The Valley of Hinnom
“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) Those are the words of wise ol’ King Solomon. I guess every generation wants to think their generation is special. Their generation is smarter. They’ll fix the world’s problems. […]
The Benefits of Place
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.” (Galatians 5:22–23) That is one of the great Bible passages some of us learned at Sunday School – often set to music. Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit in […]
Material World
“For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) You might be asking: “What’s the big deal about place? Why spend weeks discussing it?” After all, one of the things we know about […]
Immanuel
“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) Isaiah gave this prophecy seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Immanuel. The description of the coming Messiah was to be “God with us.” The impetus for this sermons […]
A Child is Born
“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) God’s promise is spoken of in terms of a birth. This was a way in which God had chosen, in Israel’s past, to show his dramatic intervention in human history…three pivotal points […]
God with Us
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece and was thought to be the home of gods. The twelve Olympians, with Zeus at their head, made their dwelling atop this great mountain…high above the average man, often above the clouds, far away from the grinding lives of mortals. In this, the Greeks are no different […]
Quiet Waters
Are you busy? Of course you are! There’s a good chance you debated whether or not you had enough time to read this missive. Being busy is a normal part of the world we live in. Jesus was busy: “He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a […]
A Sea of Troubles
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:9–10) Throughout most of Israel’s history, the nation was essentially landlocked; […]
Roofcrashers
“Some men came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.” (Mark 2:3–4) I love this story. This […]
Holy Week – Saturday
Silent Saturday Saturday was the Sabbath…a quiet day in Jerusalem. Jesus’ dead body lay in the tomb, guarded by Roman soldiers. Because of the quickly approaching Sabbath on Friday, Jesus was removed surreptitiously from the cross and quickly entombed. His body had been ceremonially treated by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, but not by his […]
Holy Week – Friday
Jesus’ trial (which began late Thursday night) continued into Friday morning. Before the “third hour” (9 a.m.), the Lord had endured lies and condemnation, mockery, and beatings. He had been abandoned by His disciples (Judas had already hanged himself in remorse). After multiple, unlawful trials, Jesus traveled the Via Dolorosa (“The Way of Suffering”), carrying […]
Holy Week – Thursday
Please join us for our Holy Week services: Good Friday, 6 p.m. Easter Sunrise, 6:45 a.m. at the crosses Easter Services, 8:30 a.m. Robson Ranch Campus; 10 a.m. Main Campus (Egg hunt after) Maundy Thursday It is Maundy Thursday of Holy Week. The name comes from Jesus washing the feet of the disciples…but I’m jumping […]
