Risen Church North Podcast: Recent Episodes
Risen Church North
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble! Live for His kingdom, and stop trying to build your own.
The Lord has kept the seed of the woman all throughout history, just like He promised in Genesis 3. Even though the seed of the serpent remained, the lineage of the One who would crush the serpent was preserved according to the Lord's plan!
Families can be the most beautiful and simultaneously painful things in our lives. We are all broken, so our families are broken as well. In today's passage, we see even Noah sinning and the effects of it on his kids. Praise the Lord for our our Heavenly Father.
Will Walker, from Providence Church in Austin, joins us for a Sunday and teaches us God's design for community all the way back in Genesis 2 & 3.
Noah had a sin nature - his problem was innate. But God promised to deal with it not by flooding the earth again, but by sending His own Son to stand in our place. Our problem is the same as Noah's! Praise God we can take hold of the work of the cross of Christ.
After all the waiting, the Lord let Noah off the ark to a new beginning, a new creation. In our own lives, we can trust Him in the waiting because we know He is making all things new. We've seen it in our lives when we take hold of Jesus' work on the cross!
God is just and merciful. He pours out wrath on sin yet provides an ark to rescue Noah. And Jesus is the ark for all of us! He took the wrath against sin for us and safely hides us in His righteousness.
The Sanders give us an update and a word of encouragement about how the Lord is moving across the world.
Corruption abounds in a fallen world. We see it everywhere we look today, and all throughout scripture, especially Genesis 6. We are hopeless apart from a Savior outside of this world. Praise God that Jesus is that Savior.
The God of fellowship made us for fellowship: fellowship with God (v. 1-2,5-6), fellowship within God (3-4, 7), and fellowship with one another (7-10).
Jesus is the promised Lord of Psalm 110. He is the sovereign king (v. 1-3), the ultimate priest (v. 4), and the eternal God (v. 5-7).
Longing and joy come together when our hearts long for our King, anticipated as the shield and anointed one in this psalm. Around us we see evil and darkness. We have been given this psalm to equip us to deal with dark times.
Psalm 22 reminds us that the baby born on Christmas is the Lamb of God - our final sacrifice for sin.
Psalm 2 is one of the most quoted Psalms in the New Testament and is used as a means of comfort in the prophetic fulfillment of Jesus as the superior, victorious, resurrected king.
Jesus succeeds in all the places where men fail, and by believing in Him we find life because He gave His life.
Jesus addresses pride in his disciples and encourages and instructs them to serve in his kingdom
Does your allegiance belong fully to Jesus? Being His disciple means forsaking all other allegiances this world offers! It is costly, but it is worth it!
In this text, we see Jesus show his longing for justice to be brought against sin, as He says that He came to cast fire on the earth. It is a hard saying! But He immediately follows it up by saying that He has a baptism that He himself must undergo, referring to the cross! Although judgement is a necessary thing against sin, Jesus immediately points to the mercy we have at the cross where He dies in our place. Those who take hold of that free gift of salvation are protected from the fire of judgement because Jesus took it upon himself.And that is the offer He gives to the crowds the rest of the passage! He says to read the signs of the Kingdom right in front of them, they are walking with their Maker, their Messiah! But they are walking to eternal death if they don’t turn to Him and repent of their sin. Our time on this earth is short, and we should not presume upon the grace of God for another day - we aren’t guaranteed tomorrow. Turn to Jesus, receive mercy - because one day we will all die, and then it will be too late. Today is the day of salvation!
In these verses, Jesus teaches the crowds, his disciples, and us to live in such a way that we are ready for his return. Jesus explains what this readiness looks like using the image/parable of faithful/ready servants, and unfaithful/unprepared servants. The faithful servants (v. 35-40) are dressed for action, have their lamps burning, and are awake at every watch throughout the night - looking for the return of the master. In a shocking reversal Jesus promises that, rather than those faithful servants attending to him, when he returns he will serve them!
God cares for the flowers of the field and the birds of the air - but oh, how much more does He care for you! Do not worry, do not covet, just seek His Kingdom! He will take care of the rest.
In these verses Jesus offers his disciples freedom from fear, by being more deeply rooted in a proper fear of God. Jesus addresses three powerful and common fears - exposure, suffering, and rejection. The answer to these fears is not stirring up courage, but rightly fearing God in his holiness, and finding freedom from fear through the gospel. We are transformed in our fears when we BOTH fear God, AND fear not, because of the forgiveness and righteousness that are ours through our union with Christ.
