Faith in 15: Recent Episodes
First Baptist Church Carrollton
Faith in 15 provides a convenient way to hear a message that applies the Bible to real-world issues we all face - in about fifteen minutes each week. It presents sermons preached at First Baptist Church, Carrollton, Georgia that are equally applicable if you have never attended our church, missed worship and want to catch up, or just want to listen again. Currently, the majority of our messages are provided by Dr. Joel Snider, Interim Pastor. If you hear something that challenges or inspires you, be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your friends on social media.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week.
Imagine living a life of complete freedom. This is the very life Christ desires for you.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week.
Self control allows God’s people to learn the art of response in a reactionary world.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week.
Gentleness opens doors so that we get to walk through them instead of barging our way in.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week.
Never underestimate the power of simply showing up and giving of your best day after day.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week.
Goodness leaves the world a better place than we found it and footprints for others to follow.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week.
Yes, pray for more patience, but beware! God will ensure you get lots of opportunities to develop this all important fruit of the Spirit!
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week.
The spirit of peace comes into your life differently than you might expect.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week.
Love is the first fruit of the Spirit for a reason. With it, nothing else matters. Without it, nothing else matters!
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week.
We begin this series by seeing all of the different fruits that God’s Spirit will produce in our lives!
Call Sunday for Candidate of Minister of Music, Mrs. Rebecca Hughes
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from 1 Peter 1:17-23.
Easter Sunday
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Matthew 28:1-10 and Colossians 3:1-4.
Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our sight can be set to otherwise impossible realities and human potential.
Palm Sunday
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Matthew 21:1-11 and Philippians 2:5-11.
We take the shape of the cross by descending to servanthood.
This Sunday was be led by Rev. Jennifer Jindrich, FBC Kids, and their amazing leaders! Come and watch our children lead us in worship today!
Guest Preacher Rev. Rick Burnette brings the word this week from Ephesians 5:8-14.
We take the shape of the cross through finding the joy of obedience to God.
Guest Preacher Dr. Karen G. Massey, Associate Dean, McAfee School of Theology, brings the word this morning from Romans 15:1-8
We take the shape of the cross through suffering for a purpose greater than ourselves.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Genesis 12:1-4. We are also joined by special guests from University of West Georgia’s Campus Outreach.
We take the shape of the cross through submitting our lives to God’s will.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Psalm 32.
We take the shape of the cross through confession of sin.
Guest Speaker Rev. Ellen Sechrest, CBF Director of Mission Engagement, brings the word this week from Colossians 3:12-14.
If Carrollton is to look like heaven, our church will be connected globally to other people and churches who seek to do the same in their communities. This is why we participate in Global Missions Month!
Full Attendance Sunday & Chili Cook Off Sunday
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this morning from 1 Corinthians 2:1-12.
If Carrollton is to look like heaven, we must be willing to share the story of our faith with those who do not yet know Jesus Christ!
If Carrollton is to look like heaven, youth will be a central part of FBC’s mission and ministry to the world. Come hear what “Making It In Carrollton As It Is In Heaven” means to them!
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Psalm 27:1; 4-9.
If Carrollton is to look like heaven, then we will reach out to extend FBC’s rich community to others who don’t yet know the community of Christ. We will desire nobody to be alone.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
If Carrollton is to look like heaven, then it will take all of us – a unified, committed body of believers who share a common confession yet possess diverse gifts.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Matthew 3:13-17 with help from the FBC Ministerial Staff.
If Carrollton is to look like heaven, then it starts here first with people who are baptized anew and willing to share God's love everywhere they go. You have heard of our strategic plan. Now hear about our ongoing "Action Plan!"
Rev. Jennifer Jindrich brings the word this week from Isaiah 9:1-7.
The life of Jesus is God’s promise fulfilled…
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Luke 2:1-7.
The birth of Jesus in a manger says that Jesus is a new type of king…
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Matthew 2:1-12
The appearance of a star signals that Jesus is for everyone...
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Matthew 1:18-24
The name of Jesus changes everyone…
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Matthew 1:6-7; 2 Samuel 11; 1 Kings 11:1-13.
Guest Preacher, Dr. Matt Duvall brings the word this week from Matthew 1:5; Joshua 2; Ruth 4:13-17.
Tailgate Sunday at FBC! All proceeds go towards missions!
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Matthew 6:19-24
Guest Preacher Dr. Jimmy Gentry, Interim Director of CBF Georgia, brings the word this week from Luke 8:26-39.
Guest Preacher Rev. Laura Ayala, CBF Coordinator of Global Missions, brings the word from Romans 5:5 NIV. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Dr. Edward Landrum from Moore's Chapel UMC delivered the message as Pastor David delivered the message at Moore’s Chapel UMC.
Graduate Sunday! Our Sunday morning worship will recognize the class of 2025! Then, Dr. David Hughes brings the word from Psalm 30:1-2.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Luke 24:1-12. Let us now embrace this new life before us!
Dr. David Hughes brings the word from Luke 15:17-24. We need to pray and discern about what the other needs to hear and also has the right to hear.
Dr. Matt Duvall brings the word this week from Psalm 51:1-19. We ask not to change God, but to change ourselves. We pray to form a living relationship, not to get things done.
Dr. Joel Snider brings the word this week from James 5:13-20. We cannot heal what we do not acknowledge, and what we consciously acknowledge will remain in control of us from within.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word from Isaiah 55:1-13. Surrender is not giving up, as we tend to think, nearly as it is a giving to the moment, the event, the
person, and the situation.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word from Romans 7:15-25. God makes sure that several things come your way that you cannot manage.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from 1 Corinthians 7: 1-9. The Church has long had irreconcilable differences when it comes to sex. Hear some ways that will keep sex in the fireplace versus creating a firestorm.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word from Ephesians 6:1-4. Children will lead to exasperation or exaltation. How are we to be in partnership instead of being opponents?
