How is Your Hearing?

“How is Your Hearing?”Luke 8:4-15October 12, 2025 One of the phrases a parent uses most often is “listen to me…” Parents use that phrase with distracted three-year-olds and impatient 17-year-olds. They use it when they are teaching, when they are correcting, when they are encouraging, and when they are warning. It’s a useful, and well-used, […]

The Kinds of People the Son of Man Saves and Uses

“The Kinds of People the Son of Man Saves and Uses”Luke 8:1-3September 28, 2025 One of my favorite sections in the Bible is Deuteronomy 7:7-8 — “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of […]

Jesus Teaches: On the Heart

Jesus Teaches: On the HeartLuke 6:43-45July 13, 2025 Theodore Dalrymple is a British medical doctor and psychiatrist who has spent his life with the worst of the worst people; he has spent the last 15 years of his life working in British prisons treating “serial killers, petty thieves and everything in between.” Much of his […]

Jesus Teaches: On Judging and Judgmentalism

“Jesus Teaches: On Judging and Judgmentalism”Luke 6:36-42June 29, 2025 While Jesus was known as a compelling speaker and a plain speaker, He was regularly misunderstood. And He continues to be misunderstood. One of the most misunderstood statements is the one that is in our passage this morning, “Do not judge and you will not be […]

The Hard Life

“The Hard Life”Luke 6:24-26May 25, 2025 “In A View from the Zoo, Gary Richmond, a former zoo keeper, offers this warning about raccoons: Raccoons go through a glandular change at about 24 months. After that they often attack their owners. Since a 30-pound raccoon can be equal to a 100-pound dog in a scrap, […]

The Good Life

“The Good Life”Luke 6:17-23May 18, 2025 What makes a good life? What is a happy and satisfied life? Is it even possible in this broken world — a world where there are broken relationships, broken cars, broken bodies, and broken economies — to have a good life? People have been asking that kind of question […]

The Son of Man’s Authority to Call His Own

“The Son of Man’s Authority to Call His Own”Luke 6:12-19May 11, 2025 In virtually every realm of life, there are questions about authority — the question is often cynically asked, “who died and left you in charge?” The debate about authority and what the authority can and can’t do is seen between people and government, […]

“God Raised Him Up”

“God Raised Him Up”Acts 10:34-43April 20, 2025 Every preacher, every week asks himself the same question, “what do you preach this week?” What do you preach to those who are suffering by walking through the valley of the shadow of death? (Six church members have had mothers die in the past 4-6 weeks.) What do […]

The Son of Man’s Authority Over the Sabbath

The Son of Man’s Authority Over the SabbathLuke 6:1-11March 30, 2025 In three weeks, we will remember the most important aspects of Christ as we gather to meditate on His death on Good Friday and celebrate His resurrection on Easter morning. What happened on those days 2000 years ago is the foundation of our faith […]

The Son of Man’s Authority to Seek Sinners

The Son of Man’s Authority to Seek SinnersLuke 5:27-39March 23, 2025 One of my favorite declarations of authority was given by poet Judith Viorst, writing in the voice of an elementary-aged boy named Alexander: “If I were in charge of the world…” If I were in charge of the worldI’d cancel oatmeal,Monday mornings,Allergy shots, and […]

The Forgiving Authority of the Son of Man

The Forgiving Authority of the Son of ManLuke 5:17-26March 16, 2025 Into every life a little rain must fall. Death and taxes are a certainty for every person. Trouble is all around us. And everyone has trouble, trials, problems, and difficulties. Even in a land of prosperity. Of course some of them are unique […]

The Cleansing Power of the Son of Man

The Cleansing Power of the Son of ManLuke 5:12-16March 9, 2025 Finish this statement for me: “Cleanliness is next to __________ .” So I’m not sure what to do with Dave Whitlock. Dave is a grad of MIT, a chemical engineer, and the founder of AOBiome which markets bacterial products that are supposed to […]

“Follow Me”

“Follow Me”Luke 5:1-11February 16, 2025 It’s an old childhood game — follow the leader. Players first choose a leader and the remaining players (followers) all line up behind the leader who then moves around and all the players have to mimic the leader’s actions exactly. Any player who fails to mimic the leader is out […]

Preserving Unity

Preserving Unity — Ministry Focus for 2025Ephesians 4:1-3January 19, 2025 For several years, we have had a theme for the year — a biblical truth that would help orient us and guide us as we serve Christ. Often those themes come from circumstances that we see in the culture (both secular and church) that […]

God’s Expectations for Your Shepherds

God’s Expectations for Your Shepherds1 Peter 5:1-3 January 19, 2025 Tanner, I will share a job description for you that was shared with me (by my father!) on the Sunday I was installed as pastor at GBC; the privilege to be a pastor/elder is immeasurably great; and so are the responsibilities. You need to know […]