The focus of the gospel message is on what is done for us, not what we should do. Only when Jesus has covered and wiped away our sin, and given us his own righteousness, can we pursue holy living - fueled by the work of Jesus on our behalf, rather than our own works.
Jesus says, “If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.” What darkness are we allowing to fill us that we need to cut out?
Although you can find help elsewhere and clean yourself up pretty decently, apart from Jesus, you will never be truly healed and delivered. He has to rule your heart!
Jesus teaches us how to pray, and how to approach the Lord as a child approaches a parent.
Jesus reveals how we are supposed to live, as we seek to love the Lord with all we are, and to love our neighbors as well.
The Harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few! We have a mission - a calling on our lives - to be laborers in the harvest and to pray for more laborers. Let's not miss out on what we have been invited into!
We have a living hope in Jesus because He got up out of the grave, stands over it, and reigns alive forevermore - and He has invited us into that! What an honor!
We have legitimate things in our life that we make excuses to not putting Jesus first. But He is Lord over everything! We have to lay those excuses down and choose Him.
Sean examines the transfiguration of Jesus and challenges us in how we view Jesus. Is he worthy of daily denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following him?
The Lord has given you power and authority to continue His work, and do even greater things. Are you walking in that power?
Jesus is our hope in desperation and in death. He has the power to heal and to save to the uttermost!
How you listen, how you receive the Word of God, matters in how you bear fruit with your life. Take it in, let it root deep, and let God bring the fruit.
A sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet and wipes them with her tears, and Jesus forgives her sin because of her faith!
Even John the Baptist asked Jesus if He was the One that everyone was waiting for. Jesus can handle your doubts!
Dr. Baker opens up 2024 by jumping back into our Gospel of Luke series, looking at how to have a spirit of generosity
A beautiful Psalm to launch us into 2024. The Lord is sovereign, we can trust Him, and we can make Him our delight, for He offers us the fullness of joy.
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
Mark Baker teaches us about the peace that is found in Immanuel, not in our circumstances.
This message is out of Luke 6:27-36 in The Gospel Of Luke sermon series at Risen Church.
After Jesus calls his disciples, he immediately lays out what a life following Him looks like. It is a life that is set apart - distinct from the world.
From the series, "The Gospel Of Luke." A challenge for us to examine what we crown as lord in our lives, especially on our sabbath.
Psalm 51 shows us a heart in David that is broken over his sin, but then turns to the One who showers grace on us. What a merciful Savior we have!
Jesus came bringing a new ministry of love that people who clung to the old ways were not ready to receive. His way is better!
Jesus didn't come for the righteous, but for the sinner, just like a physician doesn't come for healthy people, but for the sick.
Jesus cast out a demon with just a word. The enemy knows it has to obey the Holy One of God. Take heart that our God is for you and His Word has power and authority!
Jesus' temptation sets him apart from Adam, because every place Adam failed under temptation, Jesus stood firm. He is now our Great High Priest who is able to sympathize!
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
John the Baptist's life was so clearly pointing to Jesus, the one who was coming to actually save us from our sin. He was bold and unashamed of his message!
Someone else's needs are never convenient for you, but it is an opportunity to love God by loving your neighbor! Because when you serve those in need, you serve the King as well. What an honor!
Jesus was found in the temple as a boy, already stepping into the purpose His Father had placed on His life. It is an example for us, because we too have been given an eternal purpose! Let's daily lean into what we have been called to
Some seasons are a time of waiting, and the Lord forms us in those seasons! Wait in faith, trusting that the Lord is working.
The Lord keeps His word, and we get to see that so clearly as Zechariah recalls so many prophecies that are being fulfilled in the birth of John and the coming birth of Jesus.
Sean examines the birth of John the Baptist and joy that is found in God's plan rather than the pleasures of the world.
Mary blesses the Lord with a heart of gratitude, although her circumstances could've easily lead her to complain or live in fear and worry.
When Mary visits Elizabeth, we see 2 different generations encouraging one another and blessing one another. What a beautiful picture of community needed in the body!
Mary's response when told she would bear the Son of God is an example of surrender and willingness for us all to learn from!
When an angel appeared to Zechariah telling him he would have a son, Zechariah doubted rather than believed. So he was struck mute! How often our doubts cause us to be mute. Let this message bolden you to proclaim what you believe - that Jesus is Lord.
