He gives us what we ask for, he is still good, and still loves us, and can be trusted.
During May and June, I am preaching through a sermon series called “How Long, O Lord?” about suffering, loss, lament, and trust. Certainly many of you or your loved ones are experiencing all kinds of suffering over the past few months – injustice, violence, unemployment, loneliness, depression, anxiety, and of course the death of loved ones. There are many ways you can respond to suffering and loss, but the way that the Bible gives us is lament. Lament is “a prayer in pain that leads to trust,” as Mark Vroegop defines it in his book “Dark clouds, deep mercy.” It consists of four movements: turn to God, voice your complaint, ask boldly, and choose to trust. In these movements, we resist the temptation to turn away from God in anger or to turn to other people or even addictions or substances to deal with our hurt. We refuse to stuff down our emotions, on the one hand, or to be overcome by them, on the other hand. We do not simply resign ourselves to what has happened to us as our fate, but we ask boldly for what it is we need. And in the end, we choose to trust in God, that whether or not He gives us what we ask for, he is still good, and still loves us, and can be trusted.
From May 10th to June 21st, I am preaching through a sermon series called “How Long, O Lord?” about suffering, loss, lament, and trust. The longer you live, the more you suffer – death, racism, violence, unemployment, loneliness, depression, anxiety. There are many ways you can respond to suffering and loss, but the way that the Bible gives us is lament. Lament is “a prayer in pain that leads to trust,” as Mark Vroegop says in his book “Dark clouds, deep mercy.” It consists of four movements: turn to God, voice your complaint, ask boldly, and choose to trust. In these movements, we resist the temptation to stuff down our emotions, on the one hand, or to be overcome by them, on the other hand. We do not simply resign ourselves to what has happened to us as our fate, but we ask boldly for what it is we need. And in the end, we choose to trust in God, that whether or not He gives us what we ask for, he is still good, and still loves us, and can be trusted.
From May 10th to June 21st, I am preaching through a sermon series called “How Long, O Lord?” about suffering, loss, lament, and trust. There are many ways you can respond to suffering and loss, but the way that the Bible gives us is lament. Lament is “a prayer in pain that leads to trust,” as Mark Vroegop says in his book “Dark clouds, deep mercy.” It consists of four movements: turn to God, voice your complaint, ask boldly, and choose to trust. In these movements, we resist the temptation to stuff down our emotions, on the one hand, or to be overcome by them, on the other hand. We do not simply resign ourselves to what has happened to us as our fate, but we ask boldly for what it is we need. And in the end, we choose to trust in God, that whether or not He gives us what we ask for, he is still good, and still loves us, and can be trusted.
How many of you remember where you were seven years ago on this date, on the morning of May 24th, 2013? Unfortunately, I do. On this date, May 24th, 2013, I awoke to a call from one of our elders that a family in our church had awoken to find their 4 month-old son unresponsive in his crib. I remember rushing to the hospital to find baby Henry lying on the bed, with his devastated parents by his bedside. We cried and pleaded for God to bring Henry back to life, but he was gone.
In Tim Keller’s book Walking with God through pain and suffering, he shares about a novel written by Elisabeth Elliot in 1966 called No Graven Image. The book tells the story of a young unmarried woman named Margaret who dedicates her life to translating the Bible for remote tribes in the Amazon rain forest whose languages have not yet been written down. She begins working with the Quechua people in Ecuador, and the key person to her work is a man named Pedro, the only man in the tribe who knows both Spanish and the unwritten language of the Quechuan people, which Pedro begins to teach to her.
Finishing up the sermon series on the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians, which I have entitled “The gospel changes everything.” 1 Corinthians is a letter written by the apostle Paul to a church in Corinth which he started around the year 50 AD. He stayed in Corinth and built up the church for a year and a half before moving on to start another church, and then he wrote this letter around the year 54-55 AD in response to issues that he heard where going on in the church. This morning we will be reading chapter 16, the final chapter, paying particular attention to verses 13-14, and I’ll be doing a recap of the heart of this letter today.
Continuing in the sermon series called The Gospel Changes Everything, based on the New Testament book 1 Corinthians, Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, a church he started around the year 50 AD. He has since left the church in the hands of other leaders so that he might start other churches, and he writes this letter around the year 54-55 AD in response to what he is hearing about some of the issues in the Corinthian church. So far he’s addressed the pride and arrogance in the church that has led to division and rivalry, the sexual issues that are rampant in the church and culture, how they should interact with the idols and false gods in the city, some of the problems happening in their worship gatherings, and their misunderstanding of spiritual gifts. In chapter 15, he turns to instructing them about the resurrection. It seems that some believers in Corinth who are denying that there is such a thing as life after death, and others that are having a hard time understanding how an earthly body can live in a heavenly dwelling. Paul takes this opportunity to remind them of the gospel, the main Christian message, and to explain the resurrection to them.
