Sermons on Christian Living
Deep Waters-How Christians Relate to the Law
Romans 7:4-6 — The apostle Peter admits Paul’s writings sometimes contain things that are hard to understand. Knowing why we follow some parts of the Old Testament law and not others is one of those times.Peter warns Christians to not ignore the deep end of God’s Word. There are always those eager to distort what Scripture says.In Romans 7, Paul explains that the law points to a Law-Maker. The law serves the Maker’s purpose. Understanding this relationship helps Christians use…
WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE?
Micah 6:6-8–I have many Bibles. I buy different translations with different layouts, different size fonts, and different thicknesses of paper. Various purposes drive my purchases; I use some for reading, some for writing in, some for studying, and some for teaching. Despite those differences, all my Bibles have a common feature – they all have A LOT of pages filled with A LOT of words. English translations have, on average, 750,000 words, not including references, footnotes, and other added features (by comparison,…
Buried with Christ
Buried with Christ Romans 6:4-5 If you read the letter of Romans in one sitting, what does it teach about how the first Christians became Christian? In Romans 10:13, Paul writes to those who are already Christian. He says, “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” What do you think Paul meant? Is that what these Christians had done? In Romans 6, Paul ties conversion and sanctification together as he writes about being “buried with…
Love One Another
In the book of 1 John, John wrote to Christians facing challenges from a group who separated themselves from him and the other church leaders and who denied Jesus’ identity (1 John 2:18-23; 4:1-3). Motivated by the turmoil they were creating (1 John 3:4-10), John wrote to address those Jesus-denying “antichrists” (1 John 2:18-19). His response revolves around two central messages: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no…
Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Even though he composed them in intentionally challenging ways (cf. Matthew 13:10-17), Jesus’ parables provide insight and direction to the life of those who meditate on them. We have been considering some of his parables this month to see what insights they offer us that will guide us as we navigate the hopes, heartbreaks, successes, and failures we will encounter in the coming year. We have considered the following parables this month: ¨ The parable of the weeds – even though we…
Parable of the Friend at Midnight
Storytelling holds an essential place in speaking and writing. Good communicators draw their audience into a narrative that resonates with them, giving identity and meaning to their message and those receiving it. Even though he composed them in intentionally challenging ways (cf. Matthew 13:10-17), Jesus’ parables offer stories that can provide insight and direction to the life of those who meditate on them. We have been considering some of Jesus’ parables this month to see what insights they provide us…
Parable of the Weeds
Even though only a date in our calendars, the New Year carries weight for many people. It signals the beginning of something new that brings opportunities for change, renewal, and the potential for countless (good) things. However, our culture has married a cynicism to its anticipation of the New Year. How often do you hear people joking about New Year resolutions, making light of peoples’ intentions and their failure to accomplish them? We are beginning a New Year, and I…
Faith Steps
Faith Steps Romans 4:18-21 Abraham’s faith had legs. His example reminds us that we cannot please God…unless we have faith (see also Hebrews 11:6). His life also shows us the benefits of a faith that is willing to work (see also James 2:17). Had his head always been in the heavens, he wouldn’t have been much earthly benefit. And living in his body without faith would not have gotten him to a better place. Our hope, like Abraham’s, is that…
I am Thankful for Church Family
1 Corinthians 12:12-26 — We live in an individualistic culture whose definition of ‘the good life’ focuses on self-centered, impersonal things. Our place in the world, our value, we are told, connects to things like our career, our money, our car, our clothes, and our appearance. Happiness, our world markets to us, involves beings true to oneself and asserting one’s wishes and rights. The ‘good life’ our world advocates comes with a widely known secret – impersonal things and self-centered…
I am Thankful for God’s Grace
Considering our upcoming celebration of Thanksgiving, we are using some of our Sunday mornings this month to explore things for which we should be thankful. However, more than mere opportunism motivates this series; we are using the holiday as an occasion to focus on thankfulness because it occupies an essential place in our Christian identity (cf.Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). Therefore, this lesson explores another reason motivating our thankfulness: I am thankful for God’s unexpected and undeserved grace.