There is nothing more certain than the story of Jesus. It is our foundation! Luke explains this to us at the very beginning of his gospel.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Hospitality is the incarnation of God's love poured out on us. When we are hospitable, we are showing the love of God to the world!
There is coming a day that our bodies will experience a physical resurrection and we will spend eternity in them worshipping Jesus. This is the hope we have!
We serve a generous God who laid down His life for us. That means we can be a grateful people and respond in generosity!
Contentment isn't something that comes easy, and even Paul himself admits that it is something you have to learn! But thanks be to God that He is where we can find our contentment.
On our last Sunday before moving to our new church home, Sean reminds us of what the peace of God brings us in a world that constantly shifts. We are standing on a firm foundation.
All anxiety, all worries, all troubles can be taken to the Lord!! He says bring it! And His peace will guard us.
Our citizenship is in Heaven, and from Heaven, we await our Savior! Persevere until the promise is fulfilled of Christ's return!
I press on toward the goal to win the prize! What a promise we have been given that our future is Jesus!
Christ is our greatest treasure. There is a confidence that comes with this truth that allows us to count everything else as rubbish in this life. Jesus is better!
We should seek the welfare of each other and the city the Lord puts us in, not our own welfare!
We are told to workout our salvation, and to do all things without grumbling or complaining. But praise the Lord we don't have to do it with our own power!
Humility is counting others more significant than yourself. It is this kind of selfless living that Jesus displayed for us, going to the lowest place to raise us up with Him.
We are called to not fear, but to stand firm side by side for the for the name of Jesus and live a life worthy of the manner of His gospel!
When we lay down our lives, inconveniences become opportunities to be leveraged for the Gospel!
If our life's aim is the Gospel to be furthered, then any and every circumstance can be viewed as an opportunity for it's advancement! Leverage each moment in that way
The Lord has invited us into a partnership with His gospel! What a gift! What does it look like for us to walk faithfully and continually in that?
He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!
"When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son."
God's covenant to Abraham is a covenant to you as well - "I will be your God." What a promise!
At the beginning of Advent, we remember the reason we even needed a Savior. Our sin separated us from God. But God's gift to us was Jesus! God in flesh, entering into the division and bringing us back to the Father.
We've been set apart. Now, we live for the One who set us apart. How do we do that well as His people?
God's grace provided everything needed for forgiveness through all of the tabernacle elements
***Our audio cut out halfway through this sermon. We apologize!
What an honor it is to be invited into God's plans. He's given us everything - what does it look like to respond?
The mark that our lives are aimed towards is eternity in the presence of our God. How does your life look like that right now? Are you aimed and focused, or looking to the right or left?
Exodus 32 warns us of how easily we can slip into idolatry. Even after all the Lord had done for the Israelites, they made a golden calf to worship. Thankfully, Jesus stands as an intercessor on our behalf, like Moses did for the Israelites.
Leverage your life fully for the glory of the Lord! Whatever you do, do it for the glory of the Lord
God gave instructions to build a dwelling place for Himself. Why? Because He longs to be with His people. Jesus is the greatest proof of that!
Ever wondered what a worship service should look like? Well one example is found in Exodus 24 as Moses stands in the presence of God.
The Lord has made a way to His presence for us, through Jesus, just like He made a way to the promised land for the Israelites in Exodus.
We are a consecrated people - set apart to reflect the character of Christ! Do you look different from the world, or do you blend in?
We are ambassadors for Christ, and God makes His appeal to the world through us! What a humbling thought!
We are a people that have been set apart. We look different than the world, especially in how we love and care for one another!
We who broke the law, deserving of condemnation, have now been set free by the sacrifice of Jesus and turned into worshippers of the One True God.
The law was given to us by God, and then the law was fulfilled by God because we could never do it.
Daniel Moore, one of our elders, teaches us about the renewal of the Old Covenant in Exodus 19.
The body needs every member. No matter what capacity you have, whether great or small, we are called to care for one another and point one another to our Chief Shepherd
The trials of the wilderness was meant to point the Israelites to the dependability of our God. Hunger, thirst, war - God was working in it all.
The Lord took the Israelites to the wilderness to teach them how to trust Him. It was for their good - their sanctification. God doesn't waste trials, He uses them to mold us.
