Fr. Larry Richards is the founder and president of The Reason for our Hope Foundation, a non- profit organization dedicated to ”spreading the Good News” by educating others about Jesus Christ. His new homilies are posted each week.
…
continue reading
Player FM - Internet Radio Done Right
Checked 2d ago
Додано nine років тому
Вміст надано Appleton Gospel Church - Rev. David Parks. Весь вміст подкастів, включаючи епізоди, графіку та описи подкастів, завантажується та надається безпосередньо компанією Appleton Gospel Church - Rev. David Parks або його партнером по платформі подкастів. Якщо ви вважаєте, що хтось використовує ваш захищений авторським правом твір без вашого дозволу, ви можете виконати процедуру, описану тут https://uk.player.fm/legal.
Схожі до Appleton Gospel Church
The Village Church exists to bring glory to God by making disciples through gospel-centered worship, gospel-centered community, gospel-centered service and gospel-centered multiplication.
…
continue reading
Welcome to the Enjoying Everyday Life TV podcast with Joyce Meyer. To learn more, visit our website at joycemeyer.org or download the Joyce Meyer Ministries App. By supporting Joyce Meyer Ministries, you can help us reach hurting people around the world. To find out more, go to joycemeyer.org/donate
…
continue reading
Catholic podcasts dedicated to those on the spiritual journey! Offering the best teachings from the rich Catholic Spiritual/Discernment tradition.
…
continue reading
Your online home for leadership lessons for both the church and the workplace.
…
continue reading
Player FM - додаток Podcast
Переходьте в офлайн за допомогою програми Player FM !
Переходьте в офлайн за допомогою програми Player FM !
))
Daily Deals
Подкасти, які варто послухати
РЕКЛАМА
What’s the secret to lasting friendships? How does queer community show up through the ebbs and flows of life? And what’s the REAL story behind the “YMCA” song? In the first episode of Silver Linings, The Old Gays dive into an essential part of queer life: chosen family. They discuss the vital love, support, and sense of belonging that community provides, especially during life's toughest moments. They open up about what “queer” means to them, how chosen family has impacted their lives, and how to maintain close bonds over time–including their love for each other! “We’ve come a long way, baby.” Family isn’t just what you’re born with; it’s the people who show up, shape you, and stick around. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…
Appleton Gospel Church
Відзначити всі (не)відтворені ...
Manage series 1027541
Вміст надано Appleton Gospel Church - Rev. David Parks. Весь вміст подкастів, включаючи епізоди, графіку та описи подкастів, завантажується та надається безпосередньо компанією Appleton Gospel Church - Rev. David Parks або його партнером по платформі подкастів. Якщо ви вважаєте, що хтось використовує ваш захищений авторським правом твір без вашого дозволу, ви можете виконати процедуру, описану тут https://uk.player.fm/legal.
Appleton Gospel Church
…
continue reading
50 епізодів
Поширити
Відзначити всі (не)відтворені ...
Manage series 1027541
Вміст надано Appleton Gospel Church - Rev. David Parks. Весь вміст подкастів, включаючи епізоди, графіку та описи подкастів, завантажується та надається безпосередньо компанією Appleton Gospel Church - Rev. David Parks або його партнером по платформі подкастів. Якщо ви вважаєте, що хтось використовує ваш захищений авторським правом твір без вашого дозволу, ви можете виконати процедуру, описану тут https://uk.player.fm/legal.
Appleton Gospel Church
…
continue reading
50 епізодів
Усі епізоди
×
Despite persecution, Timothy brought the good news that the Thessalonian church stood firm in faith and love. This encouraged Paul to persevere despite his own hardships. Why stay faithful? It strengthens others! What does faithfulness look like? Faith in Christ and love for one another. Let’s be a church known for both. Read more...…
It was tough being a Christian in Thessalonica. But this was nothing new. Jesus faced persecution, just like the prophets before him, the apostles after, and many Christians down through the years. Nevertheless, it can still be startling to realize that following Jesus doesn’t automatically make life easier. However, the truth of God's word and the company of God's people help us stay faithful — even in severe suffering. Read more...…
When the Apostle Paul brought the gospel to Thessalonica, he was very careful to model a life aligned with his message. He demonstrated the kind of loving care found in a healthy family. This helped those early believers learn what it meant to be part of the church, and it helped sustain them, especially when times were tough. In life and ministry, the "how" matters. Read more...…
When the Thessalonians became Christians, Paul says everyone heard how they turned to the true and living God from idols. But idolatry wasn't only an issue back then. Human beings continue to put things (even good things!) in the place of God. We must choose for ourselves this day whom we will serve. Read more...…
Being a Christian in the Greek, first-century city of Thessalonica was tough. Thessalonica was a big and prosperous city, but it was full of idols. The Apostle Paul and the first Christians there faced fierce religious persecution and tremendous political pressure to conform. But despite their suffering, they remained faithful. Our culture is different today, but following Jesus can still be very costly. Will we be faithful to the end? Read more...…
It is not hyperbole to say that the Easter story forever changed the course of human history. If false, then Christianity is meaningless. But if it is true — if the tomb is still empty, and if Jesus is risen and alive today — then it changes everything! This is our great gospel hope. Read more...
Palm Sunday is when Jesus entered Jerusalem as the King. He was humble, riding on the foal of a donkey. He restored prayer and worship in the temple, making it a place of healing. He will do the same for you if he becomes your Lord. All we can do is respond in joyful worship. "Hosanna in the highest heaven!" Read more...…
How can we endure the difficult times when the light seems to have gone out of our lives? The cross changes our expectations, especially regarding suffering. But the cross also shows us that the path of suffering leads to glory when we totally surrender to our good and faithful Father. Read more...
When a mother sought honor for her sons, Jesus taught that greatness comes through serving others, not ruling over them. He came to serve and give His life on the cross as a ransom for many. Are we chasing worldly greatness, or are we following Jesus' example of servant-hearted love? Read more...
How often should I forgive someone who has sinned against me? Forgiveness can be very costly if you've really been hurt. But the forgiveness of sins is the purpose behind the cross and, therefore, is a primary value of the Christian life. Lent is a time to seek peace through the regular practice of repentance and forgiveness. Read more...…
Spiritual Dependence (Values of the Cross): The way of Jesus is fundamentally different from the ways of the world. Why? Because the story of the cross produces unique values that transform our focus, conflicts, purpose, allegiance — everything! Lent is a season to reflect on these unique values. And prayer and fasting, two traditional practices of Lent, can be great tools to help us refocus on our spiritual dependence on God. Recorded on Mar 16, 2025, on Matthew 6:5-18 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Lenten sermon series, Values of the Cross. Christians are called to follow Jesus, but the way of Jesus is often completely upside down and backward compared to the ways of this world. Why is the way of Jesus so different? Join us during Lent for our sermon series, Values of the Cross, as we consider some of the unique values of the cross-shaped way of Jesus and how they transform every part of life. The cross changes everything! Sermon Transcript If you’ve been with us, you’ll know that last week, we finished a long series on Exodus in the Bible. And I just want to say thank you for your endurance. As always, if you missed any of those sermons, you can always go back and watch or listen online. But today, we get to start a six-week series for Lent called Values of the Cross from the gospel according to Matthew. And here’s the big idea for this series: Christians are called to follow Jesus, but the way of Jesus is often completely upside down and backward compared to the ways of this world. You might wonder, “Why is the way of Jesus so different?” Well, in our series, Values of the Cross, we’ll see that the unique story of the cross and the empty tomb produces unique values that lead to a totally unique way of life. So, as we learn to follow Jesus and his uniquely cross-shaped way, it can transform every part of life, including our focus, conflicts, purpose, expectations, allegiance, and our record. The cross changes everything! Today, we’ll consider how some of the classic practices of Lent, that of fasting and prayer, can help us change our focus. Sometimes, it feels like I’m a little pebble in a rushing river. The force of our culture in this broken world and its values/desires constantly rushes past and presses against me while I try to follow Jesus. Sometimes, even mature believers can get swept up in or pushed off course by the ways of the world. We can lose our focus. We can forget our complete and utter dependence on God. But Lent is a time to refocus, and prayer/fasting can be a way to remember our true spiritual dependence on God, to remember our values/way. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Mt 6:5. Matthew 6:5–8 (NIV), “5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”This passage is found in the middle of Jesus’s famous Sermon on the Mount, where he lays out a vision for the kingdom of heaven and what life looks like for anyone who would follow after him. Matthew chapter 6 is all about traditional religious works such as almsgiving (giving to the poor), prayer, and fasting. We didn’t read it, but v. 1 is really the thesis statement for this section of teaching. There, Jesus said, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.” Be careful. Ok, so this is a warning for us. About what? It’s a warning not to do good works, religious works even, to be seen by others. If you do these things to be known as a good person,…
The Glory of God (Exodus): After almost 30 weeks, our Journey to Freedom series on Exodus ends with a focus on the glory of God. From Moses’ radiant face to the glory cloud filling the Tabernacle, see how God’s beauty, grace, and goodness lead us to worship and reflect His light. Recorded on Mar 9, 2025, on Exodus 34-40 by Pastor David Parks. Read more...…
New Stone Tablets (Exodus): Have you ever wondered what God is really like? When God remade his covenant with Israel, Moses asked to see his glory. The Lord allowed Moses to experience as much as he could bear, revealing multiple aspects of his good character. Yahweh is the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love, and so much more. God is great. God is good. Recorded on Mar 2, 2025, on Exodus 33-34 by Pastor David Parks. Read more...…
The Tent of Meeting (Exodus): After the disaster of the golden calf, God put some distance between himself and his people. But Moses continued to meet with God and speak to him face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Moses asked God to go with them, and God agreed. Moses' friendship with God is a picture of the type of relationship that is possible with God in Christ. Recorded on Feb 23, 2025, on Exodus 33 by Pastor David Parks. Read more...…
The Golden Calf (Exodus): The idolatry of the Golden Calf nearly destroyed Israel, showing why God cannot simply ignore our sins and how their consequences are worse than we might think. However, it also foreshadows the forgiveness offered through Jesus Christ. Recorded on Feb 16, 2025, on Exodus 32 by Pastor David Parks.…
