Philippians 2:5-11 Having the Right Attitude MAIN POINT: This is having the right attitude: to get up you have to go down. The world teaches you to get up to go up. Jesus teaches us that in order to get up you have to go down. Christ’s humiliation and exaltation are presented as cause and effect.1 Not many of us want to be servants, do we? And those who have the notion that Christianity centers in service need to realize... Read more
Lenten Reflection #20: Jesus Examines “For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this.The One who evaluates me is the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 4:4, HCSB) Like a medical examiner, Jesus examines me. He evaluates me and my motives. He searches my heart. He looks into my soul. He does more than a surgeon who cuts open the physical body to diagnose and make repairs. Jesus cuts through with the Holy Spirit to examine... Read more
Lenten Reflection #19: Jesus Relaxes Lenten Reflection #19: Jesus Relaxes is a Lenten reflection on the way in which Jesus relaxes. ““Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, HCSB) I am quite sure there were times when Jesus relaxed from His ministry on Earth. He would go to Bethany to visit with His close friends (Mary, Martha, and Lazarus) as a place to rest. There were times when... Read more
Ezekiel 37:1-14 From Chopped Church to Church Revival Ezekiel 37:1-14 From Chopped Church to Church Revival is a sermon about the process that a church goes to get to revival. Illustration: Chop up a doll. Tear it into pieces. Let me take this doll and a pair of scissors and chop it up. Please adults, don’t do this at home. This is only for illustrative purposes. This doll represents the church as the body. Sometimes though, the church body gets... Read more
1 Peter 2:11-17 Good Works The new Captain America movie is out. It is called Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This comic book character was created in 1941. Captain America is the alter ego of Steve Rogers, a frail young man who was enhanced to the peak of human perfection by an experimental serum, in order to aid the United States government’s imminent efforts in World War 2. Captain America wears a costume that bears an American flag and... Read more
Lenten Reflection #18: Jesus Advocates “My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous One.” (1 John 2:1, HCSB) Jesus didn’t just pay for the penalty of our sins. He also pleads our case as our Advocate for the pardon we receive from sin. Satan is called the Accuser, which is like the prosecuting attorney. Jesus is our... Read more
Lenten Reflection #17: Jesus Destroys “Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the Devil —” (Hebrews 2:14, HCSB) “The one who commits sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the Devil’s works.” (1 John 3:8, HCSB) Two... Read more
“since you seek proof of Christ speaking in me. He is not weak toward you, but powerful among you. In fact, He was crucified in weakness, but He lives by God’s power. For we also are weak in Him, yet toward you we will live with Him by God’s power.” (2 Corinthians 13:3–4, HCSB) Jesus weakens His servants so that we reveal may His strength to others. Jesus uses weak people. Jesus uses weak people because He went through... Read more
Lenten Reflection #15: Jesus Strengthens “But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, HCSB) Jesus is in the business of strengthening. His power – the power we need to accomplish everything we need in life – is strengthened when we are weak. In other words,... Read more
Lenten Reflection #14: Jesus Jokes “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?” (Luke 11:11–12, HCSB) Was this verse a form of a prank? Was it a form of humor that Jesus used when He spoke? I don’t know if Jesus would have played an April Fool’s Day joke on his disciples. However, I suspect... Read more
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