The author of Hebrews gave believers a task: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... , not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another ; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:24–25). One of the ways we, as the people of God, can stimulate and encourage one another is by sharing stories of God's faithfulness . Rick Walker, a member of Oakridge Bible Chapel, shares some of what God has been teaching hi...
Jan 02, 2023•7 min•Season 8Ep. 2
The author of Hebrews gave believers a task: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... , not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another ; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:24–25). One of the ways we, as the people of God, can stimulate and encourage one another is by sharing stories of God's faithfulness . Godsgrace Agu, a member of Oakridge Bible Chapel, shares an abridged version of how God has ...
Jan 02, 2023•7 min•Season 8Ep. 1
When I was thinking about what I was going to preach on today, I got thinking about how special it is when Christmas is on a Sunday, because it happens so infrequently. There’s no denying that these Christmas Sundays are special, and in some ways that can make it feel like a lot of pressure. I know it’s not uncommon for preachers to struggle with a real or self-imposed expectation when it comes to the advent season, to preach something new or unique, so we’re not just rehashing the same Christma...
Jan 01, 2023•31 min•Season 7Ep. 51
My full name is James Stuart Turner Rennie. It's quite a moniker to attach to a little baby! The Stuart part is from my Dad’s Scottish roots. The Turner part is from my mother’s English family roots. The James part is my Dad’s first name so I was named after him. James is a biblical name. He was the Lord’s brother. James comes from the name Jacob in the Old Testament. So many Bible names have a good meaning, but James or Jacob does not. It means deceiver or trickster, and as you may remember, th...
Dec 18, 2022•35 min•Season 7Ep. 50
On August 5, 2010, the collapse of a mine in San Jose, Chile trapped thirty-three workers 700-meters underground. For seventeen dark days they survived on tiny rations of food and dirty water. Finally, a 4.5” hole appeared in the wall. The attempt to reach the cave by workers above had worked and, through this tiny shaft the miners were supplied with food, water, communication, and hope. Obviously, a bigger hole was needed to escape, and this took time. But finally, on October 13, after weeks of...
Dec 12, 2022•32 min•Season 7Ep. 49
C. S. Lewis once wrote, “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” Do you share his optimism? Do you believe, as a Christian, that your future is immeasurably greater than even your most precious experiences so far? I hope you do because this is one of the privileges that Christ offers his children: beauty and glory ahead. But western Christians today can struggle with this sanctified anticipation because life is pretty good. We have full bellies, warm backs, and dry beds...
Dec 05, 2022•37 min•Season 7Ep. 48
A Christmas Carol is the story of a mean, selfish old man named Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by a series of ghosts come to show him how his behaviour has affected others. At one point of this supernatural education, Scrooge is led to the home of his ill-treated employee, Bob Cratchit, and, looking through the front window, observes something powerful and foreign. He sees a family marked by contentment and generosity in spite of poverty, by joy and love in spite of hardship. Looking through th...
Nov 27, 2022•37 min•Season 7Ep. 47
Scripture is full of individuals who, when faced with a God-given task, immediately felt ill-equipped and insecure, sure that the Almighty had chosen the wrong person of the job. For example, consider Abraham and Sarah (Gen 17:17), Moses (Ex 3:11), Gideon (Jdg 6:15), Jeremiah (Jer 1:6), Mary (Luke 1:34), and Paul (1 Cor 15:9). These were real people wanting to serve a real God who had given them real assignments in the real world but were faced with real uncertainty because of real deficiencies....
Nov 20, 2022•38 min•Season 7Ep. 46
Jesus is the absolute and incomparable Christ who preexisted all (Col 1:17), created all (1:16), is over all (1:15; 2:10), sustains all (1:17), and owns all (1:16). All the fullness of divinity dwells in him (1:19; 2:9), all things are being reconciled to him (1:20), and all the treasures of wisdom are hidden with him (2:3). Jesus is everything and, because of that, believers lack nothing. By virtue of our relationship with Christ we have access to all spiritual understanding (1:9), enjoy all as...
Nov 14, 2022•32 min•Season 7Ep. 45
This morning we are going to look at Psalm 47. This psalm has been categorized by some as one of several “psalms of the Lord’s kingship” or “enthronement psalms”; that is, it specifically deals with the acknowledgement of God as King. One of the things I find particularly interesting about this one is that, while the majority emphasizes God’s universal reign as king over all the earth, there’s a little segment in the middle that is focussed more on Israel, and what God has done and will do for t...
