“When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:1–3, CSB) In ancient times, mountains were often considered holy places, where heaven […]
Love is the Answer
“But you, dear friends…” (Jude 20, CSB) That’s how Jude begins the final section of his short letter. Sometimes the most important words are the smallest and seemingly inconsequential. Imagine a scenario in which I tell my wife, “Babe, you’re beautiful, but…” I’d never say this, of course! She’d miss the fact that I called […]
Walking with God
“It was about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied: “Look! The Lord comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones” (Jude 14, CSB) In describing the troublemakers in the church, Jude elicits the help of Enoch. If your Old Testament is a bit rusty, you may not remember that Enoch […]
Dangerous Reefs
“These people are dangerous reefs …” (Jude 12) Not too far from Australia and the Great Barrier Reef lie at least five ships at the bottom of the ocean. The reefs that caused these tragedies became known as the Wreck Reefs. They are so dangerous because they are so hard to spot. Jude was writing […]
Toxic Environments
“In the very same way, these dreamers pollute ….” (Jude 8) Sodom and Gomorrah was a toxic place. Lot and his family almost paid dearly. Originally, Genesis 13 tells us Lot’s desire was to live with his family in the Plains of Jordan. Greed and strife led him to leave Abram and he was gradually […]
The Heart of Sin
“Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have […]
Safely Home
“See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”” (Isaiah 42:9, NIV84) I head into 2020 with great anticipation of the new things God is going to in our church. But the former things have taken place, and I have a heavy […]
The Gift of the Magi
“…and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their […]
God on Trial
“Take Me to court; let us argue our case together. State your case, so that you may be vindicated.” (Isaiah 43:26, HCSB) Why doesn’t God do something?! Have you ever asked that question? Following our last two sermons…If I really do matter to God and he really does care…then why doesn’t he do something about […]
The Suffering Servant
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:3) This was how Isaiah describes Jesus some 600 years before his birth that first Christmas: the “Suffering Servant.” Have you ever wondered […]
A Weary World Rejoices
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, NIV84) Have you ever seen Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs chart? It is a visual representation of what Abraham Maslow described as “human motivation.” It describes the things in life that drive us. At the bottom are the […]
“By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” (Hebrews 11:23) The author of Hebrews tells us that Moses’ parents defied Pharaoh for two reasons: vision and courage. They had a vision of the […]
