Proclaiming God’s Favor June 23, 2016 Isaiah 61:1-3 Isaiah is a miniature version of the Bible. There are sixty-six chapters, just as there are sixty-six books in the Bible. The first thirty-nine speak of God’s judgment (like the Old Testament), the last 27 speaks of God’s love (like the New Testament). Isaiah 61:1-3 is about proclaiming God’s favor. The verses speak about a Person (the Messiah) who has been anointed by God. You can even notice that the verse begins... Read more
Revelation 12:1-18 The Woman, Child, and Dragon Seven Key Figures Part 1 Revelation 12:1-18 The Woman, Child, and Dragon is the first sermon in a three-part series of the “Seven Key Figures” of Revelation. As well as being the start of a new major section, Revelation 12 stands as the theological heart of the book because it shows why the church faces spiritual hostility in this world and how God provides the victory. Revelation 12:1–14:20 forms a grand interlude detailing... Read more
Hebrews 12:3-13 How a Father Disciples His Children Hebrews 12:3-13 How a Father Disciples His Children is a sermon based on a devotional. In The Grace Awakening, Charles Swindoll writes: I vividly remember my last spanking. It was on my thirteenth birthday, as a matter of fact. Having just broken into the sophisticated ranks of the teen world, I thought I was something on a stick. My father wasn’t nearly as impressed as I was with my great importance and... Read more
There Will Be Hell to Pay June 17, 2016 Mark 9:42-50 When people ask if Jesus ever spoke about hell, you can point them to this section of the New Testament. Here, Jesus warns people about causing people to sin. CAUSING LITTLE ONES TO SIN (Mark 9:42) Jesus first warns us against the downfall of children who believe in Jesus (Mark 9:42). The consequence of this offense is for someone to put a millstone around the offender’s neck and... Read more
How God Deals with Rebels June 16, 2016 Numbers 12:1-16 When people criticize the pastor or leader, and I don’t mean constructive criticism, it is a form of rebellion. It is rebellion because what they say with their mouth is not what is on their mind. By this, I mean that what they say is wrong is not what they really think is wrong. WHAT YOU SAY IS NOT WHAT YOU REALLY MEAN In this case, Miriam and Aaron... Read more
5 Ways to Have a Childlike Spirit June 14, 2016 Psalm 131:1-3 Jesus encourages us that if we are going to be in the kingdom of God and participate with God in His work, we need to have a child-like spirit. Having a child-like spirit is not the same as being childish. Being childish acting with the maturity of a child even though you are an adult. Having a child-like spirit is a matter of the heart. David describes qualities that... Read more
1 Peter 2:9-10 Recognizing Who I Am Introduction: Do you remember the fairly tell of Sleeping Beauty. The queen looks into the mirror and asks: Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? You can look at your smartphone and open your camera. You have it turn around to act like a mirror and see yourself. That’s how a lot of us get our self-esteem today. A multitude of studies in the last forty years indicates that... Read more
Rewilding the Way by Todd Wynward Rewilding the Way by Todd Wynward is a book that encourages the reader to (as the subtitle suggests) “break free from an untamed God.” The book is divided into three parts. As a result, I will review this book in three parts as well. PART I: OUR PREDICAMENT, OUR POTENTIAL Wynward states his approach as rewilding spirituality. In conservation biology, where people take the land and bring it back to its wild state. Wynward... Read more
You Are My Hiding Place June 9, 2016 Year C Psalm 32:7 Do you remember your favorite hiding place? Can you think of a place you could go to and feel the most secure? I remember that I could hide from anyone out in the small set of woods at the end of our street. We lived on a dead-end street when I was a kid. Across the street and down a bit were some patches of forest. I would... Read more
Franchising McChurch by Thomas White and John Yeats Franchising McChurch by Thomas White and John Yeats, states as its subtitle thesis: Feeding America’s Obsession with Easy Christianity. White and Yeats look at a variety of trends in the modern church growth movement. They use the term “McDonaldization” as a metaphor to explain how the church has changed. McDonaldization is: processes by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as... Read more
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