If I try really hard to be as good as I can possibly be, surely God will receive me into the kingdom of heaven? Jesus says it’s IMPOSSIBLE for us to enter. But with God all things are possible! He tells an amazing story to illustrate the way through the narrow gate.
All honest and uncalloused people know what it is to feel guilt for past wrongs, mistakes, and missteps. We’re familiar with the haunting questions that often accompany our transgressions: Can I make this right? Is it possible to fix what I’ve now broken? What does my error say about me? Am I beyond redemption? Will I ever feel bad enough to make up for the damage I’ve done? While many try to buffer against feelings of guilt by avoiding, normalizing, or justifying wrongdoings, those who believe ...
Hebrews 8 begins a three-chapter-long discussion on the New Covenant, that efficacious oath sworn by God the Father, ratified by God the Son, and applied by God the Spirit. It’s the cumulative covenant in which all believers are united, forgiven, and kept. It’s the covenant Christ’s church remembers when they take the bread and drink the cup, commemorating and anticipating he who is both its sacrificial lamb and its mediating priest. Because of all that it is and all that it does , the New Coven...
God reminds us throughout the scriptures, both in word and through example that His thoughts are not our thoughts, and that our ways are not His ways (Isaiah 55:8). Furthermore, He reminds us that His ways and purposes are accomplished, not by human might or power, but by His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). Paul made it clear to the believers in Corinth that God uses ordinary vessels to accomplish His eternal purposes so “that no flesh should glory in His presence” (I Corinthians 1:29). ...
I don’t really understand how the engine of our family vehicle works. I’m glad someone does and I know it’d be good if I did but, for now, I just enjoy the magic and the mystery. I’m dependent upon and benefit from the reality of auto mechanics without comprehending auto mechanics. For most Christians, the same could be said about the Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ. We’re thankful someone understands it and know it’d likely be helpful if we did too but, for now, we’re okay with being depend...
“All children, except one, grow up.” With these words J. M. Barrie begins his classic work, Peter Pan , the title character of which has endeared himself to many for his ability to fly, his wild imagination, his friendship with Tinker Bell, his adventures with the Lost Boys, and his battles with Captain Hook. But behind the carefree facade of the story lays a cautionary tale, one hinted at by the opening line. Throughout, the characters resist, mock, and fight the inevitability of adulthood, ins...
Many Christians take for granted the fact that we have access to God—that we can sing about him, talk to him, hear from him, be changed by him, and offer service through him. But these are incredible and privileged realities made possible only by God’s grace. In reality, sinful humanity has no business receiving anything from he who is holy, holy, holy other than judgement (Ex 33:20; Isa 6:5; Luke 5:8). Yet, God has made perfect access to himself possible through a perfect High Priest. God’s peo...
It’s been said that “history repeats itself. It has to—nobody listens the first time around.” That there’s a cyclical sense to history is both observable and biblical. Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl 1:9). He also agrees that many people fail to learn from the past: “Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly” (Prov 26:11). According to God, those who unnecessarily relive their own messes are fools. Those who seek to understand the present and a...
An anger that is left unchecked, can lead to destructive consequences. However, a righteous anger can lead to godly living. Discover how we can master this emotion through self-control and through a biblical understanding of anger. Self-control is not just a matter of willpower, but a spiritual fruit cultivated by the Holy Spirit. Learn how to resolve anger and channel our emotions in ways that honor God and bring peace to our lives and relationships. Join us as we uncover the transformative pow...
Discover the transformative power of managing anger in a way that honors God. In the second part of this series, we will explore the fine line between a righteous anger and sin. Learn about the destructive effects of unchecked anger and bitterness, and understand how physical, verbal, and even mental rage can damage our relationships and spiritual well-being.
Anger has often been viewed as a sinful emotion. However, through this sermon, we will explore the transformative power that a righteous anger has, when it is fully aligned with God’s will. Three types of righteous anger will be examined: frustration, indignation, and jealousy. Learn how Jesus' frustrations with His disciples, His righteous indignation against sin, and His zealous jealousy for God’s house, can spur the believer towards godly living and loving service that is aligned with Scriptu...
Writing to a group of tried, tempted, and tired believers, the author of Hebrews reminds them of the absolute, immeasurable, and unrivalled supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the climactic and cumulative self-disclosure of Almighty God to humanity, the uniquely exalted one who humbly and sacrificially accomplished God’s perfect plan, identifying with sinners, dying for sinners, pardoning sinners, and now representing sinners. To look anywhere other than the Son is to settle for deficiency...
The Lord Jesus Christ is a person of paradox. There are realities about him that don’t immediately and obviously make sense to creatures like you and me. So, perhaps it’s unsurprising that, during his first advent, many of his greatest lessons shared that confounding quality. For example, he instructed his disciples that, “Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:4...
Siblings may look a lot alike until they’re standing side-by-side. A forgery of a painting could fool many until it’s hung next to the original. A runner might consider themselves quite fast until they’re in the starting blocks next to an Olympian. Why? Because proximity can highlight dissimilarity. The original recipients of the letter to the Hebrews seem to have been forgetting the unique beauty, power, and authority of Jesus. In their immaturity and vulnerability, these believers were struggl...
While there are many ways to get to know another person, the best way is to listen to them when they speak, to hear them describe their sense of right and wrong, their memories of the past, their desires for the present, and their goals for the future. Indeed, it’s near impossible to experience relational intimacy with anyone apart from deliberate attentiveness to what they reveal about themselves. And what’s true of our relationships with the people around us is true of our relationship with th...
The Bible teaches us to obey authorities and governments. The Bible also teaches us that God is in control of any earthly government. In the book of Daniel we see Kingdoms rise and fall, on God’s authority. And it’s that same authority that will one day bring in a final and eternal kingdom, when God reigns.
