What does it look like to return to the Lord with all your heart? In this passage from Joel 2:12-17, the context is that God had sent a great famine on the people of Israel, and they were in perilous conditions. And in that context, God, in His mercy, sends His prophet with one … [Read More…] Return To The Lord With All Your Heart
Life is learned, and we’re all learning how to live from someone. And at the end of the day, we will live our lives in one of three ways: by Default (replicating familial patterns), by Drift (doing what everyone else is doing), or by Design (building your life with intention). In this sermon, we … [Read More…] Built For Life
The Bible often uses an analogy comparing two ways, two paths that people can take in their spiritual journey. In the Garden of Eden, God presents Adam and Eve with two ways, and two trees, one that’s fruit is life and the other that’s death. At the end of Deuteronomy, Moses presents Israel with two … [Read More…] The Two Ways
One of the foundational questions of moral philosophy down through the ages is: “What is a virtuous life?” When Jesus speaks about what a life of virtue looks like in the Sermon on the Mount, He’s not doing so in a vacuum. He’s joining an ongoing conversation in His Greco-Roman and Jewish milieu. And the … [Read More…] The Law of Love
What does God want from us? It’s a confusing and frustrating question, but we can find a helpful answer in Micah 6:1-8 where God gives Israel a clear answer. Three things the Lord requires: do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God. So, what does this answer mean? Do Justice: In … [Read More…] What Does God Require?
The passage from Matthew 7:1-12 is notoriously difficult to understand due to its complex thematic interconnections. What seems like a random collection of Jesus’ wisdom is actually a message about how we are to treat others. Jesus is identifying two radically different ways of treating others, which flows through two radically different hearts: a … [Read More…] A Heart For Others
Jesus hates worry and what it does to people. Worry is like a venom, stealing our life. The antidote is to remember that we exist in a God-created, God-sustained, God-filled, God-watched, God-loved, and God-kept universe. For those of us who worry, Jesus is inviting us into the abundant life of the Kingdom of Heaven … [Read More…] Freedom From Worry
In Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven is breaking into reality, establishing a beachhead of the new creation. And Jesus is inviting us to follow Him into this cosmic disruption. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, to get in on the ground floor of the greatest Kingdom the world will ever know. Here’s our choice: … [Read More…] Treasures In Heaven
In some ways, The Lord’s Prayer is a bit of an aside to the main point Jesus is making. If you will recall, Jesus has been calling out the Scribes and Pharisees for their religious hypocrisy. To drive the point home, Jesus gives three examples of spiritual practices: giving, praying, and fasting. These practices … [Read More…] When You Fast
People feel a longing for Jesus to come again. But since we don’t know the time and date of that return, what should we do in the meantime? As we wait for the return of Christ, we are to be the people of God, empowered by the spirit of God, to testify to the … [Read More…] It’s Time