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Genesis 2:20-25 and Ephesians 5:21-33. In marriage, unity does not mean uniformity. The two become one so that two new people can emerge.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from 1 Corinthians 1:10-31. God means for The Church to be a place of diversity, not division. Our common humility in the cross allows us to celebrate differences instead of despising them.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Luke 22:42-44. Lasting relationships are all about reconciling differences.
CBF Executive Director Dr. Paul Baxley guest preaches this week on Isaiah 60:1-6 and 2 Timothy 1:3-7. In the New Year, let us all arise and shine the light that Jesus has shown to the world.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Luke 1:46-55. The awareness of God’s love is the cure for feeling alone. All of a sudden, our burden can transform into our blessing.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Daniel 12:1-3 and Psalm 16. If we can better understand what Jesus left to come to earth, we can better prepare our hearts for him.
Mr. Giles Blankenship and group join us this week for worship this week while Dr. David Hughes brings the word from Hebrews 9:24-28. What does God see when he looks at us? Because of Jesus, the answer might surprise you.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Deuteronomy 6:1-9 and Psalm 119:1-8. The home is the heartbeat of the Christian discipleship. See how…
Ten Til Swing joins us this week while Dr. David Hughes brings the message from Mark 10:35-45. James and John realize politics don’t play with The Savior who came to serve.
Pastor David brings the word this week from Psalm 24. What you are in the world is directly determined by what you eat.
This Sunday was our 177th anniversary! Pastor David brings the word from Revelation 5:1-14. The God we worship today is the same as our past and will be the same in our future.
Pastor David brings the word this week from Luke 24: 13-35. Jesus is very present during worship. Let’s talk about how your eyes, ears, and heart so that you will always see Him.
Pastor David brings the word this week from Romans 12: 1-8. Everyone has something to give because everyone has a gift to share. The next time the plate comes your way, here’s what God wants you to do…
Pastor David brings the word this week from Isaiah 6:1–13. Worship begins and ends with honesty. Get real and you’ll see God.
This week Tyler and Jennifer bring the word from Hebrews 10: 19-25. Worship is personal but it’s not to be private. You gather with others because you need one another as badly as you need God.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Colossians 3:12-17.
Worship is a lifestyle. Let God show you the heart you need so that it’s all day, every day.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word from Psalms 32: 1-22 this week about worship being a verb. You aren’t meant to “sit and get” but to participate and celebrate! Here’s how…
Dr. David Hughes brings the word from Genesis 7, the story of Noah’s Ark. When life direction pauses, we get frustrated. Noah surely did, but “I’m not going anywhere” is very different from “Nothing is happening.” God ensures that the spiritual journey is full steam ahead even when your vehicle is at a full stop.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Judges 16 about Samson. A scalp massage really cost Israel’s hero. Learn how to avoid the devil’s barber shop all together by letting your holiness flow without apology.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Daniel 6 about Daniel and the lions den. How do you defend yourself? The answer might surprise you. You don’t! Daniel shows us how.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Jonah 1:17-2:10 about Jonah and The Whale. God’s people need constant refinement. God does this in places of solitude with the promise that you will leave an even more powerful instrument of His good news.
Guest Preacher: Rev. Jan Witsel, Associate Pastor of Antwerp International Protestant Church
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Joshua 6 about Joshua and the walls of Jericho. "Every good coach knows the benefit of asking a player to take a lap, and it has nothing to do with improving physical performance. God asks Israel to take seven. Here’s why…"
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Acts 16:16-40 about Paul and Silas. "With God, chains and shackles are always meant to be broken and prisoners set free. Learn how two cellmates found the key to their freedom."
Dr. David Hughs brings this weeks message from 1 Samuel 17 about the story of David and Goliath.
Dr. David Hughes
“Miracle Doesn’t Mean Magic”
Matthew 14:13-21 – Jesus Feeds The Five Thousand
Miracle doesn’t mean magic. The miracle of the loaves and fishes is meant to be repeated daily by you and me.
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from Exodus 3 about the story of Moses and The Burning Bush. As the saying goes, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen" but Moses decided he wanted "all the smoke." Why should you embrace God's holy fire?
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this week from 1 John 5:1-6 about "Knowing What Drives You".
Dr. David Hughes brings the word this Mothers Day from 1 John 4: 7-21 about "giving from the heart".
This week instead of regular service we had our Hym Festival! This was led by FBC Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra.
This week was Graduation Sunday led by the FBC Student Ministry. Dr. David Hughes brings the message from 1 John 3:16-24.
This week we have special guest for worship, the Truett McConnell University Corale. The message is brought by Dr. David Hughes, 1 John 3:1-7.
Dr. David Hughes brings the message from John 12: 20-33 about dying to ourselves, and being willing to live for Christ.
Dr. David Hughes brings us a message of turning to God when lost and discouraged. This week we are in Numbers 21:4-9
This week's episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 and Matthew 28:16-20
This week's episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on Numbers 11:24-30
Meditation: "The rising Easter Tide desires to allow the Spirit to reign over and in our lives. May it take control over us instead of us trying to control it."
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on John 17:1-11
Meditation: "The rising Easter Tide desires to unite human hearts in a unique "oneness" of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior while also celebrating the diversity that belongs to each of us as individuals."
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on Psalm 66:8-20
Meditation: "The rising Easter Tide beckons you to tell the story of your faith that is within you so that others may hear! "
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on 1 Peter 2:2-10
Meditation: "The rising Easter Tide allows us to see our worth and that of others as being determined by the imperishable things of heaven. The inestimable value that others have disallows indifference from ever infecting human relationships again."
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on Psalm 23 (The Message)
Meditation: "The rising Easter Tide declares that only in our dependence on God our shepherd will allow us to find the green pastures, quiet waters, right paths, and a place at the table in the presence of our enemies."
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on 1 Peter 1:17-23
Meditation: "The rising Easter Tide allows us to see our worth and that of others as being determined by the imperishable things of heaven. The inestimable value that others have disallows indifference from ever infecting human relationships again."
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on John 20:19-31
Meditation: "The rising Easter Tide challenges the notion that we are limited to the things that we can see, feel, and understand. We are pushed to new places where our faith in Jesus as well as our belief in ourselves is no longer weighted down by doubt."