Disunity, complacency, apathy, immorality, immaturity, lethargy, idolatry, insecurity, adversity, and apostasy. There are so many spiritual diseases that can plague God’s people, sin-wrought infections that hinder us from growing and serving and enjoying and worshipping and witnessing as we ought to do. And yet, as various as these sicknesses present, as contagious as these infections can be, and as dangerous as these ailments are, they all share a treatment and have a common remedy: a clearer, ...
While all Scripture is equally inspired and equally authoritative , we can admit that not all Scripture is equally urgent . Not every passage of the Bible uniformly challenges its hearers and readers with a sin-confronting, reality-defining, life-shaping, soul-saving, and response-demanding set of truths. Ephesians 2:1–10, however, certainly does. Sometimes considered a condensation of Paul’s explanation of redemption in the book of Romans, this single paragraph declares the glorious truth that,...
This message focuses on the fact that human beings have a deep sense that things could be a whole lot better than what they are. They know that because as Solomon says – we have eternity written in our hearts. It is part of our spiritual DNA. And, in a very real sense we are on a journey – an Exodus. Moses was on an Exodus. Jesus too was on an Exodus. We as believer’s are on an Exodus. The first couple of chapter in 1 st Peter tell us how the Believer should behave on this journey. 1] They shoul...
The present conditions of our world lead many Christians to believe that the Lord might come and come very soon. For sure, throughout history there have many predictions of the return of Jesus. But in reality – our focus should not be “when” Christ is coming. The real question is will we be ready when Jesus returns? Jesus himself emphasizes this when he says numerous times “no one knows the day or the hour”. But while we many not know the day or the hour – we can be ready. In Matt. 25 Jesus tell...
In the Psalms we find a reflection of life in a fallen world—years stippled with uncontainable joy and unspeakable sorrow, seasons of holistic prosperity and times of total poverty. In this collection of inspired poetry we hear the ancient but relatable cries of God’s people as they too sought to obey the Lord faithfully, avoid sin desperately, live life wisely, endure the world victoriously, and wait for deliverance hopefully. But as this book of the Bible nears its conclusion it announces with...
This sermon is to show the importance of evangelism and Jesus shows us 5 things he left us in order to do that task, that mission. 1. He left us an unfinished mission - we can see this in the world around us, that we are not doing our job the way we should be. 2. He left us an unchallenged message - Acts 1:3 3. He left us the power to accomplish the Mission and share the message - the Holy Spirit will give us power of confrontation as our authority comes from God 4. He left us an unshakable test...
There are many reasons to love the Psalms. They are beautiful , expressing eternal truth in elegant language. They are rich , offering more and more treasure the deeper one mines. And, perhaps most basically, they are emotional , showcasing that what we feel in this life the psalmists felt in theirs—lament and grief, fear and vulnerability, thanksgiving and anticipation, celebration and praise, wonder and humility, regret and restoration, empowerment and peace. But no tour of human emotion is co...
Sometimes it’s hard to say “thank you.” Perhaps it’s because we’re embarrassed to admit our dependance and neediness. Maybe we simply get distracted and forget to express the appropriate appreciation. It could be that we don’t say “thank you” because we fail to understand the effort that was involved in the care we received. Maybe we assume that saying it too much dampens the authenticity of our thanks. Or perhaps it’s because we have bitterness in our hearts toward the person that served us. In...
Our world is not at peace. Over one hundred wars are currently being fought around the globe with thousands of casualties in dozens of countries. There is tension within our own country around immigration and taxation, ideology and poverty, politics and economics. Many homes are battlefields characterized by abuse, neglect, betrayal, debt, selfishness, and neediness. And then there are personal fights with addiction, loneliness, guilt, shame, sadness, failure, illness, aging, self-loathing, and ...
The Gospel writer, Luke, concludes his account of the discovery of Jesus’s empty tomb with these words: “Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marvelling at what had happened” (24:12). This disciple was amazed, befuddled, and overwhelmed. His head was doubtlessly spinning with questions about what had just happened, the implications of what had just happened, and thoughts of what was about to happen because of wh...
This morning we have walked with the Lord Jesus up to Calvary’s mount. Beginning with the prophets who predicted the coming of one who would endure agony in the place of those who actually deserve it, we then followed this Suffering Servant into the Upper Room where his inevitable death was commemorated in a meal, one which we then shared in remembrance of his sacrifice. We then followed Jesus from the fellowship of the last supper to the loneliness of the garden to the sting of his betrayal to ...
The Bible exhorts us to strive for peace, so far it depends on us (Romans 12,18). Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where we offended, hurt or willfully sinned against someone else, where we need to apologize. Both apologies and forgiveness start in the hart, where a change of heart is needed for the offender, and the heart of the offended needs to be moved (that is what compassion is). Yet, how can we be sure that the words spoken as an apology reflect a change of heart and show true r...
Psalm 119 is a celebration of God’s word, its nature and purpose, its power and perfection, its necessity, sufficiency, reliability, and veracity. The Hebrew word for law, torah , is used thirty-six times in the Psalms, twenty-five of which are found in this particular Psalm. Add to that the many synonyms the author employs—God’s word, ways , testimonies , precepts , statutes , commandments , and judgements —and God’s word is explicitly mentioned 178 times in its 176 verses. And while one might ...
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a theologian who grew up during WWI. His older brother was killed in battle and his mother was irreparably shocked by the loss. Fear and morbidity filled their home. To cope with those years, Dietrich, along with his twin sister, Sabine, would put themselves to sleep each night thinking about heaven, repeating into the darkness a single word: eternity . They wanted to make it their only thought as they fell asleep. When he turned twelve and was given his own room, Dietric...
