Huntersville Lutheran Podcast: Recent Episodes
Douglas Van Sice
To respond like Noah after he gets off the ark, we need one thing as God's people: promises. We need the promises of God. And not just that we need them. We need to cling to them with our whole heart. Listen to this sermon based on Genesis 8:15-22 to learn more about responding like Noah in your daily life.
Gomer was a woman who fit the very definition of lost. She wandered from her children and husband for the love of another. She wandered far from God through her sin. She was lost. But Hosea sought her. Hosea loved her. Hosea found her and brought her back. Through the story of Hosea and Gomer's relationship, God shows us the lengths he will go to love and find the lost, and how we, too, can and should do the same.
When defeat seems imminent, Cling to Christ's Victory | Revelation 19:11-16 by Douglas Van Sice
It is so easy to get caught up in the world's idea of crushing goals and chasing after success. But in Philippians 3, Paul upends that notion by showing up what our goal as Christians in this world is and what success looks like. Take a listen to find out what they are!
When giant problems come into your life, making you feel helpless, hopeless, and filled with fear, do you know what you need? You need a champion who fights for you and always comes out victorious.
Our fascination with glory can cause some pretty serious when it comes to our understanding of Jesus and our place in his kingdom. But in the transfiguration, Jesus shows us that the way to glory, for him and for us, is through suffering.
Do you ever find it difficult to reconcile God's promises with what you see in the world? That's been a struggle for God's people for centuries. External evidence can make it seem like God has forgotten his promises and that he is no longer working in this world. But, in Luke 3, God proves that despite all the evidence to the contrary, he is still working and still fulfilling his promises.
"What are you willing to die for?" This is a question that not many of us have ever had to seriously consider. But it is important to contemplate because it forces us to wrestle with what is most important to us. Listen to this sermon, based on Daniel 3, that explores this question and it's implications for our future!
Because the world is such a dark place, we can often feel like we have no reason to be joyful. We feel like we have no reason to sing with joy. Between spiritual struggles, life not going the way you thought, and the messiness of the world, joy seems to have disappeared. But the Prophet Jeremiah would beg to differ. In Jeremiah 31, the prophet offers a message of restoration and hope that enables us to sing with joy even in our darkest days.
God's grace is the greatest gift we could ever receive. But have you ever scratched your head and wondered if some people really should have received it? Listen to this sermon based on Romans 3 to see how Paul addresses what grace is and for whom grace is meant.
When push comes to shove, are you willing to give up everything to follow Jesus? The only way to follow Jesus is to have a heart that stands on the Word alone. And to stand on the Word alone requires you to sell out the rest of the world--something the rich young man could not do. Listen to this sermon from Mark 10 to learn more.
Have you ever felt alone in this world? Felt like no one could understand what you are going through: the burdens, the pain, the sorrow, the hurt? That's exactly how Moses, the leader of God's people, felt. And God's promise to Moses is the same promise meant for you: You are not alone!
Varying and competing ideas exist for wisdom and what it means to live wisely in the world. Which one is right? James has the answer for you. In James 3, he uncovers the folly of worldly wisdom and unveils the beauty of a life lived under heavenly wisdom.
Finding yourself struggling with doubt or maybe even unbelief? Listen to this sermon from Mark 9 to see how Jesus clings tightly to those stuck in their doubt and replaces their doubt with his power.
One of the most common interpretations of Jesus' miracle of calming the storm sounds like this: "Jesus calmed the storm, therefore he will calm the storms of my life." But is that really the best way to understand this miracle? At the heart of understanding this miracle is a rather deep question: What do you want Jesus to be? Do you want him to be your fixer or do you want him to be your savior? Listen to find the answer.
When we make a mess of our lives by doing things we know we shouldn't, our first instinct is to try and cover it up. We get that notion from our first parents, Adam and Eve. Their first reaction after disobeying God was to try to cover up their shame behind fig leaves and hide their guilt behind trees. But cover-ups only make things worse. Listen to this sermon and discover the promise that God has provided the one cover-up for sin that will actually work.
There is something about biblical Christianity that is mysterious simple. It can make us wonder if it's all too good simple to be true. Can my forgiveness, my eternity, my entrance into the kingdom of God really have nothing to do with me and everything to do with God? Jesus gets to the heart of this simplicity in his conversation in John 3 and shows why that is such a blessing.