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on John 12:12-33
Meditation: "The hidden promise of our Hosanna today is found not found in the waving palm branches or the cloaks thrown across a dusty road but in the savior which they bid welcome to. Jesus Christ, The Son of God, still saves because He can still change hearts. Are you ready to embrace the change that Jesus’s saving power demands?"
This weeks episode features Our Children Leading Worship and focuses on Ephesians 3: 20-21
This weeks episode features Suzanne Wynn, Kiki McDaniel, and Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on John 9:1-11
Meditation: "The hidden promise of healing in Jesus and the blind man in John 9:1-11 was not only renewed physical sight but also new spiritual insight. The blind man was able to see the beauty of God's world for the very first time. The community was finally able to see the healed man as a fellow image bearer of God instead of a social liability. Many were able to see Jesus as God's only Son. Through the stories of healing that you receive today, may you also see yourself, your neighbor, and your savior in new and different ways.
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on John 3:1-17
Meditation: "Nicodemus came seeking Jesus by night. Jesus, the light of the world, used this time to illuminate hidden promises to Nicodemus about faith, life, and purpose. Nicodemus left changed. What darkness are you currently in? What hidden promises might Jesus reveal to you today?"
This weeks episode features Dr. Paul Baxley and focuses on Luke 4:16-21, and 2 Corinthians 5:16-20
Meditation: "In his very first sermon in Nazareth, Jesus announces the mission for which he came to the world; a mission of good news to the poor, recovery of sight to the blind, freedom for the oppressed, and proclamation of the Lord’s favor. Decades later, the Apostle Paul made the astonishing claim to the church at Corinth that everything God was doing in Christ, God was seeking to do through the church. So Jesus’ mission is our mission, and our calling is to keep fulfilling it now in his power."
This weeks episode features Rev. Emily Harbin and focuses on Luke 8:4-8, 11-15
Meditation: "We sow seeds of the gospel in our community and around the world without knowing what exactly will take shape - what will stick and what won’t. It requires patient endurance, presence, and care for fruit to grow. God gives us the patient endurance we need."
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on Luke 14:1-14
Meditation: "The seating chart at God’s banquet table is determined by grace and our hunger for it."
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on Acts 8:1b-8
Meditation: “Fully invested going allows our world to become bigger and our lives to become better as we serve others in Jesus’ name.”
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on Micah 6:1-8
Meditation: “In fully invested giving, God asks for 100% of your heart and not just 10% of your resources.”
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on Acts 4:32-37
Meditation: “A fully invested community of Jesus Christ celebrates truth, shares resources, and practices continual presence.”
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on Luke 10:1-17
Meditation: “Fully invested service in Jesus' name engages hearts, hands, and homes for the glory of God.”
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on John 4:4-25
Meditation: “Fully invested worship in Jesus Christ transcends differences and redeems hearts for might purposes.”
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on Isaiah 11:1-10 & Luke 2:22-35
Meditation: “God’s peace means surrendering to God’s will and ways.”
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on Philippians 3:1-14
Meditation: "Gratitude forms a bridge which connects the three chapters of every persons' life called past, present, and future into one unified story of God's mercy and grace."
This weeks episode features Rev. Jennifer Jindrich and focuses on Philippians 2:3-4
Meditation: Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~William Arthur Ward
Gratitude is the overflow of a humble heart. ~Nancy Leigh Demoss
This weeks episode features Rev. Jeremy Hall and focuses on Philippians 1:3-11
Meditation: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
This weeks episode features Dr. David Hughes and focuses on Matthew 28:16-20
Meditation: Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21"
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Luke 1:39-45
Meditation: “We should be so blessed as to steward the future of another soul within our hearts and hands. We nurture them in unconditional love while we nudge them to live bravely for a cause greater than themselves."
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Esther 4:1-17
Meditation: “What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God."
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on 1 Timothy 6:11-16
Meditation: “Christianity is a battle, not a dream." ~Wendell Phillips
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on 1 Chronicles 28:1-9; 20-21
Meditation: “The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.” ~William James
This weeks episode features Dr. Greg DeLoach and focuses on Romans 16
Meditation: “To do the work carefully and well, with love and respect for the nature of my task and with due attention to its purpose, is to unite myself to God’s will in my work. In this way I become God’s instrument. God works through me.” (Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation)
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Romans 16
Meditation: “Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger people. Don not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle. Everyday you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of God.” ~Phillip Brooks
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Exodus 1:6-22
Meditation: “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on 2 Timothy 1:3-5
Meditation: We dare to follow Christ because we have been inspired by lives that have lived for Him.
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on 1Samuel 1:21-28
Meditation: "I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess." Martin Luther
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Genesis 2:1-19
Meditation: “Sacrifice alone, bare, and unrelieved, is ghastly, unnatural, and dead; but self-sacrifice, illuminated by love, is warmth and life; it is the death of Christ, the life of God, and the blessedness and only proper life of man.” Fredrickson W. Robertson
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Meditation: "The mighty, rushing wind of Pentecost now blows like a gentle summer breeze. It refreshes, renews, and repurposes our lives as we go forward as a people of God."
This weeks episode features Karen Kagiyamas and focuses on Luke 11:1-13
Meditation: "The mighty, rushing wind of Pentecost now blows like a gentle summer breeze. It refreshes, renews, and repurposes our lives as we go forward as a people of God."
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Amos 8:1-12
Meditation: "The mighty, rushing wind of Pentecost now blows like a gentle summer breeze. It refreshes, renews, and repurposes our lives as we go forward as a people of God."
This weeks episode features Faith Patton and focuses on Luke 10:25-37
Meditation: "The mighty, rushing wind of Pentecost now blows like a gentle summer breeze. It refreshes, renews, and repurposes our lives as we go forward as a people of God."
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Psalm 66:1-9
Meditation: "The mighty, rushing wind of Pentecost now blows like a gentle summer breeze. It refreshes, renews, and repurposes our lives as we go forward as a people of God."