I AM THANKFUL God chooses to dwell with us
Revelation 21:1-4— November concludes with Thanksgiving, a holiday intended to offer us a time to remember the blessing we enjoy. For us, the holiday provides us more than a chance to remember the many good things within our lives; it allows us to intentionally practice the thankfulness the Bible describes as an essential Christian characteristic (cf. Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). To help us focus on that part of our identity, we will use this month’s Sundays to remind…
How Shall the Young Secure Their Hearts
As a parent, I worry about my sons. While I experience the usual worries about injury and happiness, my most profound and persistent concerns center on the culture they inhabit and how it influences their thinking. I know I am not alone. My parents felt the same fears about me, and I know other parents wrestle with similar concerns for their children. And so, I worry about my boys, as I am sure you worry about your families. But what…
Moses Implored the Lord
The New Testament repeatedly reminds its readers that evangelism occupies a central and non-negotiable place in Jesus’ expectations. Yet that expectation makes people uncomfortable. Therefore, we have been considering features of that responsibility over the past few weeks by studying stories from the Hebrew Bible that offer us insights into Jesus’ evangelistic expectations. In this lesson, we will explore Moses’ intercession for Israel in Exodus chapter thirty-two and consider how it models for us the intercessory role we have as Jesus’ representatives in the world.
Please Send Someone Else
NBC debuted a new game show in 2001 called “Fear Factor.” An instant hit, the show pitted people against one another in stunts designed to test them physically and mentally under the premise that the activities forced them to confront their ‘fears’. The voyeuristic pleasure that spurred the rise of reality television in the early 2000’s played a role in the show’s popularity, which drew on viewers’ recognition of how fear impacts thinking and behavior. Good reasons generally prompt fear’s…
Here am I, Send Me
God has filled His Bible with numerous stories that all revolve around a limited set of messages. The diversity of those stories offers readers a variety of ways to engage God’s will and its place in their lives. Consequently, some stories will impact us more than others. The account of Isaiah receiving a prophetic commission from God in Isaiah chapter six particularly resonates with me. So, we will consider Isaiah six and think about what insights Isaiah’s commission offers us into the evangelistic commission God gives to all of us.
Challenge and Grace
Even though, based on our appearances, we might seem different from one another, we all experience very similar internal lives. For example, we all struggle with feelings of inadequacy, fear, and shame. We all experience frustration, anger, and uncertainty. We might do a good job hiding those feelings from one another, but we all encounter them. Our shared experiences with those emotions prompt our consideration of Peter in this lesson. The New Testament’s account of Peter draws attention to his struggles to highlight Jesus’ response. Therefore, we will consider some of Peter’s struggles to see what insights they may offer us into our relationship with Jesus.
In Him – the Blessings God gives through Jesus
IN HIM The blessings God gives us through Jesus, Ephesians 1:3-14 The in-crowd offers a standard narrative and cinematic motif. Even though it usually finds employment in predictable ways, the idea of insiders and outsiders remains compelling because it resonates with everyone’s experiences. Paul opened his letter to the Christians in Ephesus by describing an in-crowd and the privileges that attend belonging to that group. But the in-crowd he wrote about avoids the usual, negative things we tend to associate…
Jesus and Technology – Every Step Must Make Life Better
Every Step Must Make Life Better
Psalm 115:1-8
Technology & inventions should make life better. However, they can spoil as frequently as they can enrich. Jesus doesn’t focus on what man invents, but instead on the heart of man behind every invention. From out of the heart come the things that stain, scar, and defile (Mark 7:20-23). To what extent do our devices enrich our devotion to Christ & others? How much do they leave us distracted, isolated, & spoiled?
Crucified with Christ
Paul wrote that he had “been crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20), a well-known phrase describing the nature of his relationship with Jesus. Knowing Paul’s desire to be like Jesus and recognizing that it should occupy a similarly important place in our lives does not, by itself, bring clarity to that expectation. Therefore, we will consider Paul’s letter to the Philippians in which he offers insights into how his focus on Jesus shaped his life and explore how his transformation offers guidance for us.
Christlikeness and Suffering
Advertisements populate almost every space in our lives. Those ads often try to convince viewers to buy whatever goods or services they market by outlining how they will improve their lives. I have yet to see an advertisement that – in a non-humorous nor non-ironic way – sells its product by highlighting the persecution and suffering it will bring into peoples’ lives. However, that is the tactic Peter used to address the suffering experienced by his audience. We will therefore consider Peter’s message in 1 Peter and its connection to our effort to become increasingly Christlike people.