Sabbath Rest (Exodus): Many people struggle to find a healthy balance of work and rest. Is there a way to work hard for the glory of God without dying on the altar of productivity? In the story of creation, God modeled productive work and meaningful rest. The lesson of the Sabbath is that God clearly expected his people to adopt this same pattern as a sign of their relationship with him — a sign ultimately fulfilled by Christ. Recorded on Feb 9, 2025, on Exodus 31:12-18 and other selected verses by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript So, we’re working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. And, we’ve said that Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. Exodus is a wonderful picture of the gospel and the Christian life — that God saved a people by his grace, freed them from captivity, and led them by his word and holy Presence in relationship to him as they made their way to the Promised Land. The Exodus is our story in Christ. As we said last week, the first half of Exodus is mostly narrative/story, while the second half includes mostly commands and instructions from God given through the prophet Moses while the people remained camped at Mount Sinai. So we’ve paused our typical expository preaching style for several topical sermons here in the second half of Exodus — sermons on the Law, Tabernacle, Priesthood, (today) Sabbath, and more. A topical sermon widens the scope from “What does this one passage say?” to “What does the whole Bible say about this topic?” Today, we’ll consider God’s desire for his people to rest in the practice of the Sabbath. The Hebrew word ‘Sabbath’ means to stop or cease working. Now, the Bible does not present work as part of the curse of sin. But one area that sin has certainly affected is our work. For example, in Ge 3, God said that childbearing would continue but would be painful. The ground would bear fruit but would also produce thorns and thistles. Christians today must learn God’s intention for our work and rest, how sin distorts these things, and how we might learn to honor God in our work and our rest. Now, I’ve always liked to work hard. I was the kid who pushed myself in school/sports/whatever. I spent countless hours practicing basketball after the team practice was done. Then, I’d shoot free throws until I made ten in a row. (To this day, I can hit a free throw more often than not.) Before I was a pastor, I worked in the business world, and I loved the meritocracy of sales. The harder I worked, the more money I could make. That seemed like a great deal to me. When God called me from the business world into vocational ministry, I threw myself into this with everything I had, and for years, my motto was this: “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” But, you know, as I got older (and a little wiser), I learned that if that’s your attitude toward your work — no matter what you do, whether your work is in your home or somewhere else, whether your work is paid or unpaid — if you’ll sleep when you’re dead, you’ll be dead sooner than later. This was just not a good way to live. But is there a better way? Is there a way to work hard and be productive in life and to the glory of God without dying on the altar of productivity? Is there a way to balance fruitful/productive work and enjoy meaningful rest? This is the lesson of the Sabbath,…
The Priesthood (Exodus): Many people wrestle with the questions of purpose and significance, wondering, "Do I matter?" The ministry of the priests and Levites of ancient Israel might seem very disconnected from modern life. However, their ministry — representing the people to God and God and his will to the people — reveals a pattern that still applies today. As we follow Jesus, our Great High Priest, we are invited to join him in his priestly ministry. And what could be more significant than that? Recorded on Feb 2, 2025, on Exodus 28-30 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript So, almost all year, we’ve been working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. And Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. Yahweh God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, led them through the desert wilderness by his word and his Presence, and brought them to Mount Sinai to enter into a covenant relationship with them. God had promised their ancestor, Abraham, to give them the land of Canaan, known as the Promised Land. However, as we saw, the Israelites struggled and grumbled through a series of battles and tests in the desert, but Yahweh proved faithful and good time and again. God's great, big beating heart behind this whole Exodus project was to have a real relationship with people — people who were separated from a holy God by their sin — but people who were still greatly loved and precious to God. Now, the first half of Exodus is mostly narrative/story, while the second half includes mostly commands and instructions from God given through the prophet Moses while the people remained camped at Mount Sinai. This is a real challenge from a preaching perspective. Our typical preaching style is expository, meaning the point of the text is the point of the sermon, and we work through one main passage to uncover that point and try to apply it to our lives. But, frankly, this style doesn’t work quite as well when you have three chapters of legal code or instructions on the materials of the Tabernacle. So we’ve included several topical sermons here in the second half of Exodus — sermons on the Law, Tabernacle, Priesthood, and Sabbath. Today, we’ll consider the significance of the role of the Priests in ancient Israel, how Jesus became our Great High Priest of the New Covenant, and also how this ancient priesthood relates to us today. “Does it?” you might wonder. Yes. Absolutely. As a pastor, I regularly meet with people who have spiritual questions or struggles. And one of the most frequent topics of conversation is something like, “What is God’s will for my life?” But oftentimes, as we dig into that question, it’s really a question of purpose and significance. The question under the question of “What is God’s will for my life?” is something like, “Do I matter?” Have you ever wrestled with a question like that? Would it make any difference if I was here or not? That can be a very uncomfortable question, especially if things in your life haven’t worked out how you thought they would/should. But as Christian people, we must resist looking at our circumstances to determine our significance. Significance often comes from purpose, and our purpose can only come from our Creator. But, as we’ll see today, we have incredible purpose/significance as we learn to be a kingdom of pries...…
The Tabernacle (Exodus): The Tabernacle was more than a physical structure or a fancy tent. It was a reminder of the reality of God’s presence with his people and their relationship with him. This message resonates through the pages of scripture all the way to us today. The construction details, while tedious, were never meaningless. Every curtain, stake, and crossbar pointed to something far greater than itself. And in that perfect design, an invitation remains for us to draw near. Recorded on Jan 26, 2025, on Exodus 25-27 by Ted Selker. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.…
The Covenant Confirmed (Exodus): Some people describe Christianity, saying, "It’s not a religion; it’s a relationship." But how can sinful people have a personal relationship with a holy God? In the covenant offered at Mount Sinai, God made a way where there was no way — so people might have peace and friendship with him. Today, in Christ, you don’t have to fear God's holiness or judgment. He is not a threat, and this is such good news. Recorded on Jan 19, 2025, on Exodus 24:1-18 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript We’re working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. And Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. Yahweh God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, led them through the desert wilderness by his word and his Presence, and brought them to Mount Sinai to enter into a covenant relationship with them (as we’ll see today). But God had promised to give them their own land in Canaan, known as the Promised Land. The Israelites had struggled and grumbled thorough a series of tests and battles, but Yahweh proved faithful and good time and again. We saw that God's great, big beating heart behind this whole Exodus project was to have a real relationship with people — people who were separated from a holy God by their sin — but people who were still greatly loved and precious to God. Today, we’re going to see this covenant relationship confirmed at Mount Sinai in a ceremony that might seem strange to us but was normal for them. And in this ceremony, we start to see a little glimpse of what God wanted out of this relationship. Have you ever heard someone describe the Christian faith this way: It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship. Have you ever heard that? Maybe you’ve said that yourself. It’s not a religion, Christianity is not a list of do’s and don’ts, it’s a relationship. And I like that. It emphasizes God’s personal and relational nature and God’s desire for a relationship with the people that he saves. But have you ever stopped to ask the question, what exactly is it like to have a real relationship with a God? Well, I guess it depends, right? What kind of God are we talking about? Yahweh is a God, as we’ve seen, who is the Creator of all, who is limitless in power and knowledge, who speaks galaxies into existence, who easily defeated the most powerful kingdom on earth, and who is perfectly righteous and holy. Wouldn’t you rather have a slightly less powerful God who only wants us to just have fun all the time? (And, of course, fun as we define it.) That seems like a much more manageable god to have a relationship with. Or maybe a god only for us, for our family, tribe, or nation? Who judges/defeats our enemies but lets us do what we please without trying to change us or interfere with our lives? That sounds like a nice god to have around. Meanwhile, at certain points in the Exodus story, I’m sure the Israelites wondered if they could even handle a relationship with Yahweh. Could they even be near him? It’s not a religion; it’s a relationship. Well, today we’re going to consider the nature of this relationship and we’ll see that a relationship with this God, the only true and living God, is actually far better than we could ever imagine. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 24:1. Exodus 24:1–4a (NIV),…
The Law (Exodus): The Mosaic Law started with the Ten Commandments but added 600+ commands to guide and guard Israel as a nation. The Law regulated worship (loving God) and social responsibility (loving people). Given our distance from the cultural context in which it was given, the Law can be hard for us to relate to today. However, in Christ, we are still commanded to love God and love people. So, as we study the Mosaic Law, we can better understand God's heart of love for his people. Recorded on Jan 12, 2025, on Exodus 21-23 by Nathan Huber. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.…
The Ten Commandments (Exodus): Every other religion says it’s what you do that saves you. But in the Exodus, Israel learned that Yahweh God was different. He rescues people by grace and then gives them a law to joyfully obey in a relationship with him. This law reflects God's heart for flourishing life, faithfulness, truth, and justice and was a law of love for God and neighbor. Recorded on Jan 5, 2025, on Exodus 20:1-21 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript Since September, with a little break for Christmas, we’ve been working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. As we’ve said, Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Yahweh God led them through the desert wilderness by his word and his own holy Presence as they made their way to the Promised Land of Canaan. The Israelites struggled and grumbled and had so much to learn, but Yahweh proved faithful and good. Before Christmas, we learned that God's great, big beating heart behind this whole Exodus project was to have a real relationship with people — people who were separated from a holy God by their sin — but people who were still greatly loved and precious to God. So at Mount Sinai, Yahweh God invited Israel into a covenant relationship. Out of all the peoples of the world, they would be for him a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Today, we’ll consider one of the most famous passages in the Bible: the Ten Commandments. Now, I preached a whole series on the Ten Commandments two years ago. If you’d like more teaching on this, you can always go back and watch or listen online if you’d like. But since we’re going to preach a sermon today and not a series, we have a lot of ground to cover, so let’s jump in. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 20:1. One: Exodus 20:1–3 (NIV), “1 And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord [Yahweh] your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.” When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was (out of the 600+ commands of the Mosaic Law), he quoted Dt 6, “Love the Lord [Yahweh] your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Dt 6:5). But he said the second is like it, to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18b). Jesus, and many other rabbis of his day, believed the whole of the Law could be summarized by these two commands: Love God and love people. As we work through the Ten Commandments, you’ll notice the first four commands are “vertical.” They’re about loving God. The remaining six are “horizontal.” They’re about loving people. Here, Yahweh says that the first thing to know about his world and his way is that there is only one God, the Creator, the Maker of the heavens and the earth, and everything in it. There was no pantheon of gods/goddesses like everyone else worshipped at the time. Those were human creations, idols. There is only one, and he will not share his glory with anyone/anything else. What use is it to sacrifice or give your life to something that isn’t real and has no power to do anything about your problems or fix this broken world?? In contrast, Yahweh had only ever given faithful, loyal love to Israel. He created them, revealed himself to them, saved them,…