The Lord is greater than our circumstances. Rather than praying for the Lord to change our circumstances, what if we prayed for more trust within them?
The first song ever recorded in the bible is the song of Moses, after the Lord rescued the Israelites. The response was singing! How much more should this be our response now that we are rescued from sin?
A sea before them, an army behind them - the Israelites only hope was to be silent and watch God move. Do you trust Him enough to do the same?
Our timing isn't God's timing. Could things be different? Could thing be faster? Maybe! But God's plan - God's timing - is perfect.
The Lord is faithful, He doesn't change, and He always comes through. He is trustworthy, even in the silence and the waiting!
The last plague is about to begin, and God tells of the blood that is needed in order for Him to pass over the sins of His people, pointing to the true and better Lamb to come in Jesus.
Come taste and see His love. Let others taste and see. Draw people in by His light, and let them feel His love.
God is sovereign over all things, in control of every situation and circumstance. It is all from Him and for Him! That is a God worthy to be trusted.
No god gets to stand before the Most High. But we bow to other gods all the time. God will get His glory though, and he proved it to the Egyptians. Search our hearts Lord!
We have been set apart, and the world will know who our God is that has set us apart by how we love.
Even Pharoah's magicians recognized the Lord was a God worthy of praise. How much more should we as His people?
The Egyptians worshipped idols, so God gave them over to their idols in the plagues. Do we do the same?
Don't let the world and all its lesser power distract you from the true Power of the Almighty God.
The love of God is relentless! He comes after you at your worst and keeps coming after you because you are His.
God wants our obedience, not our perfection. If He calls you to something, you may not be able to do it perfectly, but He will be with you! Obey in faith!
Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
When hope seems lost, the Lord is still moving and has a plan! Moses being born is the beginning of His deliverance.
Whatever our circumstance, we can remember who God is and what God has done and give Him praise!
Hidden in God's shelter, we know what true peace is. Whatever comes our way, we rest in the shadow of the Almighty!
In the middle of struggles, trials, even depression, we have a living hope. Hope in God, who has never failed and never will.
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul. Hope in the Lord!
In times of struggle, we go Godward and remember His faithfulness. He has always been our help. We rest in the shadow of His wings!
The God of all creation is worthy of our worship. What does it look like to make sure our whole life is an act of worship to Him?
We are called to love, and trust God as Judge. He will make every wrong right. We can freely surrender to that!
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
When we remember where we were, and how the Lord rescued us, we should be humbled! We didn't earn salvation, the Lord chose us and came to us. We boast in Him alone! He is our help.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
The Lord is our shepherd. That means that we lack nothing! And if we lack nothing, we can rest knowing we have everything we need in our Good Shepherd.
Sean begins our new series on creating rhythms of remembrance in our lives. Jesus invites us to come to Him and He will give us rest.
Worship is a full life response - head, hands, and heart - to who God is and what He has done!
If we are secure in the identity God has given us, we are secure in a God who takes care of us. Vengeance isn't ours. We can turn the other cheek knowing a day is coming where God will set things right.
What does the body of Christ need to look like? When people look at the Church, what should they see? A body divided, or a body united?
Jeff Medders teaches us out of Psalm 121 - to lift our eyes up when we need help because our help comes from the Lord!
We are called to make disciples, and that means teaching them the Word, teaching them to obey. What does that look like?
Michael takes an in-depth look at why Jesus commands us to baptize people in the Great Commission.
The Sanders family shares with us how the Gospel is spreading across the world, specifically in Papua New Guinea, where they have lived for the past 8 years.
Bret Farris, one of our elders, takes a look at what the Bible tells us men are called to, and how that looks different than what the world tells us men should do.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
The final sermon of our Galatians series, ending with the overall good news that it is by grace alone we have been saved! Nothing more. Nothing less.
And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery!
Jesus got up out of the grave and now stands over it! He is risen, He reigns, so let's let our lives look like we actually have a Living Hope!
The world is constantly trying to form us. It tells us how to look, act, speak, and sound. But we as the Church have Christ in us, and He should be the only one that is forming us - to look more like Him, for His glory!
Sean continues in our series on Galatians examining whether we are heirs because of the law or because of God's promise.
Our salvation is not based upon anything we have or haven't done, but rather on the righteousness of Christ alone. Our hope is only found in the name of Jesus!
"We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified."
The gospel is Jesus + nothing. It is just Jesus and His finished work; it is just His righteousness being placed on you; it is Christ alone.