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on 2 Kings 2:1-3, 6-14
Meditation: "The mighty, rushing wind of Pentecost now blows like a gentle summer breeze. It refreshes, renews, and repurposes our lives as we go forward as a people of God."
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Luke 8:26-39
Meditation: "The mighty, rushing wind of Pentecost now blows like a gentle summer breeze. It refreshes, renews, and repurposes our lives as we go forward as a people of God."
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Romans 5:15
Meditation: "The mighty, rushing wind of Pentecost now blows like a gentle summer breeze. It refreshes, renews, and repurposes our lives as we go forward as a people of God."
This weeks episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Acts 2:1-21.
Meditation: "Bethlehem was God with us, Calvary was God for us, Pentecost is God in us."
This week's episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Acts 17:16-34.
Meditation: "The way to heaven is ascending; we must be content to travel uphill, though it be hard and tiresome, and contrary to the natural bias of our flesh.” Jonathan Edwards
This week's episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Acts 9:36-43.
Meditation: "The secret of the Christian's passion is simple: Everything we do in life, we do as unto the Lord and not to humankind." David Jeremiah
This episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Acts 9:7-20.
Meditation: "Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure." D.L. Moody
This week's sermon features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Acts 5: 27-32.
Meditation: Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.
-- Rick Warren
This episode features Rev. David Hughes on Easter Sunday 2022 and focuses on John 20: 1-18.
Meditation: Whether dismayed, disbelieving, or distraught, the empty tomb is for you today! Come one and all and embrace it! It doesn’t matter the order in which you arrive. It only matters that you come, for the resurrected savior awaits you there!
This week's episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Luke 19:28-44.
Meditation: Christ was determined to celebrate His arrival to Jerusalem as the King of Peace and invited all to join in. Today, be determined in receiving His invitation as we follow Him to the cross.
This week's episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Luke 15:1-3 & 11-32.
Meditation: To be reconciled with your fellow man, you must first be reconciled with God.
This week's episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Isaiah 43:16-21.
Meditation: Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.
This week's episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Luke 13:6-9.
Meditation: Repentance is the action of giving the things within us that are broken to the only One who can fix them.
This week's episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Philippians 3:17-4:1.
Meditation: If you imitate someone who sacrifices long enough, you'll begin to live sacrificially. Who is your example of sacrifice?
This week's episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Romans 10:8-13.
Meditation: What you confess is what you live by. What is your confession today?
This week's episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Luke 9:28-36.
Meditation: “Listen to Jesus and follow him. That’s the message of the Transfiguration."-- Pope Francis
This week's episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Genesis 45:3-11, 15.
Meditation: “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that prisoner was you.” Lewis B. Smedes
This week's episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on I Corinthians 15:12-20.
Meditation: What we say about death and resurrection gives shape and color to everything else. If we are not careful, we will offer merely a “hope” that is no longer a surprise, no longer able to transform lives and communities in the present, no longer generated by the resurrection of Jesus himself and looking forward to the promised new heavens and new earth.
This week's episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Luke 5:1-11.
Meditation: We are easily frustrated by the results of our hard work. We cry out, “Look at all I’ve done! And for what?!” Jesus invites us to try life his way. Is it easier? Far from it! Is it more meaningful? Oh yes. As you prepare your heart for worship, begin to loosen your grip on control of your life and consider giving it to God instead.
This week's sermon features Rev. Pastor David Hughes and focuses on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Meditation: A home is built upon love. With that love, we feel security, identity, and community. A church home is no different and in this new beginning we look to God’s word for guidance so that love will be our home for the entire community Jesus has called us to serve!
This week's episode features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10.
Meditation: Too often we deny ourselves what we need most from God — a fresh encounter with his spirit! Our focus, priorities, and resulting business distract us from the ancient words that bring new life and wonder! May we rediscover God’s voice as we worship him today!
This week's podcast features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.
Meditation: God, in your grace you bless all of us with an abundance of gifts. Some we know. Many more are yet to be discovered, but all are meant for your glory. Give us wisdom to see our gifts and the courage to use them in the world in which we live.
This week's sermon features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Isaiah 43:1-7.
With the words “You are mine” and “I love you,” God invites all of his children to return to him for a time of new beginnings. As we come home to God, he promises to send us out again with renewed vision and passion for the world in which we live!
Today's episode features Rev. Christopher Simonton and focuses on Mark 1:14-15.
Have you ever felt lost? Realized you weren’t where or who you wanted to be? Wish you could REDO?
Today’s scripture is for you.
Worship is not a music style of feeling. Worship is our RESPONSE to what God has done and who he is.
Today's episode features Sara Claudia Tillman Cain and focuses on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
This week's sermon features Rev. David Hughes and focuses on Isaiah 61:1-3 and Mark 5. The key emphasis of this sermon is the joy, resurrection, and hope given to us by Jesus.
This week's sermon features Rev. Henry Tyson and focuses on Psalm 137:1-6 and Hebrews 12:1-2. This reflection is part of our All Saints' Day Remembrance Service on November 7, 2021.
This week's episode features Rev. Julie Long and focuses on 1 Corinthians 13:9-13 and John 21:1-8.
What can we learn from the disciples and from Jesus in this story about how to live with hope when our world is clouded by disappointment, grief, and uncertainty? Hope requires that we trust that God is at work, even when we cannot see it. Hope asks us to cast our nets on the other side, doing our part to be the miracle we seek. And hope believes that the last things are never the worst things, and God always has one more move.
This week's sermon features Rev. Christopher Simonton and focuses on Mark 5:1-20.
“If dependence on God is the goal, then change is to my advantage.”
Change can be scary, but it happens all around us. How do we deal with change well?
Jesus asks us to:
- Trust him
- Be uncomfortable
- Hear his messenger
Ultimately, Jesus is in control of change.
This week's sermon features Rev. Christopher Simonton and focuses on Exodus 17:8-16.
How can we be ready for the new chapter in the life of our church?
Moses was a man, not God. He had personal strengths and weaknesses. Our new Senior Pastor will be the same. He will come as a leader but what is our responsibility as those being led?