Until the King Returns (Christmas): The message of Christmas is that Jesus Christ was born, and with him came the birth of hope, life, and peace. But why is the world still so broken? Did Christmas fail? No. Today, we live in the tension of the Age of Redemption. Jesus has come; he has established his church and given us the Holy Spirit and the gospel — but there will still be darkness until the return of our King. Recorded on Dec 29, 2024, on Acts 1:1-11 by Pastor David Parks. Sermon Transcript We’ve been taking a little break from our Exodus series for Christmas. But fear not! We’ll jump back into Exodus next Sunday. During this Advent season, we’ve said that advent comes from the Latin for “arrival.” The ancient people of Israel had waited for generations for the coming of the promised Messianic King — a promise we believe was fulfilled in the incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ. But just as God’s people waited for the first advent of Christ, so today, we await the second advent in the return of Christ. In our little Christmas mini-series, Waiting for the King, we started last Sunday by focusing on the light of the promise of the first advent during a time of deep darkness. On Christmas Eve, we told the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus, a different kind of king. If you missed those sermons, you can always go back and watch or listen online if you’d like. Today, we’ll wrap up our Christmas series focusing on the hope of the promise of the second advent and the return of Christ our King. As we’ve seen, the light of the world has come. On those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned. Unto us a child was born, a son was given. Jesus Christ was born, and with him came the birth of hope, life, and peace. But there’s a tension with Christmas: there’s still so much darkness. There’s still so much corruption, violence, and injustice in the world. There’s still cancer and car accidents and tragedies of all kinds. If Jesus was the great hope of the world, the Son of God who would save people from their sins, why is the world still so broken? Did Christmas fail? And for followers of Jesus, how can we keep our hope as we live in this tension? If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Acts 1:1. Acts 1:1–3 (NIV), “1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” On Tuesday, we said that the book of Luke was the first of a two-part work in the Bible. Luke refers to that here when he mentions his “former book.” Acts is part two of this work. The book of Luke focuses on the life and ministry of Jesus — everything “until the day he was taken up to heaven,” as he says. Luke did a careful investigation into Christianity by interviewing eyewitnesses who were alive to hear and see what Jesus said and did. The book of Acts is all about what happened next. Luke dedicates both works to a man named Theophilus. We don’t know much about Theophilus, but he’s generally believed to be a patron or benefactor, funding Luke’s investigation. Now, money is never the point of ministry, but money enables ministry (like almost everything else in life). The Bible presents God as the one who ultimately provides for our needs in life and ministry. And sometimes God rains down bread from heaven (as he did during the Exodus). But usually, God provides through the hard work and generosity of his people, people like Theophilus. Anyways, Luke reports back on what he discovered in his investigation. He says that after his suffering — meaning, after the death of Jesus Christ on the cross for the sins of the world — Jesus appeared to eyewitnesses and gave many convincing proofs that ...…
A Different Kind of King (Christmas): The birth of Jesus Christ was a very unusual birth for a king — the little town of Bethlehem, a manger for a bed, the announcement made to shepherds, and more. But Jesus would be a different kind of king. He came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. Christmas was the birth of hope, life, and peace. Recorded on Dec 22, 2024, on Isaiah 9:1-6 by Pastor David Parks. Sermon Transcript Good afternoon, everyone, and a very Merry Christmas to you! I’m Pastor David, and whether you’re joining us in person or online today, I’d like to welcome you to Appleton Gospel Church. We are so glad that you’re here! As a church, our mission is “sharing good news” because we believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing with the power to change everything. If you’re visiting today and would like to connect with us or if you have a prayer request or need help in some way, please let us know after the service today or by filling out a connect card. We’d love to connect with you. All through this Advent season, a season that can be so chaotic and stressful, I’ve been encouraging you to try to slow down and focus on what really matters for Christmas. I hope our service today can help you do just that. Some of you might need to be reminded of the invitation of our Lord Jesus Christ when he said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:28-30). Please join me in prayer as we continue… So, we’re taking a little break from our Exodus series for Christmas. During this Advent season, we’ve said that advent comes from the Latin for “arrival.” The ancient people of Israel had waited for generations for the coming of the promised Messianic King — a promise we believe was fulfilled in the incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ. But just as God’s people waited for the first advent of Christ, so today, we await the second advent in the return of Christ. So, in our little Christmas mini-series, Waiting for the King, we started this past Sunday by focusing on the light of the promise of the first advent during a time of deep darkness. Today, we’ll tell the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus. Then, this coming Sunday, we’ll focus on the hope of the promise of the second advent and the return of Christ. Every year, I’m reminded that the anticipation of Christmas is so powerful. When I was a kid, I looked forward to the presents, of course (toys, games, treats). As an adult, I still like toys, games, and treats but now I look forward more to spending time with family and friends. In our story today of the first Christmas, we’ll see that men and women were anticipating, they were looking forward to, something a little more serious. They looked forward to the birth of a Savior, the Messiah, the Chosen One God had promised to rescue and redeem his people. But when this child was born, when this son was given, one thing became clear: A king had arrived, but he would be a different kind of king — not like the typical kings of this broken world. He would be a king who had not come to be served, but he would serve and ultimately give his life for others so that we might have love and joy and peace, we might be forgiven and freed from captivity to sin, and we might have life everlasting in his good kingdom. Jesus is a different kind of King. This is what Christmas is all about. The birth of hope, life, and peace. The birth of a different kind of king. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to Luke 2:1. We’re going to read through the Christmas story, and we’ll unpack it as we go. Luke 2:1–7 (NIV), “1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quir...…
Waiting for the King (Christmas): During an era of darkness, God promised the birth of a son who would become a king — but not just any king. He would bring joy and peace. He would be the light of the world. And he would reign over the kingdom of God forever and ever. Even in deep darkness, there was hope. Hosanna! Lord, save us! Recorded on Dec 22, 2024, on Isaiah 9:1-6 by Pastor David Parks. Sermon Transcript So, we’re taking a little break from our Exodus series for Christmas. During this Advent season, we’ve said that advent comes from the Latin for “arrival” and reminds us that the people of Israel had waited for generations for the coming of the promised Messianic King — a promise fulfilled in the incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ. But just as God’s people waited for the first advent of Christ, so today, we await the second advent in the return of Christ. In our Christmas mini-series, Waiting for the King, we’ll focus on the light of the promise of the first advent during a time of great darkness for the people of God. During our Candlelight Christmas Eve service on Tuesday at 4:30, we’ll tell the story of the birth of Jesus. Then, next week, we’ll focus on the hope of the promise of the second advent and the return of Christ. Salvation has come in Jesus' name. Love, joy, and peace have come in Jesus' name. But today, we’re still waiting for the King and his return, which will mark the end of this age and the beginning of the next. Now, I don’t know about you, but the darkness of this time of year really affects me. Yesterday was the winter solstice, which means it was the shortest and darkest day of the year. I had a great day yesterday, but when it’s dark out or if it’s grey and rainy, I can’t help but feel a little dark or grey and rainy. Have you ever felt that way? Or have you ever woken up and it was just this brilliantly bright sunny day, and you felt more hopeful about your day or week (or life)? It’s funny how that works. In the passage, we’re going to consider today, God’s people were in a time of darkness. It wasn’t just the winter solstice. Every day from now until June will get brighter and brighter for us. But they couldn’t just wait a few months for more sun and better weather. They were in a time of destruction and death. They were under attack from much stronger enemies. This was a time of exile. They need to be saved. But hope seemed to be all but gone. The faithful ones cried out, “Hosanna!” which means, “Lord save us!” They needed to be rescued yet again. They needed light in the darkness. But even though they had brought all this destruction and death on themselves, the Lord God Almighty is a gracious God, abounding in love. As we’ve seen over and over in the Exodus story, Yahweh is good and faithful, even when the people stumble and grumble and quarrel with God. Today, we’ll see the good promise of God for a people walking in darkness. And the promise centers on a child who would be born who would become a king. But who was this king, what would he do, and why is this still good news for us today? If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Isaiah 9:1. Isaiah 9:1–2 (NIV), “1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” During the time of King David, around 1000 BC, the kingdom of Israel was united and had peace. Unfortunately, that peace didn’t last long. After David and his son Solomon reigned, the kingdom split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. This lasted about 200 years until the Assyrian Empire conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC, and many people, especially in the northernmost tribal areas of Zebulun an...…
The Covenant at Mount Sinai (Exodus): After rescuing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Yahweh invited them into a covenant relationship at Mount Sinai. In one of the most crucial chapters in the Bible, we find that the great, big beating heart of God behind all his saving work is this: to have a real, intimate, and life-giving relationship with people — people who have been separated from a holy God by their sin — but people who are still greatly loved and are precious to God. Recorded on Dec 15, 2024, on Exodus 19 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript Since September, we’ve been working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Yahweh God led them through the desert wilderness by his word given through the prophet Moses and by his own holy Presence in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. The Israelites struggled and grumbled; it was tough, and the people barely trusted the God who had just rescued them from Egypt. But Yahweh proved faithful and good. Last week, we considered when Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, visited them at Rephidim. He heard everything Yahweh had done for the Israelites and had a conversion experience. But he also offered a suggestion about the leadership structure that probably saved Moses from being crushed under the burden of leading all these people. Well, today, after months of traveling through the desert wilderness, we finally get to Mount Sinai and discover the purpose of God behind this dramatic rescue of the Israelites from Egypt. Why did he do all this? What was God’s heart behind rescuing and redeeming a people for himself? Well, here, we find that the great, big beating heart of God behind all of creation and salvation is to have a real relationship with people — people who have been separated from a holy God by their sin — but people who are still greatly loved and are precious to God. This is the defining story of Israel, but this is also our story in Christ. So, if you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 19:1. Exodus 19:1–6 (NIV), “1 On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. 2 After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain. 3 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” Everything in the Exodus story has led up to this point when Yahweh God invited the Israelites into a covenant relationship with him at Mount Sinai. And this is just so significant. Yahweh had promised he would do this for the family of Abraham and Sarah some 430 years earlier. He repeated the promise down through the generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.…