What does it mean to truly live? That's a question we all want to be answered because we don't want to waste a single moment of the time we have on this earth. But do we always answer it in the right way. What does it mean to truly live? That question is at the heart of Ezekiel 37. Listen to find the answer!
There are plenty of moments where we do what the disciples did on the day Jesus ascended. In the midst of pain and suffering, in anger and agony, we look to the sky and wonder where Jesus is. But, when you understand the ascension, you begin to see that you don't need to wonder that any more...because in the ascension, Jesus promises you that he's right there with you.
Self-reliance is part of who we are. It defines our country and our daily lives. And while being self-reliant can be good, do we understand the dangers of self-reliance when it comes to our relationship and daily walk with Jesus? Listen to this sermon about setting aside self-reliance and benefits of relying on Jesus.
Do you recognize the difference between the hired hand and the Good Shepherd? When the line between the two of them is blurred, we begin to look to the "hired hands" of our life to provide things for us that only the Good Shepherd can provide. This is problematic, especially because the hired hands are fickle and flighty, and can never provide the things they promise. So, how is the line between these two unblurred? Listen to find out more.
Because of the resurrection, you have real, lasting peace, knowing that your sins are forgiven and heaven stands open. And once you have been given that peace, Jesus sends you out to give resurrection peace to others.
We live our lives by the mantra, "Seeing is Believing." But is that true when it comes to Christianity and the resurrection? Do you really need to see the resurrected Jesus to believe in him? Mark's account of the resurrection gets to the heart of the issue. Listen to find more.
When you are blind to Jesus, you can't see God. And when you can't see God, it is impossible to make sense of any of the hardship and suffering that we endure in this life. But Jesus comes to us and gives us sight. Through the lens of John 9, Jesus teaches us an important lesson on the presence of hardship and suffering in our life–helping us to see its purpose.
Do you find yourself distracted when you come to worship your God? Every so often, Jesus needs to come and clean these distractions from our hearts so that we can focus on hearing the Word that gives life. Listen to how Jesus cleans house.
When hardship arises in our lives, it can feel as though those hardships have the ability to separate us from Jesus' love. But, in Romans 8, Paul explains that because Jesus was completely victorious, there is nothing that can separate us from Jesus' love. And, because Jesus was completely victorious that means we are completely victorious.
On some level, we all understand that the words we speak have power. Words have the power to alter the course of history or change a life. But do we always understand that Jesus' words have power? In Mark 2:1-12, Jesus confronts our doubts about the power of his words. By doing the impossible with his words...twice...he shows that his words have power for our hearts and lives.
When anxiety fills your life and weighs you down, how do you deal with it? In 1 Peter 5, the Apostle Peter lays a plan for anxiety relief that is second to none! Listen to this sermon to discover the plan for anxiety relief.
It is so easy to become distracted in life; to spread ourselves so thin that we lose focus on the one thing that's actually needful–Jesus. In Hebrews 3, the author encourages his "holy brothers and sisters" to fix their thoughts on Jesus because he is greater than anything else in the world that is seeking to get our attention.
Are you looking for a God who accepts you, or, a God who forgives you? There's a pretty big difference. Which do you want? Take a listen to this sermon to find out that the God of the Bible is the God who forgives you because of your substitute, Jesus.
What does it mean for a person to be spiritually wise? What does it mean to be a wise man or a wise woman? Well, God shows us as we search for wisemen in Matthew chapter 2.
We spend so much time building up to, anticipating, and preparing for Christmas. And every year, Christmas comes and goes. But how much time do we spend pondering Christmas once it is passed? This is an important question because if we stop pondering Christmas, we can begin to lose sight of why Christmas is important in the first place.
In a world that seems hopeless, where do find hope? It's found on the night it went down--on that first Christmas where God came down in flesh and blood to be your savior! Enjoy this Christmas Eve Sermon based on Luke 2:1-20.
When we feel as though we've fallen out of favor with God, it is natural to think that we can and must try and earn that favor back. Even when the Word of God assures you that "you are highly favored," we doubt that promise and think that we can and must earn favor with God. But through the interaction between the angel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary, we are shown 1)how we have favor with God; 2) how we are to react to that great news.
Since the fall into sin, God has been moving, promising, acting, and pointing to one thing—the salvation he would win through the coming Messiah. When John the Baptizer, the forerunner, arrived, he faithfully and humbly carried out his calling—he pointed people forward. But people weren’t satisfied with John or his message. They weren’t satisfied with who he was pointing to.
