Silent But Dadly: Recent Episodes
Jonathan Edralin
A podcast featuring sermons I preached, sprinkled with parenting and marriage stories and general all-over life outboundness.
The disciples are depicted as very ordinary people, but Jesus shows them that to follow him will be extraordinary. See less
Today we end the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is at his best in communicating the wisdom in following him.
Sermon on the Mount Jesus show us to test a prophet by their fruit, and also how we as believers will be tested by our own fruit.
Good Friday is the dark night, Easter is the new day, but sometimes we feel stuck in-between. When we do, we need to have a living hope!
The Garden of Gethsemane is a beautiful display of Jesus' humanity and also the persistent grace that have through the cross of Christ.
Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 7:12 - The Golden Rule The Golden Rule is straightforward and logical. But to live it out can be heard. We an infusion of grace. Good thing we have that in Jesus!
Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 7:7-11 Matthew 7 - Jesus tells us that our heavenly Father will give us what we need when we ask - all the resources of the Spirit and Kingdom!
Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 7:6 Jesus seemingly calls people "dogs" and "pigs". How do we approach difficult sayings of Jesus, and what does he mean by this?
Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 7:1-5, the Lord's teaching on being judgemental. Scriptures teaching on being judgemental can sometimes be confusing. We are to not judge, but at same time help each other walk with Jesus, which sometimes means that point out detrimental actions. Jesus uses an hilarious illustration to display the hypocrisy of judging others.
Matthew 6:25-34 Sermon on the Mount - we are continuing in Matthew chpater 6, the discourse about worry, and Jesus shows us the the way to fight worry is to put first things first, prioritizing what is really important. And for the Christian, that means "seeking first the Kingdom..."
Matthew 6:25-35 Continuing in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about how the Creator has "clothed the grass" with lilies, and how King Solomon wasn't so lavishly adorned - Solomon, who had everything, yet found it all "meaningless, a chasing after the wind." We will look at how trusting in the Lord not only reduces our worry, but is foundational to Kingdom living.
Matthew 6:25-34 Worrying is...bad. Bad for our physical and mental health, and bad for our faith. Addressing our tendancy to worry, Jesus teaches us to "look at the birds of the air". What can we learn from the birds that teaches us to not worry?
Sermon on the Mount: Jesus on fasting Big Ideas: Jesus intends that we "use" our spiritual disciples as intended - not to "show off" as the Pharisees 3 reasons we would fast Whatever we choose to do, we may as well do it the best we can.
Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 6, the Lord's Prayer The 5 ways: through the Bible through others through circumstances through how we have been designed through the Holy Spirit (saving the best for last)
Sermon on the Mount: The Lord's Prayer "Give us the day our daily bread" 3 things: Learn and live in dependance on God Live in the moment, not stuck in the past or worried about the future We are tapping into the Eternal
Sermon on the Mount: the Lord's prayer Some Big Ideas: God has revealed the spiritual reality to us - there is something more than just the physical world. Our prayers unveil and "bring" to us spiritual realities. Prayer gives us a resource to use when our physical resources have run out.
Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 6:9-13 (the Lord's prayer) Jesus continues his teaching on prayer, and we see that prayer changes us, our circumstances, and in today's episode, that when we pray, the Kingdom of God comes to us. Praying for God's Kingdom brings to the forefront the question: is our faith self-centered, or God centered?
Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6 - The Lord's Prayer. Big Idea: Everyday regular prayer can take our normal happenings and change them to faith-building discipleship. Notes: There are many times in the day that we can incorporate prayer - before meals and bed-time, before driving or heading to school/work, during a walk, run or drive. While it may seem repetitive, it can become a powerful tool to disciple our minds to worship the Lord, and think of his gospel. Prayer can be an act of worship.
The Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13. God is transcendent, He is close to us. Believing this leads us to deeper worship. Notes God is transcendent, totally beyond our comprehension, but He reveals Himself to to us. He is the creator, but relates to us as a father. Holding this tension - Almighty and holy, yet relational and personal should cause us to praise and worship.
Our Father ... The very act of prayer is an expression of our worldview, that God exists, and He cares. Big Idea: Prayer transforms us by building our trust in a God who is there and cares, which gives us hope. Notes: Our worldview (our answers to the ultimate questions) determines how we live. What we believe about God determines the answer to our other ultimate questions, which is why what we believe about is so important. Believing that God is there and cares gives us hope that we won't be stuck. Prayer gives us hope.
Sermon on the Mount - we are in part 1 of the Lord's prayer: it's not the words, but the heart that really matters. Big Idea: The effectiveness of our prayers does not come from our ability to pray long or eloquently, but that they come from the heart. Notes: The Pharisees used prayer to show off. The motives of why we pray count to the Lord. "Babbling" long prayers are not the goal. Authentic prayer comes from humility, being "poor in spirit". That sin can affect our prayers reminds us of our need for the gospel.
Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:27-32. Lust, adultery and divorce. These subjects can bring about a clearer understanding of the gospel. Big Idea: Marriage is a blessing not only because of the relationship with our spouse, but also because it helps us understand the gospel. Notes: Jesus tells us to not lose the main idea behind marriage, that it was intended to be "till death do you part". That means a lot of sacrifice and forgiveness which also means, We can get a glimpse of the love and grace we receive from the Lord.
