Forged in the Furnace of Life Date: April 21, 2017 Audio Sermon: Click on the play button below. We all look at suffering as something undesirable, unwanted, and evil. While suffering might not be what God had in mind when he created Adam and Eve, their mistake has caused suffering to be an inherent component of human life. In this sermon, I talk about how suffering is tough, temporary, and transformational. Suffering is hard; it often pushes us to our limits. No one wants to go through it, but suffering is a natural part of living in this broken world with the power of sin and Satan at work. Strikingly, the NT writers had quite a positive outlook on suffering, especially when it was on account of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Both the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter have important things to say about how the […]
Jeremiah 31:3 NASB I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness. The First Lover God is the one who first loved—He is the first lover. He loved you before you were born…before any of us were ever born. The letter of 1 John explains that love does not originate from us, but rather from the God who IS love. 1 John 4:10 ESV In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us. We would not know love unless God had extended His love to us. Long before you were born, God was intent on loving you. Before you breathed your first breath, God’s love embraced you. In your mother’s womb, God’s love was there in the darkness. And from the moment you came into the world and let out your first cry, God’s love has been with […]
In the preface to God in the Dock by C. S. Lewis, Walter Hooper, in writing about a certain time when he and Lewis were reflecting on the issues facing Christianity in the modern culture (specifically reception with younger people), says, “One day we were speculating as to what would happen if a group of friendly and inquisitive Martians suddenly appeared in the middle of Oxford and asked (those who did not flee) what Christianity is. We wondered how many people, apart from voicing their prejudices about the Church, could supply them with much in the way of accurate information. On the whole, we doubted whether the Martians would take back to their world much that is worth having. On the other hand, ‘there is nothing,’ Lewis argued, ‘in the nature of the younger generation which incapacitates them for receiving Christianity.’ But, as he goes on to say, ‘no generation […]
Holiness is a Matter of Habit Date: January 7, 2017 Audio Sermon: Click on the play button below. Holiness is when we reflect the character of God in our life. But such patterns of living are foreign to us at the time when we become a son or daughter of God. Holiness is built in the life of a believer just like any other type of behaviorism…through repetition and training (and of course, with the help of the spirit of God). In other words, holiness is not something achieved by having the right checklist or knowing all the do’s and don’ts. Holiness is about a shift in our attitude and desire that stem from a change in our character, and our character is influenced by what sort of personal qualities we are nurturing in our life and the type of choices we make each day. In this sermon, I encourage […]
Jesus is calling… You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:13-16 NIV) Jesus tells his disciples that they are the “light of the world.” He uses this metaphor of being “light” because light was extremely important in the biblical culture where there were few sources of illumination and it was dark everywhere after the sun would go down below the horizon. To expound what he means by saying that his disciples are “light,” Jesus gives two illustrations. First, he says that a town on a hill cannot be hidden, and […]
I heard a story one time about a man who was stranded by himself on a small island in the middle of the ocean. When he was finally located and the rescue team arrived, they noticed three huts on the island. While he was being tended to by the medical team, one of the doctors asked him why there were three huts. The man grinned as he sat up, pointed to the first one, and said, “That one is my home.” Then he pointed to the next one and said, “That one is my church.” And then he pointed to the last one and said, “And that was my former church.” Such a story is humorous and makes us laugh because of the irony and silliness, but is it really that far off from the attitude of so many people? It is astonishing the reasons that people come up with […]
Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. (Prov 4:25-27 NIV) Life can get busy, and it can be pretty tough to keep everything straight and to even slow down and think at times. And with so many tasks that need to be accomplished, we’re often challenged to maintain an underlying focus in life beyond simply trying to get done everything we need to. As we try to fulfill job responsibilities, care for family and friends, take care of our homes and belongings, and carve out some time to relax, our focus can be scattered and ever-changing. Throughout our busy days, if we don’t have an underlying focus or consistent guiding point of reference, we […]
Habakkuk and a Message for Revival Date: July 23, 2016 Audio Sermon: Click on the play button below. Revival comes from the word “revive” which means “to bring to life again” or to “restore to health.” But revival is something that happens to those who have life already, not to something lifeless. Thus, revival is something that is directed toward those who already follow Christ and have eternal life within them. Revival is about refreshing, refocusing, restoring, and bringing to life again one’s faith and their pursuit of God. However, revival is not primarily about renewed interest in the church, increased attendance, or overall enthusiasm of the congregation. Rather, revival is something that emerges from deep within the heart of each believer. It is something that arises from a determination and disposition of the heart that turns to God and seeks him in all things. Concerning what it takes for […]
What Are You Looking For? Date: June 25, 2016 Audio Sermon: Click on the play button below. What we are looking for will determine what type of “soil” we are preparing in our hearts. And if we are looking for Jesus and seeking to submit to him as a disciple and follower, then how we live, what choices we make, and the habits we form will either support that endeavor or deter us from it. If we are not disciplining ourselves in godliness, then we will inevitably succumb to the temptations of the world and pursue the desires of our flesh rather than the things of God. Furthermore, when it comes to the temptations of the world, one of the most pervasive is that of lust. And lust is like a slow disease that can creep into our lives almost innocuously and then slowly grow and become stronger and stronger, […]
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Date: May 21, 2016 Audio Sermon: Click on the play button below. What does it mean to be spiritually mature? And what does it mean to be emotionally mature? Well, emotional health and spiritual maturity are actually inseparable. You cannot be spiritually mature and emotionally immature. It doesn’t work. It can’t work. Our spiritual lives are inextricably tied to our emotional life. Most of us have some category of life in which we are an emotional infant. A category that we have not surrendered to God; a category that we have not relinquished our hold on so that the power of God’s spirit and the blood of Jesus can heal us. Emotional underdevelopment is not always obvious. For most, it is the part of us that we like to hide and keep in the dark. But when we don’t address our emotional dimension, we will always be […]