Can the same be said about us? Are we satisfied with what Christmas points us to—the Light that dispels the darkness of our sin? Or, would we be more satisfied if Christmas was only a little religious; a little more lights and gifts than the manager and worship? What do we want for Christmas?
How do you prepare for Christmas? Most of us put up a tree with lights and ornaments. We make travel plans or get the house ready to receive company. We procure gifts for the people on our lists. But is that the way we really should be preparing for the day that changed history and our etenity. John the Baptist came with a message of preparation–one that is meant to prepare our hearts!
"The Lord Provides" is an anthem for the life of Abraham. Throughout his entire life, the Lord provided for Abraham both physically and spiritually. When we, as Christian, evaluate our lives, there can moments when we think that the Lord is not providing for us. But, even in those moments, the Lord still provides–even in ways we wouldn't and couldn't plan for ourselves.
The entire life of the Christian can be summed up as a life lived between the now and the not yet. As God's children, we eagerly wait for Jesus to return and bring us home to be with him. But until that day comes, Jesus calls us to be preparing our hearts now. And in Matthew 25:1-13, Jesus warns about the dangers of failing to prepare now.
So much of life can pass by without much pause for the hugely serious. It can seem a bit easier to walk through life not talking about or finding answers to questions regarding God, death, and what happens next. Although that may seem simpler, there comes a time when we must have some kind of hope that doesn’t disappoint…some kind of peace that lasts. What is that for you? Whatever it is, it needs to be something to which you point and say, “This is it.” And in both what God says and how he says it shows God’s solution to that eternal dilemma. And it’s more than you might anticipate.
For whom is God’s grace meant? Scripture says it’s for all. And if God’s grace is for all, then it’s for you. But that also means God’s grace is for the person who has done incredible wrong by our own measures. This seems like a contradiction, and it definitely isn’t fair. But, what if…what if that’s the point. What if this apparent contradiction and unfair nature is what makes grace, well, grace?
"How do I stand right before God?” This is the one big idea and question that is above and beyond all others. To stand right before God, is there something, even in the slightest, I must do? Or prove? Or decide? This question has done more than just impact those who are Christians. It is at the heart of the struggle of every single person, including you. There are only two ways to answer this question: one relies on you; one relies on God. One brings burden and uncertainly; one brings comfort and peace. How do you answer the question that is above all others?
“Things aren’t always as they seem.” That axiom rings true for much in this world, including our individual lives. We work so hard to curate an image for others to see. We do this through very calculated words and actions, social media posts and text messages. People are given this perception of you through what you show them. But things aren’t always as they seem. More dangerous than a curated and calculated life is a curated and calculated faith. In Matthew 21, Jesus shows us the danger of having a curated and calculated faith and how we, as Christians, can avoid such a temptation.
When the grace of God–that one-of-a-kind, undeserved, unasked, unearned love–is applied to our own hearts and lives, we love it. But when it is applied to the hearts and lives of others, we aren't always happy about it. That is especially true when we think a person "like that" doesn't deserve it. It just seems so unfair. God's grace seems so unfair, which is exactly what Jonah thinks at the end of his book. But maybe, just maybe, God's grace isn't fair–and that's the point.
Living a life centered on Jesus shows you how you are to care for others. Not just physical care, but eternity-centered care. A life centered on Jesus recognizes the importance of watching out for the spiritual health of your brothers and sisters who are walking toward eternity with you. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God explains the calling of a watchman and how he equips them: "Hear the word I speak and give them warning from me."
A life centered on Jesus shows us what is most important in this life. The world tries to find balance by chasing after wealth and possessions, status and knowledge. But they will never find it. Worse than that, in their walk to find balance, they lose their soul. Jesus explains that life centered on him means that you have a cross-centered walk. “You must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” Having a cross-centered walk may lead to loss in this world, but it will give you a crown in the next.
We all need rest. No one would argue with this statement. We all have the things we do, the places we, the routines we carry out to find rest. Through these avenues, we find physical, emotional, mental rest. But what about spiritual rest? Where do you find spiritual rest when your soul is burned by guilt and weighed down by sin? Well, in Matthew 11, Jesus shows where your spiritual rest lies.