Continuing in the sermon series called The Gospel Changes Everything, based on the New Testament book 1 Corinthians, Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, a church he started around the year 50 AD. He has since left the church in the hands of other leaders so that he might start other churches, and he writes this letter around the year 54-55 AD in response to what he is hearing about some of the issues in the Corinthian church. So far he’s addressed the pride and arrogance in the church that has led to division and rivalry, the sexual issues that are rampant in the church and culture, how they should interact with the idols and false gods in the city, and some of the problems happening in their worship gatherings. In this section, from chapters 12-14, he is addressing something he calls “spiritual gifts” – supernatural abilities that believers receive when God puts His Holy Spirit in them at salvation.
John 20:1-31 - Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
Taking a break this morning from the sermon series on 1 Corinthians for this week and next Sunday to look at John’s account of the last week of Jesus’ life. This morning, I will be looking at John 12:12-33, the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem that has become known as Palm Sunday.
Continuing in the sermon series called The Gospel Changes Everything, based on the New Testament book 1 Corinthians, Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, a church he started around the year 50 AD. He has since left the church in the hands of other leaders so that he might start other churches, and he writes this letter around the year 54-55 AD in response to what he is hearing about some of the issues in the Corinthian church. So far he’s addressed the pride and arrogance in the church that has led to division and rivalry, the sexual issues that are rampant in the church and culture, how they should interact with the idols and false gods in the city, and some of the problems happening in their worship gatherings. In this section, from chapters 12-14, he is addressing something he calls “spiritual gifts” – supernatural abilities that believers receive when God puts His Holy Spirit in them at salvation.
Continuing in the sermon series called The Gospel Changes Everything, based on the New Testament book 1 Corinthians, Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, a church he started around the year 50 AD. He has since left the church in the hands of other leaders so that he might start other churches, and he writes this letter around the year 54-55 AD in response to what he is hearing about some of the issues in the Corinthian church. So far he’s addressed the pride and arrogance in the church that has led to division and rivalry, the sexual issues that are rampant in the church and culture, how they should deal with the rampant idolatry in the city, and some of the problems happening in their worship gatherings. In this section, from chapters 12-14, he will be addressing something he calls “spiritual gifts.” Remember that Paul is writing this letter in response to the issues going on in the Corinthian church, and one of the issues they were dealing with is that they had elevated certain gifts and abilities above others as the mark of real spirituality. Specifically, those who could speak in tongues, in other-worldly language, were seen as superior, as more spiritual than everyone else. And so Paul wants to address the idea of spiritual gifts and whether or not there really are different classes of spirituality in the Lord. Let’s read this passage a little at a time.
Continuing in the sermon series called The Gospel Changes Everything, based on the New Testament book 1 Corinthians, Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, a church he started around the year 50 AD. He has since left the church in the hands of other leaders so that he might start other churches, and he writes this letter around the year 54-55 AD in response to what he is hearing about some of the issues in the Corinthian church. So far he’s addressed the pride and arrogance in the church that has led to division and rivalry, the sexual issues that are rampant in the church and culture, and in the last section he focused on how they should deal with the rampant idolatry in the city. In this next section, he is going to turn his attention to issues that are taking place in their worship gatherings.
Continuing in the sermon series called The Gospel Changes Everything, based on the New Testament book 1 Corinthians, Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, a church he started around the year 50 AD. He has since left the church in the hands of other leaders so that he might start other churches, and he writes this letter around the year 54-55 AD in response to what he is hearing about some of the issues in the Corinthian church. So far he’s addressed the pride and arrogance in the church that has led to division and rivalry, and the sexual issues that are rampant in the church and culture. The current section, from chapters 8-10, is about another issue that is threatening to divide or destroy the church – how the church members should interact with the rampant idolatry in their city. Corinth was in Greece, part of the Roman Empire. It was therefore a polytheistic city, with many gods and goddesses and temples to those deities, and so it was a regular part of civic life to attend banquets in temples and homes where you would eat food that was sacrificed to those idols. For a church community that believed that there was only one God, and that worshiping an idol was contrary to what it meant to be a Christian, this was a tricky subject to navigate. Some people found eating food that had been dedicated to idols to be morally wrong, while others did not, and it was causing conflict.
