Temptation and the Tempter
A Sermon for March 5, 2017 on Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-8; Matthew 4:1-11 We read three texts today that are quite closely related. In Genesis 2, the first man is given one command– only one. In Genesis 3, he breaks that one command. The story that the Bible tells is that because of that breaking of the commandment, death entered the human race. By sinning, humanity…
What is a Christian? (Part 4)
What is a Christian? Today we are completing our 4 week series trying to answer this question. Of course, on the one hand, the answer has always been obvious. A Christian is someone who follows Christ. But what does that actually mean? It’s worth remembering that part of the reason that we come here every week is that we’re all trying to work that answer in our lives.…
What is a Christian? (Part 3)
A Sermon for February 12, 2017 on Matthew 5:21-37 What is a Christian? We’re in our third week, trying to answer that question using Jesus’ teaching in “the Sermon on the Mount.” When we began this series two weeks ago, I urged us to commit ourselves to take Jesus’ words seriously. If you shared that sentiment with me, then this is probably the week where that commitment…
What’s a Christian (Part 2)
A Sermon for February 6, 2017 on Matthew 5:13-20 What is a Christian? We’re in week 2 of my planned 4 week sermon series focused on answering this question. We’re really trying to understand who Jesus’ followers are, both externally, in terms of how they act, and internally, in terms of what’s in their hearts. By way of review, last week we talked about the section of…
What is a Christian? (Part 1)
A Sermon for January 29, 2017 on Matthew 5:1-12 What does being a Christian look like? As I thought about this question this week in light of the scripture, I ran across something that John Stott, a recently-departed evangelical anglican said: No comment could be more hurtful to the Christian than the words, ‘But you are no different from anybody else.’ For the essential…
What’s your net worth?
A Sermon for January 22, 2017 on Matthew 4:18-22 When I was 11 years old, I had an experience that I’ll never forget. One school night, my sister and I hopped in the car with my Dad and drove to DC. He took us down to the old Executive office building, where we were met by a white house staffer that my Dad had gotten connected to through a co-worker. He led us through the…
Come and See(k)
A Sermon for January 15, 2017 on John 1:29-42 Let’s put ourselves in the story in John chapter 1. Let’s imagine ourselves in the shoes of one of the disciples of John the Baptist. We know that one is named Andrew, but the other one is unnamed, so it’s easy to put yourself in their shoes. Let me share your story with you a little bit. You’ve had a pretty good run hanging…
A Baptized Identity
In our reading from the Gospel of Matthew, we heard one of the events from Jesus’ life that is recorded in one way or another by all four Gospels– Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus is baptized. This is surprising in and of itself. Even John who baptizes him is surprised. John called people to repentance. He told them to end their rebellion against God and to turn…
The Epic Journey of Faith
A Sermon on Matthew 2:1-12 for Sunday, January 1, 2017 We’re about to set off on a journey of epic proportions together. Do you feel ready? I just want to warn you, it’s very likely that we’ll experience fierce cold and oppressive heat. At points we’ll be in pain. We’ll be hungry. We’ll be thirsty. We won’t be able to get as much sleep as we want. Fasten your seatbelts,…
The Christmas Gift
A Sermon on John 1:1-14 for Christmas, 2016