Sermons, Lectures, & Teachings
Honoring the past context for God’s word.
Understanding the current relevance for God’s word.
Living in the future hope of God’s word.
Begin with Prayer | Luke 6:12-16
The Gospel - the Good news of Jesus Christ - is that not only did he come to earth, defeat death, and rise up again so that I may have new life, that I may know the love of the Father. That’s only half of it! Not only is this good news for me, but the second half is that God came to earth for others too. So my job as a Christian is not just to grow closer each day with the Father through Jesus, but then also to be sharing this same Good News with others.
What Jesus REALLY Says About Judging | Matthew 7:1-6
Today’s passage might be right up there with John 3:16 and Psalm 23 as recognized and quoted scriptures, even by those who would not claim Christianity as their own. But as we know with Scripture, we cannot take only one isolated verse or section of verses and dismiss the rest of the context.
Secret of Fasting | Matthew 6:16-18
I have been of a Protestant tradition of one kind or another for my whole life. What this means in terms of fasting is that I have not had any regularity or liturgical significance for this. But that does not excuse me from this vital spiritual discipline. Fasting is not optional.
Divorce & What Jesus Really Says | Matthew 5:31-32
Jesus clarifies both the law and the practice of divorce. He addresses the misplaced allegiance & displaced loyalty of his audience, redirecting their focus from the law to creation’s intent. He peels back the veil of obligatory obedience to black-and-white laws to emphasis loyalty. And Jesus pushes us to see people as sacred, to see people as image bearers not objects for our discard.
Salt & Light | Matthew 5:13-16
And then Jesus reminds the people that they are a people of covenant, which is a sacred agreement between them and God himself. He starts this reminder with:“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” Matthew 5:13 CSB
Sharing: God’s Mission Through Us | Matthew 28:16-20 & Hebrews 13:15-16
Outreach, Missions, and Evangelism are often used interchangeably or even incorrectly. They are all words that can be intimidating, but I believe that is largely because we don’t understand them or their role in the fulfillment of the Gospel.