The gospel should make everything feel different. It's like a right-handed writer switching to the left-hand. It isn't natural! But dead people being made alive changes everything. How does your life look different because of it?
Jesus did everything need for salvation. That means the gospel is Jesus, and only Jesus. Adding anything to it makes it not the gospel!
No matter how how far you run, you are known, seen, and wanted by God. He has plans, and He chooses to use broken people in them. What a humbling gift!
As we change our name, Sean explains why we are a people with great hope and great purpose - because we serve a risen King!
Sean encourages us at the beginning of this new year to look to Jesus and to build our lives on His Word - it is the only sure foundation.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Jesus is an unshakeable, never-changing Joy we can cling to, no matter what life looks like.
Jesus is our Prince of Peace, entering into our chaos to rescue us. He is near to us now, and always will be. He is Emmanuel.
Week one of our Advent series looking at the hope we have in the coming of Jesus, our Savior.
We have been called to a race, but how do we run it? Sean looks at how we can effectively and whole-heartedly run with our eyes set on Jesus and His Kingdom.
We believe that Jesus' Kingdom is eternal - it will not pass away. So we live for eternity! We live to bring His Kingdom here and now and point people to His eternal Kingdom coming.
We believe God has given us a calling to steward the Gospel, as well as our time, energy, and resources, in order to further His kingdom.
Worship is a full-life response to who God is and what He has done. With our head, hands, and hearts, we want to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God in light of His mercy toward us (Romans 12:1-2). This mercy was shown in Jesus going to the cross on our behalf. In our sin and rebellion, we were dead and deserved the wrath of God. But because Jesus lived a perfect life and became an atoning sacrifice for us at the cross, we are now no longer guilty, but have been made alive by His work. We worship in response to this good news!
We believe that God's new covenant people is manifest in local churches of which Christ is the only Head. The church is distinguished by her gospel message, her sacred ordinances, her discipline, her great mission, and, above all, by her love for God, and by her members' love for one another and for the world.
We believe that Jesus rose again, defeating death, thus giving us a living hope for eternal life.
We believe that Jesus died in our place on the cross. By his sacrifice, he bore in our stead the punishment due us for our sins.
We believe that God keeps His promises, even when we don't. He never forsakes His Word.
We believe that Adam, made in the image of God, distorted that image and forfeited his original blessedness – for himself and all his descendants – by falling into sin through Satan's temptation. As a result, all human beings are alienated from God, corrupted in every aspect of their being and condemned to death-apart from God's own gracious intervention.
We believe that God created human beings, male and female, in his own image. Men and women, equally made in the image of God, enjoy equal access to God by faith in Christ Jesus and are both called to significant engagement in family, church, and civic life.
We believe that God has inspired the words of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. These writings alone constitute the Word of God, utterly authoritative, without error in the original writings, complete in its revelation of his will for salvation, sufficient for all that God requires us to believe and do.
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who know, love, and glorify one another. This one true and living God is worthy to receive all glory and adoration.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
All of creation is hoping for the return of Jesus. We join in, longing for Him to come back and set things right. He is our hope, and He will come!
Sean teaches us this Father's Day about our Heavenly Father's work in adopting us through the blood of His Son.
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:5-8
For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:3-4
"For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2
The final message in our series on the disciplines of rest. Josh examines what sabbathing looks like in the life of a Jesus-follower.
Jesus constantly displayed what life of disciplined prayer and running to the Father looked like. He carved out time to just be alone and be filled by looking to the Father. How can we look to him as an example and apply it to our own lives?
But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."
Luke 10:42
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:1-6
Sean looks at the scandalous grace that is shown when Barnabbas, a guilty man, walks free, and Jesus, the innocent one, is crucified in His place. This is our story - we praise God for His salvation!
In our new series leading up to Easter, we take a look at the road Jesus walked that ultimately led to the cross. In this sermon, Sean examines the faithfulness of Jesus to the Father’s plan. He didn’t waver, but said “Not my will, but Your’s be done.”
In the middle of COVID-19 fears, worries, and wondering, Sean points us to the comfort Psalm 23 brings us: the LORD is our shepherd, and He is with us. We shall not want because He is all we need and He never changes!
"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."
Colossians 4:2-5
"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."
Colossians 3:12-14
"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."
Colossians 3:1-4
"Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God." Colossians 2:18-19