"The Lord Provides" is a beautiful gospel promise, one that most are familiar with. But if its a promise that we are all familiar with, why are there seasons and times in our lives when we doubt it? When Jesus feeds the 5,000, he shows us how he makes good on that promise.
Is the object of your hope something certain or something fleeting? The Apostle Paul gets to the heart of that question in 1 Timothy 6 and explains why having a properly placed hope changes absolutely everything.
There seems to be a lot that has gone wrong in the world lately. Maybe, on a personal level, there's been a lot that's gone wrong in your life. When things do go wrong, are you ok with God being in control? Listen to Pastor's latest sermon on Matthew 13 which digs into that very question.
Life is filled with struggles. We struggle with things like finances, relationships, and health problems. These struggles that we face every day naturally lead to fear. Those fears naturally lead to doubting God's power and control in our lives. But, God promises to always love and care for us. He proved it by sending Jesus to die for all of our sins including those of doubt. Listen as Vicar Dan tells us how we as Christians have no need for doubt in our lives. Instead, we can take courage in Christ through all of our struggles and our fears.
Today we take a look at one of Jesus' parables. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Jesus used this way of teaching quite often in his ministry to make the complex things of heaven, simple for us human beings. Today, Jesus' parable zeros in on how we listen to God's Word. There are times when we don't listen to God's Word as we should and that is a sin. When we sin Jesus has every right to stop planting the seed of the gospel on us and move on to a different field, yet he doesn't. He doesn't give up on us. Everyday Jesus, our sower, goes out with a heart for the harvest and plants the seed of the gospel in our lives which tells us that our sins are forgiven and that we have eternal life with Him!
This account, at face value, makes God look an angry, mean, and vengeful God. However, after looking at all the events leading up to this, we'll see that God is very graceful throughout this account. Listen as Pastor Doug Van Sice walks us through 400 years of history leading up to the famous "golden calf" event in Exodus 32. By listening to this sermon, you will see that our God is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. A God like this, is a God that we want to put first in our lives.
With this sermon, we will look at the compassion Jesus has for the lost sheep of the world. He does this by asking us to pray for workers and providing and equipping those workers.
There has been so much happening in our nation over the last two weeks: the murder of a helpless black man, riots, violence, destruction. As Christians, we must ask ourselves, "How are we to handle and talk about these things?" God's prophet Micah gives us guidance for how we are to carry out our Christian walk through these turbulent times.
From the moment that God fills you with his Holy Spirit, he gives you power and purpose. He sends you out into the world to be his mouthpiece to the world. He sends you out to boldly tell people about Jesus and what he has done for them. In Acts 2, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly preaches the sermon that gives birth to the Christian Church.
The gift of God comes by faith to all nations. Not a holy life, not acts of obedience, but simple trust in the promise of God brings the gift of eternal life. Abraham believed God’s promise and so became not only the father of a nation, but the forefather of the Promised Seed who would bless all peoples. He had faith in God who justifies the wicked, and so God credited it to him as righteousness. By this same faith, Christ gives righteousness to all who believe and enfolds people like us into the family of God.
Today, there are so many voices claiming to speak the truth. How do you know which one is actually speaking the truth? How do you know which voice you should listen to? In 2 Peter 1, the apostle explains that there is only one voice that speaks the truth. Peter encourages us to listen to the right voice–the voice of God.
Jesus came to free us from sin. He did not come to free us to sin. The commands in the lessons today remind us just how holy our God is, and their dire warnings remind us just how holy he wants us to be. If left on our own, we would not only fail to live this holy life but would live in the constant fear of our manifold failures. Thankfully Jesus came to live a perfect life…not just to leave us an example of what a holy life looks like, but most importantly, to live the perfect life on our behalf. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”
Jesus calls every one of his followers to be salt and light. Not many struggle with the fact that this is what we are called to be. But many do struggle with how to live out these callings; with being who we're called to be. If you've ever struggled with living out your calling as salt and light, this sermon is for you. Listen to learn how to be who you're called to be.
Having the wrong perspective when you are trying to live your Christian life leads to nothing but frustration, disappointment, and discouragement. This is why Jesus, at the beginning of his Sermon on the Mount, alters our perspective on the Christian life. Because it is only with the altered perspective that Jesus gives that we can understand what it means to live the Christian life.
