With the crashing down of a mountain of water, the people Israel suddenly became their own nation, freed from slavery in Egypt. Stretching for miles before them lay... the wilderness of Sinai. What would God do to make them his own special people in the desert? How would they respond? And in your own life... what is the purpose of "wilderness," "the desert" and other dry times?
Read MoreStarting with a normal guy named Abram, living on the other side of the river in Haran, God begins what he calls a mission to "bless all the nations of the earth." How will he do it? Through the nation that is born to Abram. Obviously, this must be because Abram was such a righteous and faithful guy, right? RIGHT? Or did God want to show us something far different... something about himself??? Maybe God was about to define faithfulness in a way people could never imagine on our own.
Read MorePaul claims in Ephesians 3 that every family on earth derives its name from the Creator -- if that's true, then the story of Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Seth... reaching to Noah and his sons, is all of our story. Here we learn something of ourselves, and even more of the big story, God's Story, that's being told in the lives of the first people.
Read MoreThis is the first sermon in our summer 2014 series called HIS-tory, a fly-over survey of the whole Bible in 14 weeks. Why attempt such a huge task? Because in the whole of the Bible, we see the whole of God, especially as he is revealed in Jesus.
Read MoreThe Great Commission has catalyzed more action... and more guilt... than perhaps any other passage in Matthew. This sermon, the last in our Matthew Series, suggests that if we hear it as the church rather than as individuals, everything about how we do it changes.
Read MoreAll of Christian belief depends on the Resurrection of Jesus - it is the fulfillment of our faith. Can we really believe in it? And what does it actually fulfill?
Read MoreMatthew 27 and Psalm 89 end on the same note: It looks like God has not kept his promises. In Psalm 89, Ethan the Ezrahite recounts the promises about the line of David and how there is now no Davidic King on the throne. As Matthew 27 comes to an end, the distant descendant of David, the one who claimed to be the Anointed King, was dead and being sealed in Joseph of Arimathea's tomb, with Mary and Mary watching. When hope is dashed, what do we do?
Read MoreThe greatest sermon ever preached was not in words, but in signs. As Jesus Christ is taking the sin of the world upon himself, creation responds. Matthew 27:45-56 invites us to behold these signs. The sky goes black, the Son cries out, the curtain is torn, the earth shakes, and some dead come alive. Let us behold together.
Read MoreLooking at Matthew 27:27-44, it becomes readily apparent that Matthew wanted his readers to focus more on the mockery aimed at Jesus than the physical torture he was experiencing. And everyone mocks him: Roman soldiers, passersby, Jewish leaders, even the criminals hanging on crosses next to him! What is behind our mockery? And what need does our mockery reveal?
Read MoreGuest speaker and ministry partner Sean explores the worldwide human search for happiness and finds that at the heart of it is a longing to be involved in a story. Either we cling to stories that entertain us for a fleeting moment, or we join in on the greatest story in history.
Read MoreRomans 12:1-2 describes the action that results from the mercies of God: many bodies offer themselves as one sacrifice. This is the Body of Christ! Verses 3-13 describe how that impacts our relationships with one another, and verses 14-21 describe how that impacts our relationship with the non-believing world.
Read MoreIn 12:2, Paul suggests that a result of our corporate "living sacrifice" is that we've been "transformed by the renewing of [our] minds." But what does that mean? Verses 3-13 give a very specific picture: it means we think as many members of one body.
Read MoreLent is the season when believers prepare their hearts and minds to respond to the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Romans 12 is a succinct illustration of our response: Love God, Love Each Other, and Love the World. Part 1 of 3.
Read MoreHistorical Christianity claims that believers are justified before God because Jesus stood as our substitute in the cosmic trial dealing with our sin. When Jesus takes Barabbas' place in the Roman court, he provides a real-life symbol of the great truth that sets us free. But what does it mean for us?
Read MoreAll of life - and even the end of our life, provides us a choice of whether we will attempt to judge ourselves and others, or allow God to be the judge.
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