Sermons from 2019 (Page 4)

Sermons from 2019 (Page 4)

The Great Exchange | Luke 22:63-23:25

We live in a culture based on exchange and trade. We all do it from a young age till we’re elderly. You learn this system when you’re just starting out.  As an infant your parents reward good behavior with a smile or maybe a treat or your favorite toy. A few years in you learn that you can trade your toys for other kids toys. Like I’ll give you this cool-shaped rock if you’ll give me your Nintendo. Sometimes it…

The Perils of Denying Jesus | Luke 22:47-62; John 21:15-19

Jesus can turn the worst of deniers into the best of disciples. Let’s think about denial for a moment. Denial means “to declare that something is untrue.” We tend to think of denial as a bad thing. I recently watched the Netflix Documentary Behind The Curve. There is a growing movement of people who believe the earth is flat. They believe the earth is not a round globe but a flat disk surrounded by a barrier of ice. Some believe…

A Good and Faithful Death | Psalm 90

Tonight we are going to talk about death. At the Ockenga Fellows Retreat last week we discussed “Science, Technology, and Healthcare.” I’m going to cover technology in May but tonight I want to discuss how to die well. By show of hands, who here thought about death this week, either your death or that of a loved one, family member, or friend? A lot of us thought about death this week. Our culture doesn’t like to talk about death but…

Meditations on Gethsemane | Luke 22:39-46

Meditation #1 – Prayer defeats temptation by connecting us with Christ and each other. (Luke 22:39-41, 45-46) Tonight I have three meditations on Jesus’ time in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before his crucifixion (Matt 26:36; Mark 14:32). After each meditation you will have a chance to pray and reflect and respond in song. We’re doing this with the hopes that this passage will sink in deeper and be more life-changing. We don’t want to come to church and…

The Easter Parade | Luke 19:28-44 (Palm Sunday Sermon)

You may remember our sermon series “The Certain Gospel” in Luke that we started last year. We’re going to go back to Luke and slow down for the closing chapters. We won’t be able to hit everything, but we will focus more time on his entry today, the night of his betrayal, his crucifixion, resurrection, and the closing chapters of Luke. Lord willing that will set us up for Acts in the fall. This will line us up more closely…

Prayer & Fasting | Matthew 6:16-18

I tried fasting for the first time when I worked at the Farm Credit Administration in McLean Virginia. I tried it because my pastor preached a sermon on it. In his sermon he turned to our passage tonight, Matthew 6:16-18, and pointed out something that really convicted me. In Matthew 6 Jesus teaches on prayer and fasting and when he does this he says, “when you fast” not “if you fast…” He says it twice (c.f., Matt 9:15).  Have you…

God of Hope | Micah 7

Our guest preacher covered Micah 7 verse-by-verse explaining the big story of the gospel and the crushed serpent’s connection to Jesus. Listen to how Christ takes all our injustices and rights all our wrongs.

Our Best Religion | Micah 6

Today is the last sermon I’m preaching in our series on Micah. Next week my friend from seminary is finishing us up. He loves the Bible and has sat in on a few classes with Terry so I hope you’ll come and listen. But since this is my last week in our God of Justice series I really want to sum up what it’s all about. Our passage actually does a great job of this. In verses 1-2 the Lord…

The Shepherd King | Micah 5

King Hezekiah faced some serious obstacles in his lifetime. During his lifetime the Assyrian army, a military force known for their brutality and strength, ransacked Judah and gathered right outside Jerusalem’s walls. The king of Assyria, Sennacherib, sent his messenger to mock Hezekiah and the God of Israel (Isa 36:1-2). We see this in verse 1.  Micah 5:1 Marshal your troops now, city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel’s ruler on the cheek…

A Day of Justice & Peace | Micah 4

I want you to imagine a single day of perfect justice and peace. What would that be like?  All the wars around the world would cease.  All the jails and prisons would empty.  It would be a boring day on Wall Street.  Washington DC would be quiet and Hollywood would be clothed. All the abortion clinics would offer care for pregnant moms without offering abortions.  The homeless would be fed and clothed and have a warm bed to sleep in. …

Just Power | Micah 3

When you think of “power” what do you think of? The pink energizer bunny? Your local power station? Powerade? Maybe you think of superheroes and villains each have a power they can wield to either help or hurt humanity. Maybe you think of your boss or the President. Each one has power.  What is power? Is power the strongest person in the room? Is power violence? Power can mean a lot of things but when I say power today I’m…