Continuing in the sermon series called The Gospel Changes Everything, based on the New Testament book 1 Corinthians, Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, a church he started around the year 50 AD. He has since left the church in the hands of other leaders so that he might start other churches, and he writes this letter around the year 54-55 AD in response to what he is hearing about some of the issues in the Corinthian church. Last week, Paul began to address an issue that is threatening to divide or destroy the church – how they should interact with the rampant idolatry in their city. Corinth was in Greece and was part of the Roman Empire. It was therefore a polytheistic city, with many gods and goddesses and temples to those deities, and so it was a regular part of civic life to attend banquets in temples and homes where you would eat food that was sacrificed to those idols. For a church community that believed that there was only one God, and that idol worship was sinful, this was a tricky subject for a young church to navigate. As you’ll see, some people found eating food that had been dedicated to idols to be morally wrong, while others did not, and it was causing conflict.
Continuing in the sermon series called The Gospel Changes Everything, based on the New Testament book 1 Corinthians, Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, a church he started around the year 50 AD. He has since left the church in the hands of other leaders so that he might start other churches, and he writes this letter around the year 54-55 AD in response to what he is hearing about some of the issues in the Corinthian church. In the last section, Paul addressed the sexual issues that were going on in the church. From chapters 8-10, Paul tackles another issue that is threatening to divide or destroy the church – how they should interact with the rampant idolatry in their city. Corinth was in Greece and was part of the Roman Empire. It was therefore a polytheistic city, with many gods and goddesses and temples to those deities, and so it was a regular part of civic life to attend banquets in temples and homes where you would eat food that was sacrificed to those idols. For a church community that believed that there was only one God, and that idol worship was sinful, this was a tricky subject for a young church to navigate. As you’ll see, some people found eating food that had been dedicated to idols to be morally wrong, while others did not, and it was causing conflict. Now, of course, most of us don’t have to deal with that specific issue in today’s world, but the principles Paul lays out in these passages on how to navigate these issues where Christians disagree are very relevant today. Think about things like whether Christians should drink or not, or whether they should participate in practices from non-Christian backgrounds, like yoga.
Continuing in the sermon series called The Gospel Changes Everything, based on the New Testament book 1 Corinthians, Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, a church he started around the year 50 AD. He has since left the church in the hands of other leaders so that he might start other churches, and he writes this letter around the year 54-55 AD in response to what he is hearing about some of the issues in the Corinthian church. In chapters 6-7, which we began looking at last week, Paul turns his attention mainly to sexual issues that he sees in the church.
Continuing in the sermon series called The Gospel Changes Everything, based on the New Testament book 1 Corinthians, Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, a church he started around the year 50 AD. He has since left the church in the hands of other leaders so that he might start other churches, and he writes this letter around the year 54-55 AD in response to what he is hearing about some of the issues in the Corinthian church. Up until this point, he has confronted the Corinthian church because of the sinful pride he sees in them, letting them know that they are not as spiritually mature and wise as they think they are. They lack of maturity is causing them to become arrogant, to divide, and as we saw last week, to fail to confront sinful behavior in their church.
Continuing in the sermon series called The Gospel Changes Everything, based on the New Testament book 1 Corinthians, Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, a church he started around the year 50 AD. He has since left the church in the hands of other leaders so that he might start other churches, and he writes this letter around the year 54-55 AD in response to what he is hearing about some of the issues in the Corinthian church. Before we turn to chapter 5, let me quickly summarize what Paul has said so far.
I am in the third week of a sermon series called The Gospel Changes Everything, based on the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians, which is a letter written by the Apostle Paul’s to the church at Corinth. In Paul’s day, Corinth was a part of the Roman Empire, a major port city on a narrow land bridge between Peloponnesus and mainland Greece. As a result, it was a significant economic and cultural hub, and a great place for a missionary like Paul to start a church, which we read about in Acts 18.
We are in the second week of a new sermon series called The Gospel Changes Everything, based on the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians, which is the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth. In Paul’s day, Corinth was a part of the Roman Empire, a major port city on a narrow land bridge between Peloponnesus and mainland Greece. As a result, it was a significant economic and cultural hub, and a great place for a missionary like Paul to start a church, which we read about in Acts 18.