Jethro and Moses (Exodus): Whether you have an official leadership role or title, everyone can influence someone for good. When Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, visited the Israelites, he realized Moses would be crushed without some serious help. He advised Moses to invite others to share the leadership burden with him. God’s people needed good and godly leaders to help them live lives that bring glory and honor to him. Recorded on Dec 8, 2024, on Exodus 18 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript So, we’re working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Yahweh God led them through the desert wilderness by his word given through the prophet Moses and by his own holy Presence in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. But, we’ve seen that things didn’t get much easier for the Israelites on the other side of the famous parting of the Red Sea. The Israelites struggled and grumbled through a series of desert tests before being viciously attacked by the Amalekites at Rephidim. It was tough, and the people didn’t display a very impressive amount of faith in the God who had just rescued them from Egypt. But Yahweh proved faithful and good and provided what they needed despite their grumbling and quarreling. Today, we have one more stop to make, one more chapter in our story, before we get to the fireworks of Mount Sinai, the giving of the Law, and the establishment of the covenant between Yahweh and Israel. When Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, meets them, he offers a suggestion that would help Moses lead the people well and not be crushed by the burden. This chapter offers many leadership lessons. Now, whether you have an official leadership role or not, everyone can influence others for good. And this is what good leadership is all about. We need these lessons. So, if you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 18:1. We’ll read through this and unpack it as we go. Exodus 18:1–7 (NIV), “1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her 3 and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”; 4 and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.” 5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. 6 Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.” 7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent.” Moses doesn’t record when, but at some point between leaving Midian with his family and his time in Egypt during the Ten Plagues, he sent his wife Zipporah and their sons back to live in Midian with her father, Jethro. He doesn’t say why, and some have speculated that they were having trouble in their marriage. But it doesn’t say that. And once the Israelites reached Mount Sinai,…
The Amalekites (Exodus): Battles, struggles, conflict, and strife are just part of the fabric of this broken world. As followers of Jesus, how do we fight our battles? When the Amalekites attacked the Israelites at Rephidim, the people, led by Joshua, had to fight. But the Lord brought the victory through the intercession of Moses, acting as a mediator. In our battles, we must trust our Mediator, lean on our friends, and find our victory in Yahweh Nissi (the Lord is my Banner). Recorded on Dec 1, 2024, on Exodus 17:8-16 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript So, we’re working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Yahweh God led them through the desert wilderness by his word given through the prophet Moses and by his own holy Presence. For the last three weeks, we saw three tests in the desert on the way to Mount Sinai designed to teach the Israelites to listen to God, obey his word, and learn to follow his way (whether they understood it or not). But the Israelites didn’t pass any of the tests. In our text for today, the Israelites don’t just have a need; they’re in real danger when the Amalekites come and attack them. Have you ever felt like you were in a battle? Have you ever realized you needed God to save you? Battles, struggles, conflict, and strife are just part of the fabric of this broken world. Sometimes, there’s real violence, but sometimes, the battle is in your mind, heart, or relationships. Sometimes, the battle is physical, but often, it’s spiritual, too. As God’s people, as followers of Jesus, how do we fight? How do we win? Our text today offers many lessons on what to do on the day of battle. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 17:8. Exodus 17:8–9 (NIV), “8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” It turns out there were more dangers in the world than Pharaoh and his army. Now, we know four things about the Amalekites: First, they descended from Esau, Jacob’s brother, so they were distant cousins of the Israelites. They should’ve been allies, not enemies. They should’ve helped Israel, not come to steal, kill, and destroy. Second, they lived in the desert. The Israelites struggled to survive, but the Amalekites knew what they were doing. They were like the Fremen in Dune. These were desert people, which didn’t bode well for a battle with them in their home. Third, the Amalekites carried out this unprovoked attack on the Israelites here at Rephidim. Maybe they heard this huge mass of people, animals, and possessions had somehow escaped Egypt and thought they’d be an easy target. Or maybe this was just a normal day for violent people who survived in a tough environment by being tougher than anyone or anything else. (Maybe both?) Later, Moses reminded the Israelites about this attack, saying, “When you were weary and worn out, they [Amalekites] met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.” (Dt 25:18). Fourth, the Amalekites would be enemies of Israel for hundreds of years — all through the time of the Judges a...…
Water from the Rock (Exodus): In the third and final desert test, at Massah and Meribah, the Israelites desperately needed water (again), and things were going from bad to worse. They quarreled with God and were ready to kill Moses. In our time of need, will we harden our hearts and put God to the test? Or will we turn in faith to Jesus, our Rock and our Redeemer, who provides streams of living water? Recorded on Nov 24, 2024, on Exodus 17:1-7 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript So, we’re working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Yahweh God led them through the desert wilderness by his word given through Moses and by his holy Presence. For the last few weeks, we’ve seen that God tested his people on the way to Mount Sinai to teach them important lessons. He did this because the Israelites lived for generations as slaves in Egypt, and they needed to learn a lot. They needed to learn how to be their own people, how to listen to God, how to trust him, and so much more. So how was it going? Well, the first test at Marah was just a few days after the famous parting of the Red Sea. The people were dying of thirst, and they found only bitter water and started grumbling against God. But God healed the water and provided refreshment when they arrived at Elim. Then, last week, we considered the second test. About a month after crossing the Red Sea, the people had run out of food and started grumbling against God again. But again, God provided manna/bread from heaven. This sustained them for forty years in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. If you missed any of the sermons from our Exodus series so far, you can always go back and watch or listen to the audio podcast online or on the Church Center app if you’d like. But after these first two tests, had the Israelites finally learned to listen to God’s word? Had they learned to trust his goodness and faithfulness to provide for them? I’ll just tell you upfront the answer is no. This would be a hard lesson for them. Instead of learning and getting better at trusting God and listening to him, they seemed to go from bad to worse. But, to be fair, they were out of water again. In the desert, this was a very serious problem. Have you ever been in a bad situation and couldn’t see a way out? I have. Maybe you got an unexpectedly big bill or had some other financial problem. Maybe you got a bad diagnosis at the doctor, or maybe you had something hidden come to light in your marriage, and now you’re not sure where to go or what to do. In tough times like those, all kinds of theological questions come up. Questions like, “God, where are you right now?” or “Is this really your will for my life?” or even “Are you even real?” We’re told that God disciplines us because he loves us as his children. But what might’ve been a test to help us learn and grow often gets turned around, and we start to test or quarrel with God. Maybe if we were among those ancient Israelites, we wouldn’t be that much different. Maybe we’d be there, grumbling in the wilderness. But what do we do when we have serious problems — when we’re in a bad situation and can’t see a way out? Is there a way to bring our questions and doubts to God in humble,...…
Manna from Heaven (Exodus): A month after being freed from slavery, the Israelites were starving in the barren wilderness — the second of three desert tests. However, the whole community grumbled against God. Yahweh rebuked them but mercifully provided bread (manna) from heaven. Does God actually know and care about our needs? Can we trust God to provide? Yes. Only he gives the bread of life. Recorded on Nov 17, 2024, on Exodus 16:1-36 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript So, we’re working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Yahweh himself went ahead of them as a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. He also spoke to his people through Moses, his prophet and servant, providing instructions and commands for them to obey. This would basically be the pattern for the rest of the journey: God’s chosen people learning to make their way through the wilderness by his word and Presence. Last week, we considered the first of three tests in the desert in the waters of Marah and Elim. Today, in the second test, the people were starving. They needed food to nourish and sustain them. Had they learned to listen to God’s word and trust his goodness and faithfulness to provide for their needs? We’ll see. Have you ever needed God to provide? Have you ever wondered, “Does God actually know/care about my needs? Can I trust God provide what I need?” If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 16:1. This is the famous story of manna from heaven. Exodus 16:1–3 (NIV), “1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” The first test at Marah came just three days after the parting of the Red Sea. Now, here, Moses says it’s been almost exactly a month since they were freed from Egypt (the Passover being on the 14th day of the first month). After the brief respite of Elim, the Israelites continued through the desert wilderness on their way to Mount Sinai when they started to have another serious problem: they were running out of food. If you remember, when they left Egypt, they brought bread dough with them so they could make unleavened cakes or crackers, but they were running out (or perhaps had run out). At this point, it wasn’t just a few people who started to grumble. “…the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.” In their desperate hunger, they started to think about being slaves in Egypt as something like the good old days. “Remember when we were slaves who were killed and beaten and exploited in every way? There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted. Wasn’t that great??” It might seem crazy from our vantage point. In the past few weeks of our series, we’ve seen God miraculously provide for his people time and time again. Why would they start grumbling so quickly? But remember,…