Blessed is the church who:
- Listens to their pastor
- Let's their pastor rest
- Encourages their pastor
- Keeps their pastor steady
Do we want to be a church that blesses their pastors or a church who causes them to shake the dust off their feet and move on?
This week's episode features Rev. Christopher Simonton and focuses on Mark 1:16-20.
"When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God."
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
We must ask 3 important questions when we read these verses today:
1. Who is the one who calls?
2. What is the Call itself?
3. Who are the ones called?
Jesus calls us to be his disciples and witnesses in the world.
This week's episode features Rev. Christopher Simonton and focuses on Esther 4:11-17.
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
--JRR Tolkien
God is working in the world, whether we see his movements or not, and he calls us to work with him.
For such a time as this…God calls us to pray.
For such a time as this…God calls us to act.
For such a time as this…God calls us to worship.
This week's episode features Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. This week's sermon reminds us we have a part in God’s reconciling ministry. I used the story of the star thrower from Loren Eiseley. If you think the story ends with “I can save this one,” you haven’t heard the best part.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0156849097/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_glt_fabc_M5YR9GNRFEM1KFVN3YQR
This week's episode features Dr Joel Snider and focuses on John 4:1-15.
Athletes know it is dangerous to wait until you are thirsty to begin hydrating. In extreme conditions, they begin preparing days ahead of their body’s need for water.
Can we see a parallel to Jesus as “living water?”
The day in which live is to the soul what heat and exertion are to the body, upping our need for the hydration of the living water. Why wait until the soul is thirsty to drink freely."Thirst isn’t a helpful indicator of hydration. In fact, when you’re thirsty, you could already be dehydrated, having lost as much as 1 to 2 percent of your body’s water content. And with that kind of water loss, you may start to experience cognitive impairments — like stress, agitation and forgetfulness, to name a few.”
— The Mayo Clinic Staff
This week's episode features Rev Christopher Simonton and focuses on 2 Kings 2:1-14.
"Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?"
Isn't that the question we ask? In the midst of change we wonder where God has gone, if he cares about us, and if there is anything he can do in a crazy world.
This week's episode features Rev Christopher Simonton and focuses on Romans 12:1-3.
We love customization in every area of our lives. We love having choices and making our own customized version of whatever we are buying. But does that fit with the Christian life?
The verses today contain a call to serve. That call is for all of us. The Word of God is for a Christian to serve Jesus and his church. We are to:
-
Be set apart to God.
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Don't conform, transform.
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Be humble in service.
Jesus says he did not come to this world to be served, but "to be one who serves." The word Jesus uses is "deaconos" and is where we get our modern word for deacon. Jesus is the first deacon of the church and we model our service to the church on his model.
This week's episode features Rev Christopher Simonton and focuses on John 3:28-30.
"Love seeks one thing only: the good of the one loved." -Thomas Merton
"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen--not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." -CS Lewis
What matters most is our relationship to Jesus Christ. John the Baptist understood this about his life. He had an exciting ministry, fame, and tons of followers. He threw all of that away in order to follow Jesus. His sole goal was that Jesus increase in his life and in the lives of others.
John sought to be a witness, a friend, and joyful in Jesus Christ.
This week's episode features Dr. Snider and focuses on Isaiah 6:1-8.
Every Christian has the desire to be useful to God. We are afraid, however, that God will ask us to do something we won’t like or the demands too much of our time. Isaiah provides the template for our experiences of being recruited by God for the tasks waiting us. Few of us realize how the moments recruitment are the path to a meaningful life.
The Meditation text from Emmet Fox has always spoken to me about our reluctance to admit that we may already recognize the seed God has planted. The passage was written in the mid-20th century and reflects the language used in that era. Also, Emmet Fox was something of a “fringe” Christian. Many of his beliefs are not mainstream - in fact, some are a bit odd. That has not stopped me from plucking out gems of insight, such as the following passage.
But how is one to find his true place in life? Is there any means whereby you may discover what it really is that God wishes you to do? You may feel inclined to say: “Even if it be true that God has some splendid thing that he wishes me to do, and to be, how can I possibly found out what it is? Perhaps you may even be tempted to add: “I am a very plain, everyday sort of person; my circumstances are extremely restricted; the conditions of my life are just drab commonplace. How then can there be something wonderful, beautiful, splendid awaiting me? Or, even if there were, how could I possibly get to know about it?” And the answer is Divinely simple—Already in your past life from time to time, God himself has whispered into your heart just that very wonderful thing, whatever it is, that he is wishing you to be, and to do, and to have. And that wonderful thing is nothing less than what is called Your Heart’s Desire. Nothing less than that. The most secret, sacred wish that lies deep down at the bottom of your heart, the wonderful thing that you hardly dare to look at, or to think about—the thing that you would rather die than have anyone else know of, because it seems to far beyond anything that you are, or have at the present time, that you fear that you would be cruelly ridiculed if the mere thought of it were known—that is just the very thing that God is wishing you to do or to be for him. And the birth of that marvelous wish in your soul—the dawning of that secret dream—was the Voice of God himself telling you to arise and come up higher because he had need of you.
--From Your Heart’s Desire by Emmet Fox
This week's episode features Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on Deuteronomy 30:11-20.
The Baptist “brand” has fallen on hard times. The image many people have of our churches and worship are a hindrance to many people looking for a place to grow faith. Each year more churches have removed the word from their name. Yet, Baptists have a rich heritage. No faith tradition did more to secure religious freedom during the formation of our nation. Baptists taught that individuals could seek and find their own connection with God. They could seek God’s guidance in their decision making.
Has their ever been a more pressing time for Christians to seek the leadership of God than the day in which we find ourselves? We need God’s guidance to chart the path God wishes for us, without deferring our responsibilities to others.
The quotation from Roger Williams contains language we would not use today. But he captures the Baptist ideal that each of us are free to practice faith as God leads, not as directed by government or society.
