Prayer is one of the most remarkable gifts God has given us. It puts us and keeps us in community with Him and with one another. It changes our hearts and attitudes, arms us against the temptations of the enemy, moves us to be agents of grace, and keeps us alongside Jesus, the apostle Paul, and the examples of constant prayer they set for us. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here ....
As we strive to live our lives on purpose, there is someone who tries to keep us from our mission. The accuser is never named in scripture, but Peter describes his efforts as “a lion seeking whom he may devour.” In Paul’s famous description of the armor of God in Ephesians 6 , we find comfort and inspiration in the many ways God has provided for our protection from attack AND the tools he has given for us not to simply react defensively to the enemy’s schemes, but to take back ground and territo...
Since Oakhaven Church holds our annual Chili Cookoff today, we’re looking at a story in Genesis ( Genesis 25 ) about the closet thing to chili in the bible. As Esau sells all this rights as the firstborn son to his slightly - make that barely - younger brother Jacob for a mere bowl of stew (nearly the same thing as chili), we consider the nature of appetite, temptation, sin, repentance, and forgiveness. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here ....
Ultimately, our purpose is to look like, act like, and live like Jesus. We are urged to set our eyes on Him, and His example. His greatest example for us is outlined in the ancient hymn held for us in Philippians 2 , in which we are urged to consider others as more important than ourselves. Then we are shown the amazing example of Jesus who, with every right to claim first place in the universe, instead takes on the form of the last place. And so we endeavor to, in the very least, live in 2nd pl...
We continue today our focus on living life “On Purpose.” A purposeful life flows from our identity as being created in God’s image, chosen and precious to Him. He empowers our walk in Him and calls us to a life “worthy of the calling” He places on us. Today, we’ll look at the process of ongoing renewal we are called to, as we put off our old self and put on the new, energized and anointed life in the Spirit! Ephesians 4:17-5:2 To investigate this most important of stories further, go here ....
We continue with our series about living life “On Purpose," being intentional in spending our time on earth. Our sense of purpose flows strongly from our sense of identity. Who we are is rooted in who God is, and who He says we are. The fullest, most authentic life available to us is a life “in Christ,” a phrase that Paul uses repeatedly to describe our unique position both now and forever. All the good things about who we are don’t amount to much more than a hill of beans if they don’t yield a ...
We continue to explore living life “On Purpose” in our time together today. We have noticed that our purpose is bound up in our identity - our sense of who we are. God has chosen us - picked each of us first - not just so that we can enjoy the benefits of His kindness, but so that we as unique masterpieces can point others toward Him so that they too may exult in lives of meaning and purpose. Our primary text is Ephesians 2:1-10 . Tech issues are restricting our visuals this morning, but there's...
We’re exploring the theme of living “On Purpose” in 2023. Today we look at how bound our sense of purpose is with our identity, our sense of who we are. Which gets us to whose we are, of course. One of the amazing things about those two sides to us is that God has chosen us. Each of us. Picked us first, every one of us. Nothing like picking sides in the playground. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here ....
We embark on a new series this morning, “On Purpose.” We are afforded an excellent example of someone who lived their life intentionally and “on purpose,” as today is the anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Our purpose ultimately is to “simply” be who we are - children of a loving Creator who made the whole universe in order to be at home with us. As children of the King, we are defined by our relationship with Him (in all three flavors) AND by how that identity works itself ...
In the beginning, God creates earth in order to make a home there with His children. Our sin triggers exile, and God sets in motion soon thereafter the plan that will allow His kids to come home again. In the course of Jesus' birth narrative, He takes on the mantle of both Israel AND Moses on the way out of Egypt. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here .
As the calendar shifts to a New Year, we observe a more ancient reckoning of time and look more closely at the layers of meaning in the story of the magi. Matthew is helping us to see that Jesus as Messiah is the new Israel, a new Moses, and in today's study, a new Solomon. Born of the same royal line, the humble king is worshipped first by Gentile astrologers, who are also the first to call Him King. Their visit not only provides the young family with treasure to fund their coming escape, but a...
Merry Christmas from The Barn! We look at Luke’s simple account of Jesus’ birth, and the millennia leading up to it. The angels sing, the shepherds quake, and we are saved. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here .
We finish our journey through Advent by looking at Joseph’s quiet, faithful example in enduring shame and disgrace while submitting to God’s scandalous plans. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here .
Mary comes in a long line of women God uses to usher in the next chapter of His redeeming work with His people. Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, even Mary's cousin, Elizabeth. In each case, God wants to make clear that He is the one working in and through the miraculous life He brings about. None of those important boys, however, holds a candle to the miraculous child Mary will bear. She is as obscure and without resource as possible, and yet recognizes the significance of what the angel Gabriel ...
