Sermon: Love One Another, Part 1

Love One Another, Pt. 1 1 John 4:7-10 June 1, 2014 While it is true that you never stop being a parent, there are definitely particular transitions in the process of parenting, and this weekend Raye Jeanne and I are crossing one of the big transitions: for the first time, neither of our girls will […]

Sermon: Discerning the Spirits, Part 2

Discerning the Spirits, Pt. 2 1 John 4:1-6 May 18, 2014 I’ve always been pretty curious, and I like to collect questions and somewhere I picked up these: What color is a chameleon on a mirror? Where does weight go when you lose it? Why are Chinese fortune cookies written in English? Why is abbreviated […]

Sermon: Discerning the Spirits

Discerning the Spirits 1 John 4:1-6 May 11, 2014 On this day that we recognize our mothers — and the mothers of our children — we recognize the uniqueness of a mother’s role. And as you have reflected on the way your mother has influenced you, perhaps you’re asking the question today, “what makes my […]

Sermon: What in the world is the Spirit doing today?

What in the World is the Spirit Doing Today? John 16:5-11 May 4, 2014 We live in a crazy world. I know it’s always been that way. But it certainly seems to be getting worse, doesn’t it? It is easy to look at the world and shake one’s head in disbelief at what is happening. […]

Sermon: The Gifts of the Spirit (tongues)

The Gifts of the Spirit, Pt. 3 1 Corinthians 14:1-28 April 27, 2014 Over the past two months, we’ve taken a brief excursus from our study of 1 John to study the work of the Holy Spirit. We did this because in 3:24 it says, “We know by this that He abides in us, by […]

Sermon: He is Risen

He is Risen Mark 16:1-8 April 20, 2014 Some words are life-changing words. After they are uttered, the direction and course of one’s life is irrevocably changed. Words like the ones I said to Raye Jeanne a few months after we first met — “I love you.” Everything about our relationship changed after that. Words […]

Good Friday: “Why Have You Forsaken Me?”

“Why Have You Forsaken Me?” Mark 15:33-34 April 18, 2014 (Good Friday Communion Service) How do you estimate something’s value? If you own a home, you can have a property evaluator or insurance adjuster come to your home and give you and estimate of your property’s value. If you own a car, you can take […]

Sermon: “If Jesus Had Been Here…”

“If Jesus Had Been Here…” John 11:17-46 April 6, 2014 I was 15 the first time I remember looking into a casket and standing at a graveside. It was my grandfather and he died suddenly and without warning and I didn’t understand the implications then of what happened. It was my first funeral and I […]

Sermon: The Gifts of the Spirit, Pt. 2

The Gifts of the Spirit, Pt. 2 Romans 12:3-8 March 30, 2014 There are many characteristics of Christianity that set it apart from all the religions of the world: Only Christianity recognizes the extent of man’s sinfulness and inability to do good to save himself from the judgment of God. Only the God of Christianity […]

Sermon: The Gifts of the Spirit

The Gifts of the Spirit, Pt. 1 Romans 12:3-8 March 23, 2014 Gifts are funny things — sometimes what we think would be a nice gift for someone is hardly noticed or received well; other times something we think is insignificant or even inappropriate is the favorite gift of all. Many years ago — back […]

Sermon: The Fruit of the Spirit

The Fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:16-26 March 16, 2014 It’s about the size of a bowling ball, covered with sharp, stiff, spiny points, and grows on trees throughout southeast Asia, most predominantly in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. The business end of a durian, which is the inside, is mucuslike in consistency, and the unique […]

Sermon: The Filling of the Holy Spirit

The Filling of the Holy Spirit Ephesians 5:18-21 March 2, 2014 One day last April, a couple in northern California that owns a few acres went for a walk on their property. It seemed innocuous enough. After walking for a while they stopped by a particular tree and noticed something that made them dig around […]

Sermon: What Does the Holy Spirit Do?

What Does the Holy Spirit Do? Selected Scriptures February 23, 2014 Once the calendar annually turns to December and the family Christmas tree is erected, there is generally a daily trek to that tree by the children in the family to determine what new gifts were placed under the tree. “Can we touch them?” they […]

Sermon: Who is the Holy Spirit?

Who is the Holy Spirit? Selected Scriptures February 16, 2014 It seems that we live in a time when theological error is particularly thriving. There have always been false teachers. They just seem to abound today: There is confusion about the church and unity — should we embrace every entity that calls itself a church […]

Sermon: Love One Another (Pt. 3)

Love One Another, Pt. 3 1 John 3:19-24 February 9, 2014 Many people struggle with the question of whether or not one is saved. John Piper gets to the central issue about assurance when he writes: The most agonizing problem about the assurance of salvation is not the problem of whether the objective facts of […]