There goes many a ship to sea, with many hundred souls on one ship,
whose weal or woe is common, and is a true picture of a
commonwealth, or a human combination or society. It hath
fallen out sometimes that both [Catholics] and Protestants,
Jews and Turks, may be embarked in one ship; upon which
supposal I affirm, that all the liberty of conscience, that ever I
pleaded for, turns upon these two hinges: that none of the
[Catholics], Protestants, Jews or Turks be forced to come to
the ship’s prayers or worship, nor compelled from their own
particular prayers or worship if they practice any.
Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island
This week's episode features Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on Luke 17:20-21.
Jesus makes it clear that the Kingdom has both a future fulfillment - and a current expression. What’s happening next in God’s work is already happening.
Oswald Chambers reminds us the work of the kingdom is not “out there” in the future, it is waiting for disciples who are willing to let it start happening now.
"There are things to be brought about in this world that can only be done through those of us who are prepared to fulfill the conditions of discipleship."
-Oswald Chambers
This week's episode features Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on Matthew 5:1-12.
A few years ago I was researching the Beatitudes for a sermon when I came across a quote by St. Francis de Sales who lived in the early 1600s. After repeating the first beatitude ("Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"), he adds this commentary: "Cursed then, are the rich in spirit for the misery of hell is their portion." By reversing the saying of Jesus, he shed new light on the original Beatitude. Here's the way I understand his statement. People living in poverty always know what they need. They need to eat, they need a roof over their heads, they need clothing. They simply need someone to help. In the same way, the poor in spirit recognize they need help. They depend on God and the they find themselves in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The rich, however, are self sufficient. Only the rich are described as "self-made." They don’t have to ask for a thing and depend on no one. Thus, the rich in spirit never ask for anything related to their spirits because they're so sure they already have what they need. They never depend on anyone else and, as a result, their portion is to be alone. While Scripture often refers to Hell as a place of burning, it also refers to it as a place of loneliness and outer darkness where we are by ourselves (see Matthew 22:13 and Jude 13 for two references). Following De Sales logic, the poor in spirit ask God for help and get the kingdom of heaven. Needing nothing for their souls, the rich in spirit ask for nothing of anyone and get to be by themselves. Hell is their portion. Only those who have never been lonely could miss what a curse loneliness is.
De Sales' statement started me thinking about turning around all the Beatitudes. Can we see the truth of what is blessed by seeing what is cursed? This sermon examines what truly blesses, by thinking about what surely curses.
This week's episode features Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a.
God May Forgive You (But I Won't)
Sung by Iris Dement
lyrics by Harlan Howard and Bobby Braddock
© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Well, the kids had to cry for you
I had to try to do
things that the Dad should do
since you've been gone
Well, you really let us down
You may be Heaven 'bound
but you've left one hell of a mess here at home
Yes, Jesus loves you, but I don't
[...]
God may forgive you, but I won't
and I won't even try
Iris Dement is an Americana singer. The Americana genre blends everything from folk, country, blues, zydeco, and rock. Dement has performed with such notables as John Prime and Emmy Lou Harris.
The lyrics of this song struck me for their raw honesty about following Jesus and our relationships with others. Other Christian commentators have called it satanic, but I think she actually captures the spirit of Paul’s opening verses to 1 Corinthians 13, known as the "Love Chapter." Today’s sermon challenges those of us who possess a loveless faith - the kind that can move mountains, but doesn’t care for other people. The kind that claims heaven, but denies family. The kind of faith captured in the words of this song.
This week's episode features Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on Matthew 13:46-46.
The era in which we find ourselves defines almost everything by politics. Are you right or left - red or blue? We have invested politics with too much of a divine quality, failing to remember only the gospel of Jesus Christ can save us. There is nothing in this life that is more important than the Lordship of Christ. Nothing in this life escapes the judgment of God. These statements include politics.
How will a new pastor for First Baptist address the political climate? I suggest three principles:
- Have a high view of the gospel. Do not invest politics with any more power.
- Have a shepherd’s heart. If tempted to thunder like a prophet from the pulpit, remember some people came with burdens today totally unrelated to the latest new cycle.
- Make the congregation a place for all people. Too many relationships have been disrupted by politics: marriages, family reunions, social gatherings. Congregation and pastor alike should covenant to live up the the words of Paul in Romans 12:18 - "If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."
Surely the church can be one place where Christians of various political leanings can still pray together, serve together, and worship together, despite voting differently.
This week's episode features Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on James 4:13-17.
Life is unpredictable. Our days don’t always go as planned. It doesn’t always meet our expectations. Our culture’s standard response is to “take control.” Advertisements encourage us to take control of our lives, our investments, our desire to stop smoking. The ones on endlessly. Products that promise to put us in control grab our attention. But many events are outside our control. Cancer still strikes; stock markets still crash; drunk drivers still cross the yellow line into the lane of someone we love. Control is an illusion.
The author of James offers another approach: trust in God. Trust is the message of scripture. It’s behind the story of manna in the wilderness and the request for daily bread. When was the last time we had to trust God, just to eat. In Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller says, "I just think it would be easier to trust God if I had extra money to trust him with.” For sure.
Philip Yancey focuses for us: Trust does not eliminate the bad things that may happen, whatever sparked our fear in the first place. Trust simply finds a new outlet for anxiety and a new grounding for confidence: God. Let God worry about the worrisome details of life, most of which are out of my control anyway.
This week's episode features Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on Deuteronomy 11:18-21.
At the very time religious claims are most ardent, our children know less and less about the basics of their faith. Try some basic tests for you or your family:
- Where in the Bible can you find the Lord’s Prayer?
- Do you know the names of the four Gospels?
- Can you find the 23rd Psalm?
- Can you identify where the following people are found in Christian Scriptures (Old or New Testament): Moses, Paul, David, Peter, Abraham?
Children and youth are constantly faced with moral decisions. How can they make decisions based on their faith if they don’t know the basics about it?
Stephen Prothro has written much about religious literacy. Check out his website for more information: stephenprothro.com
This week's episode features Rev. Christopher Simonton and focuses on Genesis 13.
The Bible as a whole is a quest: God’s story and decision to redeem fallen humanity and be with them through the person and work Jesus Christ.