We are in a season of waiting right now. In this dramatic Christmas narrative sermon, we see the story of Jesus' birth through the eyes of an outsider and learn many lessons along the way. Matthew 2:1-12 To investigate this most important of stories further, go here .
The smell of Thanksgiving turkey still lingers in the air as the decorations are deployed for Christmas. We have an intersection of themes today as we finish our journey through The Lord’s Prayer on the first Sunday of the season of Advent. It’s a perfect fit, though, as the theme of Hope in this first week relates very strongly to the theme of deliverance in the final line of The Prayer. Ephesians 6 and Matthew 6 . To investigate this most important of stories further, go here ....
There But For The Grace Of God Go I. Why are you here? Why weren't you born somewhere else? Maybe somewhere less comfortable. But here you are. So What now? To investigate this most important of stories further, go here .
“And lead us not into temptation” is the line of the Lord’s Prayer we will focus on today. In a few words, it brings up significant issues. Who’s tempting us? We’re asking God to not lead us there. Or are we? Once again, the issues of cause, God’s sovereignty, our choices, and related issues come into play in this simple phrase. We don’t want to be tempted, and when we are, we want to be like Jesus and successfully overcome them. If you’re thinking we should look at His temptation in the wildern...
We come to perhaps the most vital part of the Lord’s Prayer today in our line by line study of the prayer Jesus gave us. When we forgive, we are being like our Father, whom we ask forgiveness even as He expects us to forgive one another . It’s all truly unfair, but grace is not about fairness, but about love. And if we are to forgive sin in one another, we must certainly "forgive" the difference of opinion in our brother or sister. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here ....
In our meditation on each line of The Lord’s Prayer , we come this morning “Give us today our daily bread.” As with all The Prayer, there is so very much embedded in these simple words. No one in the time of Jesus could hear that line and not remember the story of God’s provision of manna in the wilderness. So we are reminded that God is the source of our bread - all the good in our lives. We are also reminded to be the best stewards of all He has entrusted to us: our time, treasure, talents, an...
"Your kingdom come." Three simple words that speak of an immensity of reality and an earnest desire on the part of the Creator that all His children be part of His amazing plan. You too. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here .
When we say, "Hallowed be Your Name," to God our Father in the Lord's Prayer, we are not just praising Him, we are commanding all the universe to praise Him as well. There is a whole lot going on in this "handful of words" Jesus gives us. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here .
As we enter October at The Barn, we shift our attention to our prayer life as individuals and as a community. Jesus’ main and clearest instruction comes to us in what is usually referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer,” but the Lord isn’t the one who’s going to pray it. We are. Every word is laden with meaning and significance, and so we are going to take our time to savor each one. Today we will feast upon just a fraction of the significance in the phrase, “Our Father in heaven.” Matthew 6:5-15 To in...
Throughout the month of September we have been looking at some of Jesus’ simplest but most powerful parables. First we saw how the gospel and the kingdom of God powerfully transform our lives in the parables of the mustard seed and yeast . Then we experienced the planting of the seed of the gospel in our hearts as the sower defined the seed of the gospel as God’s love pursuing each of us in a unique way. We are also all sowers of the seed, while at the same time we all have hearts whose soil nee...
Today we continue in a “mini-series” focusing on some of Jesus’ parables. Luke 15 holds three parables with similar themes back to back. We look this morning at the first two, parables involving a lost sheep and a lost coin. In the end there is no one on earth that is past saving, none that are past the fresh start only Jesus brings. He never gives up on a single one of us. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here ....
In a special narrative sermon, we explore Jesus' powerful parable of The Sower and The Soils. We spend the first half of the message determining what exactly the seed contains (hint: the great news of Jesus Christ); and spend the second half examining our hearts to see which kind of soil they hold. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here .
Jesus' very brief parables in Matthew 13 of the mustard seed and yeast point to the impact of the Gospel in our lives, and to our role as bearers of the seed/sowers of the yeast. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here .
Elder Duey Unbehaun surveys the powerful New Testament Book of Hebrews. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here .
Elder Pat Crowe surveys the story of Ruth. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here .
As Paul urges us to "put on the whole armor of God" in Ephesians 6 , he urges us to "Pray in the Spirit at all times." Being in constant contact with the Spirit empowers us in the battle in which we find ourselves that Paul describes. In modern times, our connection with wireless networks provides a good illustration of how being tapped into the Spirit enables us in the ways Paul describes in this passage and in countless others. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here ....