There is always a story behind the story–locations, characters, details, and prophecies. This is especially true of Jesus' Baptism. The story of Jesus' Baptism and the story behind the story of his baptism--it all comes together to tell a narrative that is all about you: About how God stood in your place to save you from your sins.
The concept and pursuit of wisdom have fascinated people since the dawn of time. That's simply because people want to become wiser and be viewed as wise men and women. In the context of Christianity, wisdom has a totally different meaning than in the world. So, what does it mean for a person to be spiritually wise? What does a spiritually wise person look like? Matthew chapter 2 answers that question in a fascinating way. Check out this sermon for some insight on spiritual wisdom.
"You are Christmas." This is what Instagram tries to show you, what Hallmark idealizes for you, and what stores tell you. But that notion does two things: 1) Completely stresses everyone out; 2) Completely misses the mark for what Christmas is actually about. You see, you aren't Christmas. Christmas is about Christ. Christmas is all about what is given to you. And what a gift of peace that is!
Listen as Pastor Mark Birkholz describes and applies these beautiful truths from Romans 15 to your daily life.
An idea exists in the modern religious scene that goes something like this: "You can create the kind of Jesus you want, one that fits and accepts whatever lifestyle you have adopted." One of the major problems with this idea is that kind of Jesus is completely man-focused, not Christ-centered. The reality is that Jesus didn't come to be the kind of King we want (or, want to create). Jesus came to be the king all of us so desperately need.
Jesus never tells his disciples, or us, when Judgment Day is going to happen. But, regarding Judgment Day, Jesus doesn't leave his disciples walking around in the darkness without a light. He prepares them by explaining what is going to happen in this world and what they will experience personally leading up to Judgment Day. Implicit in this preparation in the encouragement to continue standing firm in your faith--the very faith which longs for Jesus to return.
Scripture paints beautiful pictures of what life in heaven is going to be like. But even with those pictures, it is impossible to grasp what life in heaven with Jesus is going to be like because of our sinful nature. Even our best understanding of perfection is tainted by sin. We can get so caught up in trying to figure out what heaven is going to be like that we lose focus on what is most important about heaven: the fact that we will spend eternity with our God! This relationship that lasts eternally is the very thing your faith clings to and it is the thing that guarentees you eternity.
In the final chapter of Jonah, we see Jonah’s irrational anger and God’s upside-down grace on display. Jonah is irrationally angery at God and he reveals the reason why he didn’t want to go to Nineveh in the first place: because he knew God to be gracious and loving—even to the point of saving the great enemies of Israel. This is what irrational, sinful anger does: it turns the upside-down grace of God into a negative. In Jonah 4, God’s lesson to Jonah and to us is that in his grace, he has every right to show mercy on who he wishes—even when we don’t think they deserve it. Human life is a gift from God, even the lives of our enemies. And it is the nature of God’s upside-down grace that save the lives those who were once enemies to him, like Nineveh, like you and me.
"What is truth?" This question has been wrestled with throughout all of history. Today, it has become increasingly more difficult to answer that question. 21st-century culture has largely strangled the idea of an objective, absolute truth. Truth is now based on subjective feelings and what best suits you. This is especially true when it comes to human nature and eternal life. In John 8, Jesus turns subjectivity on its ear by preaching objective truth. Not only does he unveil the objective truth about human nature and eternal life but also makes a stunning statement about this truth: "The truth will set you free."
Jonah's reluctant 5-word sermon completely overturns a wicked city. The entire city repents, and God's anger over their evil subsides. It's because they learned two important truths from Jonah's 5-word, heart-changing sermon: God is patient and God has a time-table. Understanding these two truths about your God will overturn your heart this week. Listen to see how.
While in the belly of the great fish, Jonah issued a cry–a cry from the depths of the water, a cry from the depths of his heart. In this prayer, Jonah recognizes that he deserves death, not deliverance. Yet the Lord graciously delivers him in a miraculous way. What Jonah recognizes in his cry from the deep needs to be our own recognition, his cry needs to become our cry. We are frail, sinful creatures who deserve death, not deliverance. Yet God graciously delivers us in an upside-down way: by graciously sending his Son to die in our place. “You brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.”
When God called Jonah to be his prophet, he ran. Jonah ran away from his life. When you are overwhelmed with life, sometimes it seems like the only viable option is to running away. But God has called you...God has equipped you...God has prepared you for your calling in this life. Knowing those simple truths enables you to stop running from your life and start running toward it! Listen to learn more!