Abraham’s story, along with ours here today, is part of that grant story. His story goes on for a while here in Genesis. He went through years of learning to trust God. Jesus said that Abraham saw his day and was glad. He was glad in his choice to give his life to God. Here are three things that set Abraham on the right path from Genesis 13 onward:
- Abraham listened to God. (Vs14)
- Abraham walked with God. (Vs17)
- Abraham worshiped God. (Vs 18)
Like Abraham, our lives matter in the grand story that God continues to tell. God is on the move and we are to be ready.
- As we listen, God speaks through us.
- As we walk, God shows us where to show his love.
- As we worship, God makes this place into the Promised Land where we and others have a real, divine encounter with Jesus Christ.
This week's episode features Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on Joshua 1:1-11.
The Bible contain very little background on Joshua. While Exodus contains chapters describing Moses family and upbringing, Joshua simply appears into the action. Much of what we know is contained in the simple phrase “Joshua, son of Nun…”
Consequently, there are few works about Joshua outside of military history. Elie Wiesel has an interesting study of Israel’s first General in Five Biblical Portraits.
This week's episode features Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on Genesis 25:29-34.
Angela Duckworth’s work on delayed gratification resulted in her book, Grit. I’d encourage all parents to read it, whether your child is 3 or 30. Find her website here.
For additional thoughts on the long view of life, here is a link to an article I wrote a few years back. Locusts and cicadas come in a variety of long-cycle lives, ranging from 14-17 years. I’ve learned “17-year locusts” is used generically of them all. They are in the news again in 2021.
Living with faith in the eternal God requires more than just a long-view. “Eternal eyes” see things differently than our culture of immediate gratification.
This week's episode features Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on Acts 11:19-29.
- It’s easy to note how leadership in Acts transitions from Peter to Paul. Often overlooked, however, is the transition from Jerusalem as the center of Christian activity to Antioch.
- Multiple kings in the Selucid Empire were named Antiochus, which means something like “helper.” Antioch was named for one of these kings. The most notable Antiochus for students of the Bible is Antiochus Epiphanese (IV), who persecuted the Jews of Judea during the time of the Macabees.
- See Acts 13 for more about the missionary work initiated by this early church.
This week's episode features Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on 2 Chronicles 15:8-19
- See I Kings 11 for the background on Solomon and his wives. The historian mentions 700 wives and 300 concubines. The story mentions specific foreign gods introduced into the court of Solomon and how their worship displeased God.
- One additional quote on idolatry from Chris Hedges in Losing Moses on the Freeway (The Free Press, New York, 2005): "Idols promise us power. God does not. Before God we all are powerless." (p.37)
Another way to think about the subject us that idols promise control. God asks for our surrender.
This week's episode features Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on Joshua 24:16-28.
I suggest you do your own internet search with the words "teenage depression Instagram.” Consider how helpful Instagram is to your child’s mental health. You could probably substitute TikTok for similar results.
For Facebook’s plans to target pre-teens, see: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/facebook-planning-to-create-version-of-instagram-for-children-under-13-report/ar-BB1eJHPV
One article on the affects of screen time: https://www.rallyhealth.com/health/screen-time-affects-health
To check your child’s religious literacy, see: https://www.uua.org/sites/live-new.uua.org/files/160623_206_prothero_quiz.pdfTake it yourself, if you dare. What does it say about your child’s understanding of their own faith and their resulting susceptibility to the message of fringe faith groups and cults?
For a usable handbook to begin preaching your child on your own, see: https://fbcrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/The-Blueprint-Single.pdf
Mason Tribble brings you the second of two episodes this week as part of our Graduate Recognition Sunday. His sermon focuses on Matthew 6:19-24. The reality TV show, Storage Wars, paints a bleak picture of what happens when we store our treasures on earth, but Jesus promises that something greater awaits us in Heaven!
Natalie Davis brings you the first of two episodes this week as part of our Graduate Recognition Sunday. Her sermon focuses on 1 Timothy 4:12: "Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."
This week's episode features Dr. Joel Snider and focuses on Psalm 37:1-6.
I wish could link the referenced video. I failed to bookmark it after viewing one time and could never locate it again. It was a powerful testimony.
Here is the reading referenced near the end. Although described as a prayer, it has always struck that it does not actually speak to God; rather, it describes what the writer has prayed for in the past and the answers received.
A CONFEDERATE SOLDIER'S PRAYER
Author Unknown,
(Attributed to a battle weary C.S.A soldier near the end of the war)
I asked God for strength, that I might achieve;
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy;
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life;
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men most richly blessed.
This week's episode feature Rev. Christopher Simonton and focuses on 2 Corinthians 5:14-21.
Because of the resurrection Paul is able to say:
- One died for all; we are invited to live better.
- We see everyone in Christ; new creations.
- God is bringing the world back to himself.
- We are the ambassadors of God’s message.
- One died for all; we become truly alive in God.
The YES of God in Jesus Christ makes all of these verses true and powerful and alive.
We as the church have a purpose and a place in this world. We are God's messengers of hope in a dying world. We must hold on to that. All of our work and life as a church points to that. To be the church is to say “yes, Lord Jesus” to his work in the world. We say “yes Lord” to not just being a Christian in name but being the righteousness of God out in the world. We are not here to hide but to glorify.
This week's episode features Rev. Julie Long and focuses on John 20:19-31:
Here is the good news of Easter: when we find ourselves afraid, we don’t have to stay stuck there. The disciples found out that no matter how many locks they fastened on their door, Jesus showed up anyway. He came to free them. A garden tomb could not hold him, and locked doors cannot keep him away. Jesus penetrated their walls and showed up in the midst of their fear. And when he did, the words that he spoke to them were, “Peace be with you.”
- Bible times were simpler, but the people were not naïve. Through observation, they collected impressive knowledge on a variety of subjects. Jesus acknowledges common weather predictions (Matthew 16:2-3). The citizens of Nazareth make a back-handed comment on Joseph as Jesus’s father (Matthew 13:55, surely related to the timing of Jesus’ birth). On death, Martha, sister of Lazarus, doesn’t want to open her brother’s tomb because “he stinketh”(John 11:39 - you have to love the KJV on this verse).