The Waters of Marah (Exodus): After three days in the desert without water and finding a bitter spring, the Israelites became bitter and started grumbling. Yahweh had saved them and was leading them — why was the journey still so difficult? The Lord was good and faithful; he was testing them to teach them to listen to him and trust him for their needs. They had so much to learn. Recorded on Nov 10, 2024, on Exodus 15:22-27 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript So, we’re working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. And we’ve said that Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. About 3,300 years ago, the ancient Israelites were slaves in Egypt, the greatest, most powerful kingdom on earth. They cried out in their bitter suffering, and Yahweh — the Creator of the heavens and the earth and the God who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — heard their cries and sent Moses to lead them. But it was the holy Presence of Yahweh himself who fought for them and delivered them with a mighty hand and mighty acts of judgment. We saw the Ten Plagues, which culminated with the Passover when Pharaoh finally relented and let the people go. Then, last week, we saw the final crushing blow against Egypt in the parting of the Red Sea, the crossing of the Israelites through on dry ground, and the destruction of Pharaoh’s army who was pursuing them. The Israelites were finally free, just as Yahweh promised. He freed them from the judgment of their sin in the Passover through the sacrifice of a substitute. He freed them from death by allowing them to cross the Red Sea; he made a way where there was no way. Pharaoh couldn’t hurt them anymore. They were truly free! Well, wasn’t the Exodus a great story? So…why is there so much story left? We’re only on chapter 15 out of 40 for the book of Exodus. And there are three more whole books of the Bible before the Israelites finally enter the Promised Land in Joshua. How could this be? Why does the rest of the journey take so long? And, as we’ll see again and again, the journey had many trials, many circumstances that seriously tested the faith of the Israelites. They were free, but they hadn’t yet arrived. Have you ever been frustrated as a Christian that you weren’t farther along in your journey? Have you ever thought you had kicked a certain temptation or were done dealing with a struggle, only to have it come roaring back into your life? I have. Those times can feel so defeating. Have you ever wondered why, after following Jesus, perhaps for many years, the circumstances of your life suddenly seem to be crushing the faith out of you? Lord, what are you doing? Haven’t you already rescued me? Haven’t you already saved me by your grace? Why are things getting more difficult? Why does it feel like this journey just keeps going on and on? Are you trying to break my faith? Lord, what are you doing? If you’ve ever felt that way, this sermon is for you. Well, if you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 15:22. Exodus 15:22–24 (NIV), “22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.…
Crossing the Red Sea (Exodus): The first real test of faith for the Israelites came when Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army after them. Caught at the Red Sea with nowhere to escape, their options seemed to be slavery or death. They couldn’t imagine how God might save them — until God made a way. He fought their battle and led them to freedom. All they had to do was trust him. Recorded on Nov 3, 2024, on Exodus 13:17-14:31 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript We’re working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. And we’ve said that Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. About 3,300 years ago, the ancient Israelites were slaves in Egypt, the greatest, most powerful kingdom on earth. They cried out in their bitter suffering, and Yahweh, the Creator of the heavens and the earth and the God who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, heard their cries and sent Moses to lead them to freedom. Despite repeated opportunities to let the Israelites go, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, hard-heartedly refused. But after ten escalating plagues, where Yahweh brought divine judgment down on all the false gods and goddesses of Egypt, Pharaoh finally relented, and the Israelites were set free. Today, we’ll see the first real test of faith for the Israelites in their Exodus out of Egypt when Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army after the Israelites. Would this be the end of this whole unlikely plan? Would Moses and Aaron (and probably many other Israelites) be killed? Would the remaining people die as slaves? Or would God do something? Would Yahweh fight on behalf of his people and deliver them as he promised? Could they even imagine God doing something like that? Could they trust him? Have you ever had that thought? Can I really trust God to rescue/deliver me? Well, if you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 13:17. This is the famous story of the parting of the Red Sea. And we’ll unpack this text as we go. Exodus 13:17–22 (NIV), “17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.” 20 After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” So, the Exodus had begun. And, surprisingly, God himself was there, leading his people out of Egypt in a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. He didn’t just send Moses as his prophet to lead his people; he went too. No one can see God and live, but God’s holy Presence was with them. Commentator Douglas Stuart writes, “…the Israelites knew all day every day that God was present with them. Here was a supernatural, huge,…
The Passover (Exodus): Very few things formed the identity of ancient Israel more than the story of the Lord's Passover. God brought divine judgment against Egypt and its gods in an unmistakable tenth plague. However, God also graciously made a way for salvation through the blood of a sacrificial lamb. Yahweh had done it. The Israelites were finally free. Recorded on Oct 27, 2024, on Exodus 12:1-13, 29-42 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript We’re working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. And we’ve said that Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. The people God rescued were the ancient Israelites who suffered greatly as slaves in Egypt about 3,200-3,300 years ago. Egypt was the most powerful kingdom in the world. Despite the brutality of their situation, Yahweh, the God of their ancestors (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), had allowed them to grow in slavery from seventy people as an extended family to be large enough to be a nation within a nation. But the more they grew, the more the Pharaohs were threatened by them and oppressed them all the more. The Israelites cried out to the Lord, and Yahweh sent Moses to lead his people out of Egypt, just as he had promised Abraham 430 years earlier. Moses was a Hebrew but was adopted by the royal household of Egypt before spending 40 years in exile in Midian. So Moses and his brother Aaron went back to Pharaoh with miraculous signs and wonders, but Pharaoh didn’t believe in Yahweh and stubbornly refused to listen to his message. Last week, in chapters 7-11 in Exodus, we saw that Yahweh gave Pharaoh chance after chance to repent by sending a series of escalating plagues. But after the first five plagues, when Pharaoh only hardened his heart in response to each plague, the Lord, to quote Paul, “…gave [him] over in the sinful desires of [his] heart…” (Ro 1:24). So, as Yahweh sent five more plagues, he hardened Pharaoh’s heart to execute divine judgment in a way the world hadn’t seen since the flood. Moses warned Pharaoh that the tenth and final plague would bring the destruction of every firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt — from the greatest to the least, including Pharaoh’s own son. Would the Lord do such a thing? Would Pharaoh finally repent? Would this be the start of the Exodus and the liberation of the Israelites from captivity in Egypt? We’ll see. But this chapter and the story of the Lord’s Passover is one of the most important chapters in the whole of the Old Testament scriptures. Very few things served to form the identity of Israel more than the Passover. But for us today, few things serve to explain and point forward to the work of Jesus Christ more than the Passover. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 12:1. Exodus 12:1–13 (NIV), “1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.…
The Plagues (Exodus): The ten plagues in ancient Egypt represent a systematic victory over and judgment of the Pharaoh and gods of Egypt by the one true God, Yahweh. We are given many opportunities to humbly repent in life. But can anyone actually stand under the judgment of God? Yes, but only because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Recorded on Oct 20, 2024, on Exodus 7:8-24 by Justun Hart. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.…
Bricks Without Straw (Exodus): When God told Moses to tell Pharaoh, "Let my people go," Moses did exactly what God told him to do. But the suffering of the Israelites got worse, not better! The truth is, in a broken world, obedience to God’s word is no guarantee of short-term prosperity. But this doesn't mean that God has abandoned you or that no good will ever come from times of suffering. Our God is faithful to redeem. You'll see. Recorded on Oct 13, 2024, on Exodus 5:1-6:12 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript We’re working through a sermon series on the book of Exodus called Journey to Freedom. And we’ve said that Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. The first few chapters of Exodus describe the bitter suffering of the family of Abraham and Sarah (ancient Israelites) when they were slaves in Egypt, the most powerful kingdom in the world at the time. We’re introduced to Moses, who would go on to be the mighty prophet and deliverer of Israel for Yahweh God. But his story was not this smooth rise into power. It didn’t seem to go according to any sort of plan. But God was faithful, and he didn’t abandon Moses even after his forty-year exile in Midian. But when the set time had fully come, God sent Moses, born in Egypt and adopted into the royal household of Egypt, back to Egypt to redeem his people who were still enslaved in Egypt. But this was a mission Moses didn’t want. Maybe he thought he was too old. Or maybe after his first disastrous attempt at leadership, he doubted his leadership abilities. But Moses gave one excuse after another before asking Yahweh just to send someone else. But God was merciful (and patient) and provided miraculous signs to verify his message and calling. He also allowed Moses’ brother, Aaron, to help him speak and lead. But the most important thing God promised was his own Presence. Yahweh would go with Moses. So Moses packed up his wife, Zipporah, and his two sons and went to Egypt to do this crazy thing God called him to do. In Egypt, Moses and Aaron spoke to the elders of the Israelites and shared the message God gave them: that Yahweh God, the God of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was going to deliver them from Egypt and would bring them out into the land he had promised them. They performed the signs, as well, and the Israelites believed and worshipped the God who had seen their suffering, heard their prayers, and had concern for them. Chapter 5 picks up the story in the courts of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. How would he respond to Moses and the message and miracles of Yahweh God? If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 5:1. Exodus 5:1–9 (NIV), “1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ” 2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.” 4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look,…
The Burning Bush (Exodus): When Yahweh God sent Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses clearly had fears and doubts about his ability to do what God called him to do. Yahweh graciously (and patiently) provided his name, miraculous signs, and other help. But what would guarantee success? God promised, "I will be with you." Recorded on Oct 6, 2024, on Exodus 3:1-4:17 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript Well, today, and for about the next six months, we’ll be working through a sermon series on the book of Exodus called Journey to Freedom. For the last two weeks, we’ve said that Exodus is a wild story, but it’s a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. We’ve also said Exodus is a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. Chapter 1 started something like 3,200 or 3,300 years ago when the ancient people of Israel were suffering bitterly as slaves in Egypt. Would God keep his promises to the family of Abraham and Sarah? Would he be faithful to save? Last week, in Chapter 2, with the birth of Moses, we saw God’s rescue plan start to unfold. However, Moses’ disastrous first attempt at helping his people led to his exile in the foreign land of Midian. Was this God's plan?? Well, today, in Chapter 3, forty years have passed. Moses married Zipporah, the daughter of a pagan priest named Jethro, started a family, and worked as a shepherd for his father-in-law. And for many years, that was it. It probably seemed like God was done with him. Have you ever wondered about this for your life? Maybe things haven’t turned out how you thought they would, and you wonder, “Is this it, or does God have something more for me?” Maybe a bigger question for Moses would be, given his first failure, would he be able to handle it if God called him more? Well, God’s not done with Moses. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 3:1. This is a fairly long text, but it’s all one story, and we’ll unpack it as we go. Exodus 3:1–4:17 (NIV), “1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.…
