This Land is Your Land (Joshua 1:1-18)

Joshua orders the people of Israel to enter into the land of Canaan. What is the significance of this ordering? What does this teach us about the Lord’s faithfulness of His promises?

Veiled Victory (Matthew 16:13-20)

Christ is the messiah who enters history to save us from our sins.  He is our redeemer who brings in the kingdom.  Why does Christ promise such a strong kingdom that will go beyond human history, but then tell his disciples not to tell anyone about his kingdom?  What kind of kingdom can this be?  Is this a kingdom that will go beyond human history?

Loving Murderers (Romans 12)

The Apostle Paul moves the command to love beyond some sentimental feeling or experience.  It is a call to love at the level Christ has loved us.  What is this standard of love?  What does love have to do with murder?

What is Bad Leaven? (Matthew 16:1-12)

Christ warns the disciples that the disciples should beware of the bad leaven from the Sadduccees and the Pharisees.  What is that bad leaven?  How can that impact the church today?  How can we avoid this leaven as we live out the gospel?

A United Household (Ephesians 5:15-6:9)

When we talk about marriage or the struggles in the household we want to go right to the commands.  We want to hear what we must do and how hard we must try to be successful Christians.  However, the Apostle Paul labors to communicate that we cannot do if the work has not been done.  What work needs to be done?  What life needs to be lived before we can live out the Christian life?  How do we promote a unified household in the Lord?

Nurtured to Sabbath Glory (1 Timothy 4:11-16)

Paul is addressing the reality that the Christian life is not so easy to live out.  It is a life of struggle, temptation, and we have seen a turning away from the gospel.  So, how do we keep our focus and orientation on the proper goal?  How do we manage our priorities in the Lord?

Blessing the Nations (Matthew 15:29-39)

Christ feeds his people as they come out to receive his teaching.  This is literally accomplished when Christ feeds the 5000 people.  Christ primarily feeds Israel .  Christ clearly communicates through this feeding that we will be satisfied in the Lord.  Why does the Lord perform this feeding a second time? Is Christ affirming that the first feeding was insufficient?  Why feed two crowds? 

A Pesky Pagan (Matthew 15:21-28)

Our Lord is supposed to bring the gospel to the nations.  So, why does our Lord seem annoyed by a woman from a foreign land?  How can this narrative encourage us today?  What does this narrative teach us about the kingdom? 

Honoring God with Integrity (James 5:12)

James tells us, “do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath” which sounds like we are not to take an oath under any circumstances.  However, our catechism teaches that we can take an oath.  Does this mean that we are merely traditionalists following our tradition?  Can we see in Scripture times when we do take an oath?

What Makes Us Unclean? (Matt. 15:1-20)

The pharisees desire to confront Christ because they think that Christ is the one who is misleading his disciples.  The pharisees, righteous leaders of Israel, think that Christ should wash before meals.  Christ and his disciples do not wash before meals and the pharisees are offended.  Why does Christ offend them?  What is the fundamental problem with humanity?

God’s Comforting Oath (Isaiah 45:23)

Israel is in exile when Isaiah writes chapter 45.  You would think that all is lost because Israel has failed, they are in a foreign land, and God should be done with them.  The Lord does not discard his people, but binds himself to deliver his people out of exile.  What does this deliverance teach us about God’s name?  What does this deliverance teach us about the Lord’s redemptive promise?

Heeding the God of Truth (2 Timothy 3:16,17)

As we profess to be Christians we are called to live our lives for our Lord as living sacrifices.  Our catechism summarizes this so well when it states that we live our lives out of gratitude for our Lord because He has redeemed us.  So, how do we learn what living for the Lord looks like?  How do we know if we are living for the Lord?

Reviewing Christ’s Mission (Matt. 14:34-36)

Christ goes to a small town and all the people come out to Christ.  They worship him and bring their sick to him.  What is the purpose of this narrative?  What does this narrative teach us about our need for Christ?  How do we approach our Lord as HIs redeemed?

(We apologize for the mic issues about halfway into the sermon.  We had to cut a few minutes of the sermon, but you can still get the gist of the sermon)

Coveting and Idolatry (Ephesians 5:5)

The Apostle Paul gives the warning that if someone covets they are giving into idolatry. If someone gives into idolatry then they do not have the kingdom of God. So, as we all struggle with idolatry does that mean we do not have Christ? If we struggle with coveting does that mean we do not have Christ? How do we proceed to serve the Lord while having this propensity to struggle against his will?

Lord Over Sheol (Matthew 14:22-33)

When Christ walks on the water is he doing that because he is against taking a boat? Does Christ do this just because he can? Does Christ do this because he is making a point about his mission? If he is making a point what would that point be? How can this show that Christ is the Lord over death or Sheol?

What is a Good Work? (Ephesians 2:10)

As Christians we want to avoid become legalists where we make the law a tangible thing that is easy for us to keep in our strength.  We also want to avoid saying that the law of God has no place in our lives.  So, how do we define a good work without minimizing the law, but also without dismissing the law?

Filled in God’s Mercy Feast (Matthew 14:13-21)

Our Lord creates within us a survival instinct that we call fight of flight. This is triggered when something stressful threatens our life or our well being. Matthew assures us that Christ has come to save us from our sins which implies that Christ is undertaking a difficult mission, but he is going to be successful. So, why does Christ run away from Herod when he hears the news of John’s death? Is Christ a coward or are we being short sighted in our discerning Christ’s mission?

Speaking Through Silence (Matthew 14:1-12)

John the Baptist or Baptizer is the forerunner to Christ as the messiah.  You would think that John’s place in the Gospels would be prominent.  This is the man who goes before Christ proclaiming Christ’s entrance into history.  However, this is not the case as he preaches, is in prison, and then he ends up dying because Herod cannot see past his own nose.  What is the purpose of this man?  How can this man have a successful ministry when it seems it has never left the ground?

Being a Living Stone (1 Peter 2:4-12)

When we are saved by grace it might seem counter intuitive to say we are called to bring forth good works. How can we be saved by grace, but at the same time bringing forth good works? How do we cultivate these good works? Do these works make us worthy to enter into the presence of God? How does one become a member of God’s temple, and bring forth good works?

A Prophet Without Honor (Matthew 13:53-58)

Christ is our redeeming messiah.  You would think that Christ entering town would be a very rich blessing because the Lord would teach the intentions of Scripture.  However, Christ is not received with such honor in his hometown.  What does this tell us about the Word of God?  What does Nazareth teach us about our potential reaction to the Lord’s Word?