- The women only expected Jesus to be dead. They went to the tomb for a ritual much closer to last rites than to an Easter sunrise service.
- The resulting shock of Jesus’ resurrection fills the women with terror. Mark uses words like fear, trembling, and fleeing. It’s impossible to dress up their terrified astonishment.
- Mark uses a double negative to emphasize the silence of the women who first experienced the resurrection.
- I chose not to spend time on it in the sermon, but many Bible scholars think Mark intended to end the gospel at verse 8, precisely to make his point: now that they know about Jesus, how can they not tell? If verse 8 is the end of the gospel, the abrupt ending matches the abrupt beginning. None of the other gospels begin or end with the suddenness of Mark.
- It’s impossible to go back and recreate the shock of the women for the contemporary reader. I attempted to drive home some “unsettledness” by recognizing the implications of a few of Jesus’s radical teachings.
Mark 15:25-39
- There are actions that disqualify individuals from certain professions:
- Bankruptcy disqualifies people from banking
- Sex offenders are disqualified from working with children.
- Crucifixion disqualified Jesus from being the Messiah (see Deuteronomy 21:22).
- Crucifixion was shameful in the Roman world. Hebrews 12:2 separates the cross into two experiences: pain and shame.
- The cross was designed to dehumanize.
- The victim was naked to shame.
- The location of a cross was designed to maximize crowds who could ridicule.
- The physical pain reduced people to begging for help and pleading to die.
- Crucifixion was considered obscene and not discussed. It was godless (Mark 15:33-34).
- See Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion. It is hard for me to preach Lent and Holy Week without utilizing something I learned in this book. Chapter Two, “The Godlessness of the Cross,” begins with this quote: "In order to speak of the crucified God we need a theology of abandonment, of dereliction, of an alienation so profound that it can only be expressed in language marked by paradox and by great daring and risk. The Crucifixion of the Son of God by one of the most advanced civilizations in the ancient world does not seem to be an acceptable or reasonable method of redeeming the world. There is something so outrageous and obscene about it that the agony in Gethsemane becomes the only comprehensible part of the whole saga." -- Kenneth Leech in We Preach Christ Crucified
- The Centurion was a battle-hardened military man.
- He had seen deaths nearly as bad, yet at the death of Jesus he was moved to say, “this man was the Son of God.”
- The meditation text printed in the bulletin was from another indispensable resource for preaching on the cross: "The crucifixion of Jesus set men (sic) thinking more than anything else that has ever happened in the life of the human race. And the most remarkable fact in the whole history of religious thought is this: that when the early Christians looked back and pondered on the dreadful thing that had happened, it made them think of the redeeming love of God." -- D. M. Baillie in God Was in Christ: An Essay on Incarnation and Atonement, p. 184.
Here is additional quotation from Jűrgen, Moltmann, The Crucified God, New York, Harper & Row, 1974:
To suffer and to be rejected are not identical. Suffering can be celebrated and admired. It can arouse compassion. But to be rejected takes away the dignity from suffering and makes it dishonorable suffering. To suffer and be rejected signify the cross. To die on the cross means to suffer and to die as one who is an outcast and rejected. If those who follow Jesus are to take “their cross” on themselves, they are taking on not only suffering and a bitter fate, but the suffering of rejection. According to their own experience, the greatest Christian saints were also the most profoundly abandoned by God. The expression “cross” for the sufferings undergone in following Jesus takes its meaning solely from the cross of Christ, not from natural or social sufferings. “The cross . . . is not the sort of suffering which is inseparable from this mortal life, but the suffering which is an essential part of the specifically Christian life.” p. 55
Psalm 119:9-16
Outline
- The old Holiday Inn commercials capture the ethos of being smart without any study or preparation.
- Those commercials capture the ethos of our day: “Google is; therefore, I know.” We all think we are experts because we can look up anything on the internet.
- Psalm 119 has 176 verses. It says 176 different ways that God’s way to live leads to life.
- Yet, the ways of God seem crazy to us. If the Beatitudes are the key to blessing, why don’t we seek to live according to them? If it is more blessed to give than receive, why don’t we spend as much time planning our giving as we do shopping?
- This passage appears in the lectionary for Lent because it represents a distinct alternative way of life to what the world suggests.
- Disciples must decide whether God knows better or the world knows better how to live.
Proverbs 26:12 says: Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them.”
Numbers 21:4-9
John 3:14-21
Outline
- “Bad decisions” is an explanation of sin that works for children, but is inadequate for mature Christians.
- Both Testaments speak to the seriousness of sin.
- Forgiveness of sins is no small issue, but a relationship with Christ goes beyond forgiveness to deliverance.
- The story in Numbers 21:4-9 combines several biblical images related to sin: serpents, death, deliverance.
- In John 3:10-15, Jesus makes plain the connections in the story from Numbers. Only now he tells us the full story: we are saved by a savior on a cross, not a serpent on a stick.
- Anyone involved in a 12-step group recognizes we cannot save ourselves and need to be rescued from sin. Those of us not in such a group can recognize the same need for rescue from sin’s power.
Other comments:
The idea for this sermon began as I noticed churches in impoverished areas with the word “deliverance” in their names. There aren’t many suburban or upper-middle class churches where people think in terms of being delivered from sin. Forgiveness seems a much safer concept to us.
Perhaps impoverished people have less resources to throw at their problems. They see their captivity to sin before we see ours. This thought inspired the phrase “middle class misdemeanors” as our concept of sin.
I’m indebted to The Crucifixion by Fleming Rutledge for a greater appreciation of Christ’s victory over the powers hostile to God.
Luke 10:25-37
II Chronicles 28 contains the key ingredients for Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan: the wounded in need of care, binding wounds and clothing the naked, Jericho, and kindness shown by Samaritans to Judeans.
The inspiration for this sermon comes from The En-Gedi Resource Center. If you enjoy Bible Study, bookmark this site.