Moses Flees to Midian (Exodus): Chapter 2 tells the story of Moses' birth and adoption into the Egyptian royal family, which seems to set him up to be the great deliverer of the Hebrew people. However, after his disastrous first attempt at helping his people, he was forced to flee to the land of Midian. Had he squandered his chance? Was this God's plan?? Recorded on Sep 29, 2024, on Exodus 2:1-25 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript Well, today, and for about the next six months, we’ll be working through a sermon series on the book of Exodus called Journey to Freedom. Last week, we started by sharing that Exodus is a wild story, but it’s a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. And we saw the context of this story was the bitter suffering and oppression of ancient Israel when they were slaves in Egypt, something like 3,200 or 3,300 years ago. Things went from bad to worse and culminated in the wicked command of the king to commit genocide against the baby Hebrew boys. They desperately needed God to intervene. But would God be faithful to save? If you missed that intro to our series, you can always go back and watch or listen online. But we said that besides being a great story, Exodus is a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. That in Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and are led through the wilderness of life by God's Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Well, today, in Chapter 2, we’ll see the rescue plan of God start to unfold with the origin of Moses. But it doesn’t go at all how you’d expect. In fact, by the end of Chapter 2, we might have more questions than answers about God’s rescue plan. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 2:1. Chapter 2 has three parts with a little epilogue at the end. Here’s part one… Exodus 2:1–10 (NIV), “1 Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. 5 Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said. 7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” 8 “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.” Part one is all about the birth story of Moses, who would become the mighty prophet and leader of the Israelites out of Egypt. Here, Moses writes that his parents were both of the tribe of Levi. Later, we learn that Moses’ father’s name was Amram, and his mother was Jochebed. Now,…
Slaves in Egypt (Exodus): This is the beginning of our series on the book of Exodus, called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the Christian life. Is God faithful to save? Recorded on Sep 22, 2024, on Exodus 1:1-22 by Pastor David Parks. This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God's Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom. Sermon Transcript Well, today, we get to start a brand new sermon series on the book of Exodus in the OT called Journey to Freedom, which will run through March. But I’ve been working for months to prepare for this series, and I can’t wait to share this story with you. Exodus is an ancient story, something like 3,400 years old, and, as we’ll see, it’s a wild story. But really, Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah (i.e., the Promised Land). Along the way are heroes and villains, cosmic battles between good and evil, folly and sin, and incredible grace, mercy, and love. It’s a story expertly told. But one of the things I want you to see throughout this whole series is that Exodus is a wonderful picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and are led through the wilderness of life by God's Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. This is our Exodus; this is our journey to freedom. Do you think there might be some valuable lessons we might learn about our journey from this first Exodus? Absolutely. But today, as we start this series, we’ll see what life had become for the Israelite people suffering in Egypt. And we’ll see a clear need for God to act/intervene/send a savior. The question is: Would the Lord be faithful to keep the promises he made? Is God faithful to save? If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 1:1. Exodus 1:1-7 (NIV), “1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.” Exodus is the second book in the Bible and is the second of a five-part series known by two terms: the Pentateuch, which means five books in Greek, and the Torah, which means the Law in Hebrew. These five books, including Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, were written by Moses, the mighty prophet and leader of the Israelites during the time of the Exodus. Now, to say that these writings have been influential is a ridiculous understatement. No one, after Jesus Christ himself, has had a more significant impact on human history than Moses and his five books. Over half the world’s population considers his writing to be Holy Scripture. Exodus begins by picking up where the book of Genesis left off. Genesis begins with a collection of stories of creation. The creation of the heavens and the earth,…
Making Room in the Church: Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Because of his heart for people, Jesus was willing to be interrupted by Bartimaeus, Zacchaeus, and so many others. They believed in him, and he offered healing and forgiveness and changed their life into a testimony to the goodness of God. Jesus still seeks the lost today. Therefore, we must make room for more people in our church. Recorded on Sep 15, 2024, on Luke 18:35-19:10 by Pastor David Parks. Make Room is a three-part sermon series considering the need to make room 1) for more of God in our lives, 2) for more people in our lives, and 3) for more people in our church. Why? Because more people need good news! More people need the life and love, the freedom and forgiveness, and so much more that is only found in Christ. Our prayer is that in the coming years, many more people will experience the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sermon Transcript Well, today, we’re finishing up our mini sermon series called Make Room to talk about some of the Biblical foundations of our 2030 Vision. We said that this series and our 2030 Vision plan are the result of a process our elder board spent months on — listening, learning, praying, and talking together about who we are as a church, where God is bearing fruit, and where we believe God is leading us in the next 5-7 years. We also said that one of the things that became clear is that for this next season of life, we do not believe that God is leading us in a dramatically new direction. We don’t need to reinvent our mission, vision, or values. Instead, the phrase that kept coming up in this process was “make room.” So, for the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about our need to make room 1) for more of God in our lives, 2) for more people in our lives, and today, 3) for more people in our church. This is what our 2030 Vision is all about. But this vision isn’t something that might happen months or years from now. We’re actually starting to see parts of our 2030 Vision happening this month as we multiply our community groups, serving opportunities on our ministry teams, worship services, and more. Down the road, if it’s God’s will, we’ll see expansion in kid’s and student ministry, pastoral staffing, building facilities, and perhaps another church plant; who knows! But first, today, we need to count the cost. When Jesus invited men and women to follow him, he challenged them to count the cost. Would they still be willing to follow him even if they had to give up everything? Now, I’m not saying we might have to give up everything to accomplish our 2030 Vision. But the truth is that change can be painful/uncomfortable. Even change for the best can still be hard. All the things I just mentioned will make room for more, but they will also bring changes around here. So today, we’ll consider why we need to make room for more people in our church — why we need to go through the potential pain of change. Will we be willing to pay the cost? If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Luke 18:35. We’ll unpack this text as we go. Luke 18:35–38 (NIV), “35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. 38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The book of Luke was written by a man who most likely became a Christian through the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Luke was a physician who did a careful investigation into the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and then wrote a history of the early church. These works are both in the NT as the book of Luke and Acts. Luke was alive during the time of the Apostles and interviewed eyewitnesses who saw/heard/experienced the person and work of Jesus. Our account today has lots of potential witnesses. Luke writes that Jesus was approaching Jericho with a whole crowd of people.…
Making Room for People: We were made to enjoy deep, healthy, long-term relationships. But this world is broken, and relationships can be just as much a source of pain as anything. What can we do? We should take a risk and make room for more people in our hearts, homes, and lives. Why? The unexpected answer is found...at the end of the world. Recorded on Sep 8, 2024, on 1 Peter 4:7-11 by Pastor David Parks. Make Room is a three-part sermon series considering the need to make room 1) for more of God in our lives, 2) for more people in our lives, and 3) for more people in our church. Why? Because more people need good news! More people need the life and love, the freedom and forgiveness, and so much more that is only found in Christ. Our prayer is that in the coming years, many more people will experience the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sermon Transcript Well, today, we’re on part two of a quick, three-week sermon series called Make Room to talk about some of the Biblical foundations of our 2030 Vision. If you missed the start of this series last week, you can always go back and watch or listen to the podcast online or on the Church Center app. But as we said, the elder board spent months listening, learning, praying, and talking together about who we are as a church, where God is bearing fruit, and where we believe God is leading us in the next 5-7 years (leading up to 2030). Now, I don’t know about you, but it really feels like the start of a new chapter of life as a church, so this was a very timely process. But, one of the things that became clear is that we do not believe that God is leading us in a dramatically new direction. We don’t need to reinvent our mission, vision, or values. Instead, the phrase that kept coming up in this process was “make room.” We need to make room. We need to make room 1) for more of God in our lives, 2) for more people in our lives, and 3) for more people in our church. Making room is what our 2030 Vision is all about. Last week, we were warned against the trap of becoming lukewarm in our faith from Revelation 3 and were encouraged to let Jesus in. He’s standing at the door and is knocking because he wants to be let into every aspect of our lives. Today, we’re going to consider the need to make room for more people in our lives. Now, here’s something I’ve noticed over the years — it was especially obvious during the isolation/loneliness of Covid: People, in general (maybe this isn’t you!), are really bad at maintaining deep, healthy, long-term relationships. This is a huge struggle. One of my responsibilities as a pastor is to meet with people and offer Biblical counsel and spiritual direction as they navigate the difficult terrain of life. There are many different reasons why someone might want to meet. But far and away, the most common reason is because there’s some sort of conflict in a close, usually family-type of relationship. Maybe you can relate? Many can. But this kind of situation/conflict can be so painful and frustrating. And I get it: when you’ve experienced that kind of relational pain, I’m sure it is hard to put yourself out there again and invest in other close relationships, hoping they’ll be different. However, the solution is not to disappear into the woods, become a hermit, and never deal with people again. That would be disobedient to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, which is to make disciples of all nations. And last time I checked, you can’t make disciples unless other people are involved. But neither is the solution to call Shoji Morimoto. I read about Mr. Morimoto a few years ago in an article from The Washington Post titled, Rent-a-stranger: This Japanese man makes a living showing up and doing nothing, (By Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Julia Mio Inuma, March 19, 2022). The article describes a man named Shoji Morimoto who makes a living by renting himself out to people who want a companion.…