Beginning a new sermon series called the Gospel Changes Everything, based on the New Testament book 1 Corinthians, which is the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth. Before we begin, let me reiterate that we believe that: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Christmas may be over, but the holiday known as Epiphany, or three kings day, which remembers the visit of the Magi to Jesus and celebrates the incarnation, God becoming flesh in the person of Jesus. Let’s read Matthew 2:1-12, the story of the visit of the Magi, and see what this has to teach us.
New Year’s is upon us. How did you do with last year’s New Year’s resolution? Personally, I love New Year’s. I love New Year’s because I am someone who craves new beginnings and fresh starts. I love having the opportunity to close the door on one chapter and to enter into a new one believing that this will be the chapter where I become all that I want to be. This will be the year that I grow up, that I figure out how to be a husband and father and man of God. This will be the year I get organized and plan ahead and figure out life. This will be the year I become the pastor I want to be.
Our final Sunday in the sermon series “The meaning of Christmas.” My goal in this series has been to answer the question “Who is this Jesus whose birth we celebrate on Christmas?” To answer this question, I have been looking through the prophecies found in the book of Isaiah about the coming Messiah. The context of Isaiah is this: the kingdom of Israel has split into two: Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Judah was facing pressure from Aram & Ephraim, two tribes in the northern kingdom. King Ahaz, the king of Judah, is afraid. Isaiah tells him to trust in God for deliverance and God will protect them. Ahaz instead reaches out to a foreign nation, Assyria, for help. Assyria helps defend Judah, but then turns and defeats Judah and takes them off into captivity. In Isaiah 9, Isaiah prophesies that despite their rebellion, ultimately a child will be born who will be the ideal king, and will be God himself, and he will be the eternal king, bringing wisdom and peace once and for all to Israel.
This morning we are continuing in our sermon series entitled “The meaning of Christmas,” looking at the Old Testament book of Isaiah and his prophecies about the coming Messiah. During the time of Isaiah, the nation of Israel is falling away from God, and so God raises up a man named Isaiah to prophesy that they will be disciplined by a foreign nation, Assyria, and then by Babylon. As they will see in the prophecies, this exile points to the greater exile from God Himself due to their sin. But God promises to raise up a King who will be God Himself. 40-66 are prophecies to the Israelites in exile. In this section, Isaiah introduces a figure called “the servant of the Lord” who will do what Israel could not do, fulfilling God’s call and restoring the people of God to a right relationship with God and being a light to the nations, bringing salvation to the Gentiles. Isaiah 42:1-10
One of the most fascinating conversations in the Bible in my opinion happens at the end of the gospel of Luke, after Jesus’ resurrection. Luke tells of two of the disciples traveling from Jerusalem on a road to a village named Emmaus, and that the resurrected Jesus begins to walk along with them, but Luke says that they were kept from recognizing him. The story goes that Jesus asks them why they are so downcast, and the disciples tell them about Jesus, that they had thought he was the one who was going to redeem Israel, but apparently they were wrong, since he had been crucified. And Jesus, still not recognizable by them, tells them how foolish they are, that the Messiah needed to suffer those things before entering his glory. And then in Luke 24:27 is this great line: And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
This morning, we are continuing in our sermon series on the meaning of Christmas. We are looking at the Old Testament book of Isaiah, a collection of prophecies from the 8th-7th century BC. The Christmas season can be a difficult time of the year. For many, there is loss, broken relationships, difficult providing for family needs, physical pain and limitations. There is a lot of joy, but also lots of suffering and pain. The passage this morning, as well as Christmas, speaks to the problem of suffering.
After all is said and done, history ends with God destroying all evil and dwelling with resurrected believers. Heaven comes down to be joined to earth, renewing everything, and the dwelling of God is with men and women forever. 21:1–22:21
We have been going through the book of Revelation. Revelation was written by John and was intended primarily for 1st century Christians, to encourage them as they underwent intense persecution and suffering at the hands of the Roman Empire. Remember that Revelation is apocalyptic literature, and that continues in this passage. John sees literal visions full of things that are meant to be taken symbolically. As of last week, evil has finally been destroyed, and this morning and next week we’ll be looking at the last two chapters of the Bible that tell us where history is heading. Preaching through the whole book of Revelation, there has been so much suffering and judgment and evil and then finally it is gone and all that is left is us and God.
We will be looking at Revelation 15:5 – 18:24. I have been going through longer passages than usual during this series because a lot of the themes repeat themselves as John sees visions of what will happen from the time of Christ’s ascension to the time of His return – seven seals, then seven trumpets, then seven signs, and now seven bowls. I have also tried to focus on the main point of each passage instead of engaging in what I feel is pointless speculation about the end times and what each symbol or character might represent.
