Sunday morning teachings from First Presbyterian Church of Orlando
Dr. David Swanson | Judges 16:23-30 Samson is blinded as judgement for where "his eyes took him," but even in his blindness, God gave him the necessary strength when needed, even beyond the Nazirite law or his hair.
Rev. Alexa Rossi | Ruth 1:19-21; 4:14-16 Naomi believes that the Lord has failed to provide for her, but he works providentially through her circumstances and actions to bring new life out of all of her sorrows.
Dr. David Swanson | Philemon vs 24 In Demas, we see someone who was in Christ get transformed by love of the world. Transformation can work the wrong way, too.
Dr. Case Thorp | Philemon 1-24 The dramatic setting surrounding the book of Philemon, involving Onesimus, Aristarchus, and more, make for a great look at the early church, and the power of the Gospel in relationships.
Dr. Jack Peebles | Luke 15:11-32 The Father’s love doesn’t just forgive—it restores and transforms, turning shame into belonging and death into life.
Dr. David Swanson | Acts 2:1-3 Fire plays a significant role in Scripture, symbolizing the power of God, the presence of God, the cleansing of God and the judgement of God.
Dr. David Swanson | John 3:1-5, 4:7-15, 25-26 The woman at the Well was looking to all the ways of the world to meet her deepest longings, but her thirst is quenched in Jesus.
Dr. Paul Gibson | John 20:24-29 It often takes an encounter with Christ to help our unbelief. Take your doubts to God. He's big enough to handle them. And you might be surprised by what happens when you do.
Dr. Jack Peebles | John 9:24-39 For the man born blind from birth, Jesus offers the incredible gift of sight. Even better than this gift of physical sight, is the gift of spiritual sight…a gift of belief!
Dr. David Swanson | Esther 4:9-17 Esther's boldness in going to the King, even saying "if I perish, I perish," was a remarkable moment as she went from pleasing man to pleasing God.
Dr. David Swanson | Acts 9:1-19 Paul has one of the more dramatic conversation experiences, one that offers good news to us. If God can call Paul, He can call any sinner and use that person as His instrument. It also highlights how God uses others as they cross our paths.
Rev. Tanner Fox | 2 Samuel 12:1-7 The story of 2 Samuel 11-12 eventually produced one of the most well known Psalms in the worship book of God’s people, Psalm 51. The Psalm is a picture of the humiliation of the human soul, leading to the humility of human confession, leading to the healing of God’s grace. A transformational process we all need to know but rarely want to experience. What I find beautiful about this story is the way in which God uses a good friend to spark the match that leads to...
Dr. David Swanson | John 20:10-23 We have a tendency to hang on to things in life "in case we might need them." We can even try to "hang on" to Jesus as if He is just for us. To the contrary, Jesus welcomes us, but then He sends us out into the fullness of Kingdom life. You are meant for more!
Dr. David Swanson | Psalm 30 God transforms the hard things in David's life, his mourning, into dancing - not from happiness, but from joy.
Dr. David Swanson | Matthew 5:5 Meekness is an often misunderstood quality, one often associated with being a doormat. It is not that, but a quality of heart that is humble and other-centered. Like Jesus.
Dr. Jack Peebles | Acts 7:54-60, Matthew 5:10 As our culture becomes more and more hostile to Christian faith, the reality of persecution looms larger.
Dr. David Swanson | Matthew 5:9 In a world of agitation and anger, which we are easily dragged into, how can we become people of peace?
Rev. Tanner Fox | Matthew 5:3 The blessing of being poor in spirit.
Rev. Tanner Fox | Matthew 5:4 We all live in the grief and mourning that comes with life. In the body, and through Christ, we are also comforted.
Dr. David Swanson | Acts 16:25-34 The Philippian jailer was one regularly inflicting pain and suffering on those under his charge, including putting Paul and Silas in stocks. We're not sure what role it played in their beatings, but it was likely significant. He was a calloused, cruel man, and yet he is transformed, his heart becoming filled with care and compassion.
Dr. David Swanson | Numbers 12:1-3, 9-15 Though Miriam had a huge role in the exodus, she becomes envious and gossips about Moses, likely envious of his standing with God. Her skin is made leprous, and she is left outside the camp for a week.
Dr. David Swanson | Jonah 1:1-12 Jonah is famous for his disobedience, but more than that, we see that he did not love the Ninevites and remains angry even at the end. We are all works in progress - sometimes, God leaves the end of the story up in the air.
Dr. Case Thorp | Psalm 131:1-3 As a pilgrim coming to worship at the temple in Jerusalem, David reaches deep into his heart and discovers the still small voice of God, but in the same manner, the maturity to which Christ calls us all.
Dr. David Swanson | 2 Samuel 9:1-11 Mephibosheth is one of the great stories of transformation in the Bible as he goes from being a cripple to eating at David's table. He goes from nowhere (Lo Debar) to somewhere by God's grace.
Dr. David Swanson | 1 Kings 18:18-21 True transformation is only possible when we have truly yielded to the Lordship of Jesus in our lives. Do we want to change or do we just say that, instead desiring in our hearts to keep doing the very same things?
Dr. David Swanson | Joshua 1:1-9 As we move into this series on the transforming power of God, we have to understand how it works and why we sometimes fight it.
Dr. David Swanson | Acts 16:11-15 Lydia's baptism gives us a perfect window into baptism as inclusionary event, family event, community event.
Dr. Paul Gibson | Joshua 2:1-3 The Lord wrote an amazing story about Rahab's life with unexpected twists and turns. How might the Lord be writing your story?
Bret Allen | Luke 2:18-19
Dr. David Swanson | Isaiah 57:14-16, 18-19 The birth of Christ can seem like folklore of fairy tale at times, raising as many questions as it answers. How do we know that this child really was God? How does this moment help us answer some of the bigger questions life? Jesus helps us crack the code. He is the means by which we understand everything else and so we make Him Lord. Merry Christmas!