Happy Father's Day! Big Idea: God's love for us is bigger than we can imagine. Notes: Absalom, did all he could to anger and destroy his father. David loved him through it all.
We take time to recognize and reflect on the news our of Kamloops, and explore the Sermon on the Mount to see how we can live rightly today in light of it. Big Idea: Jesus shows us that living for the Lord is instrumental in convincing people of the power of the gospel. Notes: The remains of 215 children found in the Kamloops Residential school has spark outrage and sorrow across Canada. The Church in Canada must use this time to seek a deeper understanding of its history in regards to these schools. Jesus teaches us that our actions must match our beliefs, based on the Lord's teaching.
Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5:21-26 Big Idea: Anger is equal to murder?! Jesus shows us that God looks at and cares about our hearts. Notes: Jesus shows us that the roots of the big sins (adultery, murder, etc.) begin in the heart (lust, anger, etc.). We can look like anything we want on the outside, but what God sees, the inside, is what we truly are. Jesus shows us that transformation begins with the heart, not on the outside.
Sermon On the Mount: What's Love Got To do With It? Big Idea: Jesus takes us deeper into the meaning and purpose of the Law, and that no one can live up to it...but we have the Cross! Notes: The Law became a stumbling block to the Pharisees as they relied on their self-righteousness, and therefore not the grace on the cross. The Law shows us that we cannot fulfill it. We need to rely on the righteousness of Jesus, instead of our own self-righteousness.
The Big Idea: God's love is infinite and therefore ever expanding. When we receive and experience it, we are called to give it away. That is our purpose. Text: Matthew 5:13-16 Notes: During the pandemic we have a scapegoat for our anxieties and restlessness, namely: the virus, lockdowns and our altered way of life. After the pandemic is over, we will still have existential anxieties, but no longer the scapegoats. We must therefore prepare ourselves for after the pandemic by being secure in our purpose of life and it's meaning. Jesus says that we are to be salt and light. Salt is used a food preserver; we are to preserve the humankind from decay. Sin is a rejection of God (the moral law giver) so now everything is permissible, which leads to the detriment of our world. The solution is reconciliation with God, through forgiveness found at the cross. Having been reconciled to God, we are to add goodness (love, grace) to the world. We cannot do this because we are "good" but by showing people how someone broken can have hope. Being secure in our purpose can help us during the pandemic and after, as we search for meaning in all these things.
Big Idea: The reason one might be persecuted (faithfully living for Jesus) is the way to prepare for persecution, should it happen. This final Beatitude is a tricky one, because the kind of persecution that Jesus is describing is not common for most Christian in "Christian-based" nations like Canada. But the focus for us shouldn't be on purposely getting persecuted, but on the reason why one would get persecuted. Doing so will prepare us for the faithful living during times of persecution.
Big Idea: Blessedness is a result of action, in this case the action of being a peacemaker. Usually when we think of "peace", we think about the absence of violence. But I think the peace that Jesus talks about is the based on the idea of "shalom", which is about harmony - living with others, our environment and ourselves in a way that produces justice and equity in the world. We are blessed not simply because we are not violent, but when we actively share God's love around us.
Having a divided heart, one that chases after anything that we think will make us happy, takes us away from the one true thing that deserves our love - the Lord. When we make everything other than Jesus secondary, we will be blessed.
The Beatitudes are not only about changing spiritually, but also about action. Being merciful is an action of what real love is, the Jesus kind of love.
We are always looking for the next thing that will help us feel happy. But each time we reach the next thing, we run after the next thing, and are never satisfied. The way to stop the incessant chasing, is to have the right desires.
The big idea to day is that what we need in life is more pride. Feel good about ourselves and we will thrive because of our self-confidence. But the inflation of our ego makes us sensitive and fragile, and therefore self-conscious of anything that can deflate our ego. But when our worth is in the Lord, then meekness/humility becomes our strength.
Jesus's world is the opposite, or the upside-down of the world we live in. Although much of his teaching might seem counterintuitive or even non-sensical in comparison to what the world holds to be true, a dive into his teachings shows us the path to true spiritual renewal and joy.
Some major themes run throughout the Bible, including that God's people are sometimes sojourners, refugees and exiles. Living like it helps us stay detached from the world.
Paul shows us that those that live by the Spirit (and no longer by the law), give grace to others as they are learning to also live by the Spirit (the currently weak).
Anxiety is limitless because we can imagine limitless possibilities of things going wrong. But when we remember that everything will end up in making back to God, we can quell our anxieties.
We will always "owe" God, but we pay it back to others. When we understand the depths of God's love for us, it frees us to love others.
Our responsibility is to love unconditionally, to love without demanding our requirements are met. Difficult, but the path to blessed relationships.
Romans chapter 9 gives us the core of the gospel - that broken people can find redemption through the cross.
We usually see the world through the view that we are the main character. But God's plan and story sometimes puts us into places where we are not the focal point. When we understand this we can better cope with confusing or difficult situations.
Romans 7 shows us the we don't have become like anyone or anything else before coming to Jesus. We can come "as is".
George Floyd, protests and riots. Civil disobedience? Join us as we explore the subject of racism.
In the Garden, Jesus goes through a pretty intense time, and his disciples don't really back him up. But Jesus doesn't quit on them!