I continue my sermon series through the book of Revelation, the last book in the Bible. Revelation was written by a man named John: either the apostle John who wrote the gospel and the letters 1,2, and 3 John, or another John, an elder in the early church. It was written to 1st century Christians, and is primarily concerned with encouraging believers who were undergoing intense persecution and suffering at the hands of the Roman Empire.
Today, I am continuing through my sermon series on the Book of Revelation, the final book in the Bible. We will be in chapters 19-20 today.
When I preach, if you notice, I usually preach through passages and books of the Bible, trying to communicate what the text meant in its original context and then what it means for us today. This is different than some other approaches, like the topical approach. This approach means that I can’t skip anything, can’t just pick and choose. This is both good and challenging. Sometimes you get Jesus and the good Samaritan, and sometimes you get Revelation 8:6 - 11:19. This is a very difficult section in more ways than one. All kinds of words have been spilled trying to figure out every last symbol. Let’s take a high level view. Don’t miss the forest for the trees.
We continue through the New Testament book of Revelation, the final book in the Bible. Revelation was written by John, either the apostle John who wrote the gospel and the letters 1, 2, and 3 John, or by another John, an elder in the early church. It was written late 1st century, and is primarily concerned with encouraging Christians who were undergoing persecution in the Roman Empire. The biggest key to understanding this book is to read it according to its genre. It belongs to the genre called “apocalyptic literature.” In apocalyptic literature, matters of the future or the spiritual realm are unveiled, usually through the agency of angels, in visions, lurid colors and with many crazy symbols. Apocalyptic literature is very visual. Instead of saying “Jesus is the judge” it shows Jesus with a sword coming out of mouth. Instead of saying Jesus is sovereign over his church, it shows him holding seven stars in his hand, which are the angels of the seven churches. Instead of saying that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of all the churches, he writes that they are the seven spirits before the throne. And instead of saying that the churches are lights, it depicts them as seven lampstands. In other words, do not read Revelation literally, but recognize that it is communicating in most cases familiar truths in very unique and highly visual ways.
This morning, I am continuing our series through the book of Revelation. We will be in chapters 2 & 3 this morning. Revelation was written by John, either the apostle John who wrote the gospel and the letters 1, 2, and 3 John, or by another John, an elder in the early church. It was written late 1st century, and is primarily concerned with encouraging Christians who were undergoing persecution in the Roman Empire. The biggest key to understanding this book is to read it according to its genre. It belongs to the genre called “apocalyptic literature.” In apocalyptic literature, matters of the future or the spiritual realm are unveiled, usually through the agency of angels, in lurid colors and with many crazy symbols. Apocalyptic literature is very visual. Instead of saying “Jesus is the judge” it shows Jesus with a sword coming out of mouth. Instead of saying Jesus is sovereign over his church, it shows him holding seven stars in his hand, which are the angels of the seven churches. Instead of saying that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of all the churches, he writes that they are the seven spirits before the throne. And instead of saying that the churches are lights, it depicts them as seven lampstands. In other words, do not read Revelation literally, but recognize that it is communicating in most cases familiar truths in unique, visual ways.
We are continuing through the New Testament book of Revelation, the final book in the Bible. Revelation was written by John, either the apostle John who wrote the gospel and the letters 1, 2, and 3 John, or by another John, an elder in the early church. It was written late 1st century, and is primarily concerned with encouraging Christians who were undergoing persecution in the Roman Empire. The biggest key to understanding this book is to read it according to its genre. It belongs to the genre called “apocalyptic literature.” In apocalyptic literature, matters of the future or the spiritual realm are unveiled, usually through the agency of angels, in lurid colors and with many crazy symbols. Apocalyptic literature is very visual. Instead of saying “Jesus is the judge” it shows Jesus with a sword coming out of mouth. Instead of saying Jesus is sovereign over his church, it shows him holding seven stars in his hand, which are the angels of the seven churches. Instead of saying that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of all the churches, he writes that they are the seven spirits before the throne. And instead of saying that the churches are lights, it depicts them as seven lampstands. In other words, do not read Revelation literally, but recognize that it is communicating in most cases familiar truths in very unique and highly visual ways.
This morning, I am beginning a new series through the book of Revelation that will take us up to the end of November. The author of this book is named John, which could be the beloved apostle who wrote the gospel of John and the letters 1, 2 & 3 John, or it could be an early Christian prophet. It was likely written during the reign of Domitian (81-96 AD). This morning we will be in Revelation chapter 1.