Nov 07, 2022•34 min•Season 7Ep. 44
A quick internet search informs the budding altruist that a good person is someone who is kind, attentive, wise, self-controlled, and courageous. They are people who are happy, promoters of happiness, and who never stifle others’ happiness. Further online research suggests that such exemplary character can be achieved by such means as embracing change, being grateful, taking care of yourself, complimenting yourself, letting go of anger, giving back, shopping local, being yourself, setting goals,...
Oct 31, 2022•38 min•Season 7Ep. 43
Let's think together about Heaven. Some people call this the afterlife, about what happens when you die, and though we can understand the thought, the term “afterlife” is technically incorrect and not something that can be found in the Bible. Let's go to Scripture today and find a better understanding of Heaven, one that can encourage us to seek it, to set our minds on it, and to look forward to it.
Oct 23, 2022•29 min•Season 7Ep. 42
While many have heard of claustrophobia (a fear of enclosed spaces), acrophobia (a fear of heights), and arachnophobia (a fear of spiders), fewer are familiar with sciophobia—a fear of shadows. One publication explains that, for someone wrestling with it, sciophobia “may dictate major decisions they make in their day-to-day life such as choosing to not go outside in the daylight … in fear they may come across a shadow.” This fear can lead to intense, paralyzing anxiety. Now, most understand that...
Oct 16, 2022•37 min•Season 7Ep. 41
Some assignments are so big they can be overwhelming. Maybe it’s a comprehensive final exam or a massive term paper, a necessary home renovation or a significant health issue, a mountain of personal debt to climb or a relational tension to overcome. Huge tasks like these can be intimidating, deflating, and immobilizing. “Where do I even start? Is it even possible? Should I even bother?” Sometimes this is how it feels to follow Jesus, to give our lives to him, to serve him, to share him, and to b...
Oct 11, 2022•35 min•Season 7Ep. 40
“Handle with care.” We’ve all heard, read, said, and maybe prayed those three words of request. Whether when passing a newborn to an excited older sibling for the first time, packing and transporting boxes of irreplaceable items, or offering help to a vulnerable, ill, or discouraged loved one, the need is the same—to proceed with caution, to speak with compassion, and to handle with care. And the care with which we handle a situation reflects its perceived worth and fragility. We care for robust...
Oct 02, 2022•37 min•Season 7Ep. 39
Music is powerful but, for Christians, music that celebrates and venerates our Lord and Saviour is especially so. Consider these well-worn and majestic words: “All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ name! / Let angels prostrate fall; / bring forth the royal diadem, / and crown him Lord of all!” Or how about these more recently-penned lines: “You’re the Word of God the Father / from before the world began; / every star and every planet / has been fashioned by your hand. / All creation holds together / by t...
Sep 25, 2022•41 min•Season 7Ep. 38
One of the burdens of every generation is to teach the next generation good manners. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, and baby-sitters all join forces to help children learn to be polite, to do things like use a napkin at the table, hold doors open for others, and say ‘excuse me’ when appropriate. But perhaps the most foundational and obvious example of good manners is children learning to say ‘please’ when asking for something and ‘thank you’ when receiving it. ‘Please’ and ‘than...
Sep 18, 2022•38 min•Season 7Ep. 37
In July 1961, Vince Lombardi, coach of the Green Bay Packers, stood before thirty-eight professional football players ready to start a new season. Six months previous, they had lost the championship game in the final minutes and had been sitting in that memory ever since. These athletes were ready to adjust what needed adjusting to make sure this year was different and were waiting for their coach to give them direction. Instead, Lombardi looked out over the second-best team in the world, held u...
Sep 11, 2022•37 min•Season 7Ep. 36
From Paul's letter to the Romans, Dr. Rennie encourages us how to rightly identify our spiritual giftedness and how to use that giftedness for the building up of the body of Christ.
Sep 05, 2022•48 min•Season 7Ep. 35
Oftentimes an end is also a beginning. The end of summer signals the beginning of autumn. The end of childhood means the beginning of adulthood. When life as a single person comes to an end that typically means life as a spouse is beginning. Trusting Christ for everlasting life marks the end of separation from God and the beginning of the process of becoming like him. Oftentimes an end is also a beginning. Such is the case with Matthew’s gospel. The evangelist didn’t write this book to simply en...
Aug 29, 2022•41 min•Season 7Ep. 34
It is customary for a good sermon to begin with an introduction of sorts, an attempt to orient the hearer to the text or topic about to be studied. However, there are some passages of Scripture that simply require no introduction. These are sections of God’s word so momentous, so profound, so dramatic, and so captivating that they demand attention with little outside help. Such is the case with Matthew’s inspired account of the crucifixion of the King. It is as climactic as it is devastating, as...
