The Father’s Mission for the Son of Man

The Father’s Mission for the Son of ManLuke 4:14-21November 17, 2024 On Monday, April 2, 1739, John Wesley began preaching open-air evangelistic sermons at Kingswood Bristol. That decision and event was the start of a revival in England that the country had never seen before (or since). Wesley later wrote this in his diary about […]

The Son of Man’s Validation

The Son of Man’s ValidationLuke 4:1-13November 10, 2024 In Jesus’ ministry, several times people questioned Jesus’ ability to speak or act — even questioning His nature and character: When he healed and forgave the lame man who was let through the roof, the Pharisees asked, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive […]

What in the World Should We Do?

What in the World Should We Do?2 Timothy 1:13 – 2:8November 3, 2024 In Romans 13, God explains the provision He has made for care and protection of people civilly through the government. What should the government do (Rom. 13)? This is the context of living in this (political) world: Government is given by […]

The Son of Man’s Genealogy

The Son of Man’s GenealogyLuke 3:23-38October 20, 2024 In 1963, Walter Cronkite filmed a television special entitled “D-Day Plus 20 Years,” which was aired on June 6, 1964. In the filming, Cronkite asked President Eisenhower what he thought about when he returned to Normandy. In Character Above All, Steven Ambrose summarized Eisenhower’s response: he “spoke […]

The Baptism of Jesus

The Baptism of JesusLuke 3:15-22October 13, 2024 We know little about the ministry of John the Baptist; we only have one sermon (really, just one line from a sermon — “be baptized for the forgiveness of sins”). Yet, for all the limited information about him, he was an important person. He came from humble beginnings, […]

Repentance and its Fruits

Repentance and Its FruitsLuke 3:1-14October 6, 2024 What is the beginning of the spiritual life? Martin Luther said in the first of his 95 theses of discussion against the Roman Catholic Church, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, said ‘Repent,’ He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Repentance […]

The Enduring Word

The Enduring Word1 Peter 1:22–2:3September 29, 2024 This morning we have heard the rest of the story about the translation of the Feni Bible. We are aware of multiple other missions events in our church (Lebanon, Joyners, etc.). Why do churches invest tens of thousands of dollars to send missionaries to people they don’t […]

The Son of Man as a Child

The Son of Man as a ChildLuke 2:39-52September 22, 2024 A mom and dad were still sleeping one morning when their young son came bounding into the bedroom and jumped onto their stomachs with significant news: “Today’s my birthday! It’s here! I’m five-years-old today!” And then holding up his open hand with all five fingers […]

Having Seen God’s Salvation

Having Seen God’s SalvationLuke 2:21-38September 15, 2024 At least for some things, I am not the most patient person in the world. I have been known to get a little hangry while waiting for dinner to cook. I don’t like waiting for traffic lights or for accidents to clear. I don’t like waiting in checkout […]

Christ Has Come

Christ Has Come: Give Glory to GodLuke 2:8-20September 8, 2024 Five years ago, prior to moving to California, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle had a baby. While babies are born every second of every day, this birth captured the attention of royal followers around the world. Like many other parents, the birth was first […]

The Birth of the Son of Man

The Birth of the Son of ManLuke 2:1-7August 25, 2024 While perhaps not the most significant authority on the subject, a couple of years ago the India Times compiled a list of “The 10 Most Important Events in Human History.” They didn’t reveal what the criteria for making the list was, or who voted on […]

God’s Visitation

God’s VisitationLuke 1:67-80August 18, 2024 For those of you have children, was your experience with your newborns like mine? I would stand over the bassinet and hear her cry and wonder, “what will your voice sound like?” I would look at her hands and wonder, “what will you like to do?” and her feet and […]

What’s in a Name?

What’s in a Name?Luke 1:56-66August 4, 2024 One of Raye Jeanne’s sisters was married and pregnant before we got married; one day when I was at her parent’s home, the family was in earnest discussion about names for the coming baby. As soon as suggestions were made, they were rapidly shot down for all […]

“My Soul Exalts the Lord”

“My Soul Exalts the Lord”Luke 1:46-56July 28, 2024 After a second deployment in Iraq, Stacy Bare returned home but he wasn’t doing well: he was drinking too much, thinking suicidal thoughts, and struggling to think about the future and manage life. “What am I doing with my life? What does it mean to be […]

God’s Confirmation of The Son of Man

God’s Confirmation of the Son of ManLuke 1:39-45July 21, 2024 It has been called, “The button that could have changed the internet.” About 25 years ago, Tim Berners-Lee, a computer programmer who has been credited with inventing the world wide web and the HTML computer language for writing those pages gave a talk in which […]