Making Room for God: What if Jesus wrote a letter to our church? In his letter to the church in the wealthy city of Laodicea, Jesus strongly warned about being lukewarm in their faith. These Christians were no different than the world around them. But this rebuke was coming from a place of love. "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock." Will they make room for him? Recorded on Sep 1, 2024, on Revelation 3:14-22 by Pastor David Parks. Make Room is a three-part sermon series considering the need to make room 1) for more of God in our lives, 2) for more people in our lives, and 3) for more people in our church. Why? Because more people need good news! More people need the life and love, the freedom and forgiveness, and so much more that is only found in Christ. Our prayer is that in the coming years, many more people will experience the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sermon Transcript For the next three weeks, we’re doing something a little different in our preaching ministry. Normally, our sermon series are based on a book of the Bible (e.g., John or Ephesians or Ruth) or a larger section of Scripture (e.g., Sermon on the Mount). But today, we’re starting a three-week topical series called Make Room to talk about some of the Biblical foundations of our 2030 Vision. But fear not; after this short series, we’ll jump back into a more typical expository series on the book of Exodus (which I’m very excited about!). Now, if we had your email address, you got an email this past week sharing some of our thinking behind this 2030 Vision. But I’ll give you a little more context before we jump into our Scripture passage for today. All the way back in February, after considering whether or not we should try and buy our current building facility, the elder board started developing a long-term ministry plan. We realized that our ministry vision should really come before any questions about a building facility because a building is simply a big, expensive tool to use for the mission/vision of a church. In other words, a building serves the ministry, not the other way around. Plus, over the past year, we saw over 50% growth as a church, and, to be honest, we started to feel some growing pains. Some of our systems and structures that used to work just fine were no longer working as well. We realized that if we failed to pray or plan for the next season of ministry, we would struggle to shepherd people well and would be vulnerable to division or discouragement. So, as a board, we spent months listening to our leaders and the congregation and learning from other pastors and churches. We spent months praying together and talking about who we are as a church, where God is bearing fruit in our ministry, and where we believe God is leading us in the next 5-7 years. This process was very helpful in bringing clarity to what really does seem to be the start of a new season in the life of our church. One of the things that became clear was that we did not feel God was leading us in a dramatically new direction. We don’t need to reinvent ourselves or change our mission, vision, or values. Instead, the phrase that kept coming up was “make room.” We need to make room. But make room for what exactly? Well, as we continued to refine our vision, three areas for making room emerged. We need to make room 1) for more of God in our lives, 2) for more people in our lives, and 3) for more people in our church. Making room is what our 2030 Vision is all about. And this is what we’re going to be talking about today and for the next few weeks. So, we’ll start this mini-series by dropping into Revelation chapter 3, and we’re going to consider a very famous passage where Jesus says he’s standing at the door of our lives, and he’s knocking. He wants to come in, be with us, and have fellowship with us. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Revelation 3:14. Revelation 3:14 (NIV),…
Ruth and Her Guardian-Redeemer (Ruth): In the stunning conclusion, Boaz legally becomes the guardian-redeemer, Boaz and Ruth get married, and a new baby provides redemption for Naomi. But the Lord was doing much more than providing a "happily ever after." As the ultimate Guardian-Redeemer, God was doing immeasurably more than anything they asked or imagined! Recorded on Aug 25, 2024, on Ruth 4:1-22 by Pastor David Parks. This sermon is part of the series Ruth: The Love of a Redeemer. In the Bible, the book of Ruth tells the story of a family that experienced a series of bitter tragedies. But through loyalty, integrity, and faithful love (hesed), they find unexpected redemption, restoration, and hope. Our God is a redeemer. Sermon Transcript So, all month, we’ve been working through a series on the OT book of Ruth called The Love of a Redeemer. As we’ve seen, Ruth is all about facing the bitter tragedies of life by leaning on the hesed, or the steadfast loving-kindness of God, but also on the men and women in our lives who have the character and integrity to reflect this kind of redeeming love to us. The Bible, from cover to cover, is a redemption story. And sometimes, the people of the Bible, people like Ruth and Boaz, reflect the redemptive love that God ultimately gives through Jesus Christ, his son. I do hope this short series has been helpful to you. I’ve really enjoyed it personally. But today, in Act 4 of our play, we’ll see this inspiring story come to its conclusion. We’ll see that the covenant love (hesed) of Boaz would make the cost of redemption a joy, not a burden. But also, we'll see that the redeeming work that God was doing would have an impact far beyond the lives of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. God was doing something so much greater than anyone could ever imagine! If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Ruth 4:1.But before we jump back in, let me give you a little context. So, last week, we saw that, at Naomi’s suggestion, Ruth got dressed up nice, put on some perfume, and went down to the threshing floor when Boaz and the others were winnowing the grain they had harvested. Ruth pulled off what seemed to be a sketchy plan to go to Boaz at night and let him know that she was interested in him as more than a friend, shall we say? But when Boaz woke up and realized Ruth was there, she boldly asked him if he would be willing to serve as her guardian-redeemer. Now, we’ll see more about what exactly she was asking of him today. But instead of taking advantage of Ruth there on the threshing floor, Boaz was blown away and responded with a blessing, telling her he would do everything she asked. But there was one potential problem: there was another who was a closer relative to Elimelek who, according to their custom, should have the first opportunity to be the guardian-redeemer ahead of Boaz. But Boaz would not rest until the matter was settled the very next day. Now, we have Act 4, scene 1. Ruth 4:1–4 (NIV), “1 Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. 2 Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. 3 Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. 4 I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.” “I will redeem it,” he said.” Uh oh. Ok! So Boaz went up from the threshing floor to the town gate. Now, I mentioned last week that Ruth clearly embodied the “wife of noble character” described in Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31:23 says of this kind of woman,…
Ruth at the Threshing Floor (Ruth): Character matters. In this broken world, will you find yourself in a compromising situation from time to time? Absolutely. What will you do? Will you compromise yourself and follow the ways of the world? Or will you trust in the Lord and honor him with your life and the commitment of your character? Recorded on Aug 18, 2024, on Ruth 3:1-18 by Pastor David Parks. This sermon is part of the series Ruth: The Love of a Redeemer. In the Bible, the book of Ruth tells the story of a family that experienced a series of bitter tragedies. But through loyalty, integrity, and faithful love (hesed), they find unexpected redemption, restoration, and hope. Our God is a redeemer. Sermon Transcript So, all month, we’re working through a series on the OT book of Ruth called The Love of a Redeemer. As we’ve seen so far, Ruth is all about facing the bitter tragedies of life by leaning on the hesed, or the steadfast loving-kindness of God, but also on the men and women in our lives who have the character and integrity to reflect this kind of redeeming love to us. As Justun said last week, the Bible, from cover to cover, is a redemption story. And sometimes, the people of the Bible reflect the redemptive love that God ultimately gave us through Jesus. Of course, very often, the people of the Bible (and perhaps other people in our lives today) do not reflect God’s love or godly character. But Ruth provides several good models for us to learn from. In Act 1, we saw Ruth, a foreign (Moabite) woman, model this hesed-style love to her mother-in-law, Naomi, after their husbands died. We saw this in Ruth’s incredible declaration of loyalty and commitment to Naomi and then in her willingness to leave her people and her gods and return to Bethlehem with Naomi to love and care for her. Last week, in Act 2, we saw Boaz model this hesed-style love for Ruth and Naomi. Boaz protected Ruth as she worked in his field and generously provided food for them. Today, in Act 3 of our play, we’ll see if this loyalty and kindness, this protection and provision, might become something more for Boaz and Ruth. But the lead characters of our play find themselves in a seemingly sketchy situation that is a real test of their integrity. How would they respond? Will they compromise themselves, following the ways of the world? Or will they trust in the Lord and honor him with their lives and the commitment of their character? If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Ruth 3:1. Act 3, scene 1. Ruth 3:1–6 (NIV), “1 One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for. 2 Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.” 5 “I will do whatever you say,” Ruth answered. 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.” So, we’re not sure exactly how much time has passed here since Ruth and Naomi arrived from Moab. Chapter 1 ends with a transitional note from our narrator that they arrived in Bethlehem just as the barley harvest was starting. Then, Ruth providentially gleaned in the fields of Boaz during the harvest. Historically, the barley harvest would start in mid-May and would continue with the wheat harvest through the end of June. Now, here, perhaps sometime in July, the harvest was done, and the operation turned to winnow the grain on the threshing floor to separate the grain from the chaff. Bethlehem, which, as we said, meant “house of bread,” was filling back up. Now, harvest time was really hard work.…
Ruth in the Fields of Boaz (Ruth): The Bible, from cover to cover, is a redemption story. Sometimes, the people of the Bible reflect the redemptive love that God ultimately gives through Jesus. How Boaz treated Ruth, a poor Moabite widow working in his fields, is a wonderful picture of the steadfast loving-kindness (hesed) of God. Recorded on Aug 11, 2024, on Ruth 2:1-23 by Justun Hart. This sermon is part of the series Ruth: The Love of a Redeemer. In the Bible, the book of Ruth tells the story of a family that experienced a series of bitter tragedies. But through loyalty, integrity, and faithful love (hesed), they find unexpected redemption, restoration, and hope. Our God is a redeemer.…