Aug 21, 2022•38 min•Season 7Ep. 33
A “kangaroo court” is a trivial-sounding idiom that, in reality, describes something far less playful than its title may suggest. According to one source, this expression refers to “an unauthorized mock court or legal proceeding in which some or all of the due process rights [of the accused] are ignored and the outcome appears to be predetermined.” In other words, a kangaroo court is a sham trial, it is judicial theatre, and it is malevolent injustice. There could scarcely be a better descriptio...
Aug 14, 2022•39 min•Season 7Ep. 32
Young pastors are often advised, “preach to suffering people and you’ll never lack an audience.” Why? Because everyone is well-acquainted with the subject. We all suffer, facing times of uncertainty and vulnerability, pain and inconvenience, fear and heartbreak, mistreatment and loneliness. Indeed, each of us have endured, are enduring, and will endure hardship. But how can we endure well ? That’s the question Matthew 26:30–56 is going to help us answer. As Matthew provides readers with a front-...
Aug 09, 2022•43 min•Season 7Ep. 31
Chapter 26 marks a dramatic shift in Matthew’s gospel. In it is a transition from a teaching on things to come to a retelling of things that are, from predictions of Jesus’s future return to predictions of Jesus’s soon departure, from powerful scenes of victory and vindication to pathetic scenes of vulnerability and apparent defeat. Whereas the disciples had been promised that the Son of Man will come in glory and be eternally enthroned (25:31), now they’re being promised that the Son of Man is ...
Jul 28, 2022•39 min•Season 7Ep. 30
One can learn a great deal from reading the letters written by soldiers to their families during World War I and World War II. Scanning these preserved messages can grow in us a compassion for those who suffer, provide insights into the horrors of battle, and inspire gratitude for the many men and women who have given their lives for the safety and security of others. And all of this and more can be gleaned in spite of the fact that the letters were not written to us and that they describe parti...
Jul 21, 2022•39 min•Season 7Ep. 29
The Bible is filled with contrast. Good and evil, light and darkness, joy and sorrow, hope and fear. In many cases, we’re better able to understand just how great something is when it’s compared and contrasted with something that is not very great. If I showed you a twig and a log, it would be immediately obvious which one is bigger, and heavier. But if I held up two twigs that are only slightly different in length and thickness, it might take some time or a closer inspection to figure out the d...
Jul 14, 2022•39 min•Season 7Ep. 28
Sometimes, there is suffering in our lives that’s more like a stomach flu: we don’t really know why it’s happening, but it feels terrible. Just when we think it’s done, we get hit again. And while others can comfort us and we can treat the symptoms as much as possible, we know that ultimately we just need to wait it out. But other times, suffering has a cause; we’ve done something unwise or irresponsible, and brought a pain upon ourselves that won’t be stopped until we get that source of corrupt...
Jul 08, 2022•36 min•Season 7Ep. 27
It has been observed that “the subject of biblical prophecy is like one magnet interacting with another. For many people, it pulls them in. For others, it drives them away.” Indeed, some are drawn to prophecy. Wanting to know about the future they enjoy thinking, discussing, and reading about things to come and, perhaps, how current events fit in to God’s revelation. Others are repelled by prophecy, viewing it as a futile topic that divides, confuses, and scares. Surely both groups are represent...
Jul 08, 2022•42 min•Season 7Ep. 26
Matthew has recounted Jesus’s final entrance into Jerusalem (20:29–21:17), the unrelenting opposition he faced upon arrival (21:18–22:14), and, now, his rebuke of the faithlessness of the nation’s leadership (23:1–39). To state it another way, the King was formally presented to Israel, formally rejected by Israel, and is now formally rejecting Israel in response. And of all the legitimate reasons the Lord had to condemn that generation of his people, it is their hypocrisy that he highlights. It ...
Jun 22, 2022•48 min•Season 7Ep. 25
There are few more offensive concepts to the sensibilities of our contemporary culture than that of submission—the act of knowingly, willingly, intentionally, and repeatedly placing ourselves, our wills, and our preferences under the authority of another. It is considered a distasteful mark of powerlessness, hopelessness, shamefulness, and oppression. Success, according to many, means having others answer to you . True liberty is found in the freedom from ever having to bow to anyone . Truth is ...
Jun 14, 2022•43 min•Season 7Ep. 24