Ruth and Naomi (Ruth): When dealing with the tragedies of this broken world, it's hard not to let those bitter experiences define you. Due to a famine in Judah, Naomi's family moved to the foreign country of Moab. However, when Naomi's husband and both her sons died there, she decided to return home to Bethlehem. Unexpectedly, Ruth, one of Naomi's daughters-in-law, made the beautifully brave decision to commit her life to love and care for Naomi, even in her bitterness. In the end, the faithful, sacrificial love of Ruth points to the greater love of Jesus. Recorded on Aug 4, 2024, on Ruth 1:1-22 by Pastor David Parks. This sermon is part of the series Ruth: The Love of a Redeemer. In the Bible, the book of Ruth tells the story of a family that experienced a series of bitter tragedies. But through loyalty, integrity, and faithful love (hesed), they find unexpected redemption, restoration, and hope. Our God is a redeemer. Sermon Transcript For the next month, we’ll be working through a series on the OT book of Ruth called The Love of a Redeemer. In the Bible, the book of Ruth tells the story of a family that experienced a series of bitter tragedies. But through loyalty, integrity, and faithful love, they find unexpected redemption, restoration, and hope. Now, this is an ancient story, well over 3,000 years old, and is an absolute masterwork of ancient literature. But because it’s so well-told, this ancient story is just as powerful for us today. Because how can we face the tragedies of this broken world? How can we remain faithful, find healing, and avoid becoming embittered or resentful when we experience a great loss? Can we ever recover our joy and peace after enduring real pain and suffering? The answer in the book of Ruth is found in the difficult-to-translate Hebrew word: hesed. But for now, if you have your Bible/app, please open it to Ruth 1:1. This is Act 1, scene 1 of our story. Ruth 1:1–2 (NIV), “1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.” V. 1 places us in a certain period of history for ancient Israel. “…the days when the judges ruled” took place after the Exodus but before the time of the ancient kings of Israel — probably about 3,200 years ago. The book of Judges takes place during the same time as Ruth but paints a very bleak picture. However, Ruth reveals that not everyone was corrupt or faithless during this dark time. There were good men and women who were faithful to God and his word despite their difficult circumstances. But here, in the opening scene of our story, we’re introduced to a family from Bethlehem in Judah. There was a man named Elimelek, his wife, Naomi, and their two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, but there was a problem. There was a famine in the land. Now, ironically, Bethlehem means “house of food” or “house of bread” in the Hebrew language. Because of the famine, the house of bread was empty. So the man decided to move his family to live for a while (sojourn) in Moab. If we look at a map, we can see that Bethlehem was a small town about five miles south of the city of Jerusalem in the southern region of Canaan, known as Judah. Moab was the country to the east of the Dead Sea and had a violent history with Israel. They were not historically friendly. Now, if there was some disaster that happened in Wisconsin, we wouldn’t think anything of moving to another state to escape it, right? There would be no moral question about that move. But for ancient Israel, it was not necessarily a good thing for this family to move to Moab. According to the Mosaic Law, a famine in the Promised Land was God’s judgment against his people. Now,…
The Armor of God (Ephesians): Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. How can we stand firm and fight our spiritual battles? By putting on the full armor of God: truth, righteousness, the gospel, salvation, faith, God's word, and prayer. Recorded on Jul 28, 2024, on Ephesians 6:10-24 by Pastor David Parks. Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you. Sermon Transcript This summer, we’ve been working through the book of Ephesians in a sermon series called The Gospel in Life. We’ve seen that Ephesians is a powerful little letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in Ephesus in modern Turkey that is all about how the gospel and our union with Christ changes everything — our identity, direction in life, relationships…everything. I hope this series has been helpful to you and to your faith and your understanding of what it looks like to apply the gospel to every area of life. Next week, we’ll start a new sermon series on the OT book of Ruth, which is all about finding the faithful love of a redeemer in a world full of bitterness and tragedy. But first, today, as we bring this series to a close, Paul ends his letter by considering the spiritual battles that we face and how we might stand strong in the armor of God. 25 years ago, there was a huge sci-fi movie that came out called The Matrix. The basic idea of the plot was that this computer hacker discovers the secret reality behind what everyone else thought was real life. Neo took the red pill, and his eyes were opened, and he came to see the dark forces keeping humanity in this virtual reality simulation called the Matrix. Neo joins the rebels who are fighting back against the machines using kung fu (obviously), which made a lot more sense back in the 1900s. But, try as I might to find a less conspiratorial reference for our text today; I kept coming back to The Matrix. Because for all who have the eyes to see, the Apostle Paul pulls back the curtain today on the hidden reality behind what everyone thinks is real life. At the end of his letter, Paul reveals that there are dark spiritual powers at work in the world. It’s not just that people can choose good or evil and sometimes choose evil (although, that is true). And it’s not just that sometimes bad things happen because our world is broken (which is also true). But also, there are spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms in opposition to God and enemies of God’s people. If we ignore this, it won’t change this reality. It only makes us more vulnerable to their manipulation. But as alarming as this might sound, we don’t have anything to fear. In Christ, and because of the armor of God, even the weakest one of us can be strong and stand firm against these powers — even when the day of evil comes. If you have your Bible/app, open it to Eph 6:10. We’ll unpack this as we go. Ephesians 6:10–13 (NIV), “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” For the last three weeks,…
A New Relationship to Power (Ephesians): Slavery in Ephesus in the first century AD was different than most people think of when they think of slavery today. Still, the imbalance of power meant the slave/master relationship was often the context for exploitation and abuse. This is the default way of this broken world. But how do power and injustice work in the kingdom where Jesus is King? The gospel changes everything. Recorded on Jul 21, 2024, on Ephesians 6:5-9 by Pastor David Parks. Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you. Sermon Transcript This summer, we’ve been working through the book of Ephesians in a sermon series called The Gospel in Life. Throughout this powerful little letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in Ephesus in modern Turkey, we’ve seen that the good news of the person and work of Jesus Christ — and our union with Christ by grace and through faith — changes everything. First, we saw that the gospel changes our identity — from death to life and from without hope/God in the world to becoming a beloved child of God. Then we saw that the gospel changes our direction in life — from living for ourselves according to the way/values of this broken world to learning to follow the way of Jesus in true righteousness and holiness. For the last few weeks, we’ve considered how the gospel changes our relationships in life — including the relationship between the husband and wife, parent and child, and today, the relationship between the bondservant/slave and their master. If you missed any of the sermons in this series so far, you can always go back and watch or listen to the audio podcast if you’d like. But today, our text is a hard text, which would be tempting to skip over. But when you work through a book of the Bible, you need to deal with everything, whether it’s easy or difficult. But let’s deal with the elephant in the room right away: In addressing what was a typical household relationship in the first-century Roman Empire — the relationship between servants/slaves and their masters — many people today wonder if Paul (or, more broadly, if the Bible) teaches that slavery is ok. And that’s an important question. Could this passage be used to support the transatlantic slave trade that exploited millions of Africans from the 1500s to the 1800s? Could this passage be used to justify the human trafficking that exploits countless millions of people today, including many children, for forced labor or sexual slavery? I’ll say at the outset that the short answer is no; this text cannot be used to justify the brutality and exploitation of those practices. But what is Paul saying here? Well, not only does Paul show the Ephesians how the gospel transforms every relationship, including relationships with different levels or imbalances of power (such as the first-century relationship of slave and master), but the principles in this text would spread as Christianity spread and would eventually help bring an end to the whole institution of slavery. But we have some work to do here. So, grab your Bible/app and open it to Eph 6:5. Ephesians 6:5 (NIV), “5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.” Now, you might wonder why Paul would address slaves and masters at all. Thankfully, this isn’t an issue we have to deal with in our church, right? But this would certainly have been a common issue for the first-century Ephesians. According to Dr. Lynn Cohick and other sources, about 10% of the Roman Empire and up to a third of the city of R...…
A New Kind of Home (Ephesians): Kids are great! But parenting is hard. What happens when you apply the gospel to the relationship between parents and children? How can parents shepherd their kids? How can adult children honor their parents when carrying wounds from their upbringing? There are many lessons here for everyone. Recorded on Jul 14, 2024, on Ephesians 6:1-4 by Ted Selker. Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you.…
A New Kind of Marriage (Ephesians): Do you want a better marriage? Or do you want to be better prepared for marriage in the future? God's word provides power and wisdom for two to become one. Is this easy? No! But it can be beautiful as two people grow together in unity, love, and maturity over time. Plus, marriage can be a picture of the gospel for a world that needs to see the faithful love of Jesus. Recorded on Jul 7, 2024, on Ephesians 5:21-33 by Pastor David Parks. Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you. Sermon Transcript Including today, we only have four more weeks in Ephesians before moving on to a new sermon series on the OT book of Ruth. But today, as we approach the end of The Gospel in Life series, we’re considering how our union with Christ transforms even the most basic household relationships — from the relationship between a husband and wife to the relationship between parents and children to the relationship between a household servant/slave and their master, which was a common work relationship in the first century AD. Now, we’ve already seen in Ephesians that when you become a Christian, you go from death to life — from without hope and without God in the world to becoming a dearly loved child of God. So, the gospel changes our identity in Christ. We’ve already heard the call to follow God’s example, putting off the old self and putting on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. So, the gospel changes the direction of our lives. So it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the way of Jesus might change our relationships, too. A few weeks ago, I stumbled across one of my old high school yearbooks. I read a few comments my friends wrote all those years ago, and one caught my eye. It said something like, “I’m so excited for you and Holly! Even though some people think you’re crazy, if anyone could figure out marriage, it would be you two!” Thanks? It was kind of a compliment, I guess. But, you see, Holly and I knew each other from the age of ten on. And once we started dating in high school, we knew we were supposed to be together. So, we got engaged just before the end of high school and got married the next year. But that comment in my yearbook probably represented what a lot of people thought at the time: that we were crazy! That we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into! That it would never work! Now, from my vantage point today, I know that marriage is always risky — whether you’re 19 years old or 30 or 50 or 75. Just because loving people is the highest calling and the greatest commandment for human beings doesn’t mean it’s easy! In fact, really loving another person with all their sins and struggles, with all their blindspots and weaknesses — along with all of yours! — is one of the hardest things you could do in life. So how did we survive? How did we navigate the ups and downs of marriage in a broken world together? It wasn’t easy. And we’re still learning how to love each other better. But over the years, we’ve seen the wisdom/power of God’s way again and again in our marriage. So, do you want a better marriage? Or do you want to be better prepared for being married one day? Then grab your Bible/app and open it to Eph 5:21. We’ll read through this text and unpack it as we go. Ephesians 5:21 (NIV), “21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Well, we didn’t get very far, did we? I had to stop here because this verse is special for two reasons. First, grammatically, this verse is really the end of the list of actions associated with...…
Following a New Way: How can we learn to navigate the rough terrain of life? Not by following the ways of this world. Becoming a Christian puts you on a new path — the way of Jesus — where we learn to walk in the way of love, goodness, righteousness, truth, and wisdom. This is the way. Recorded on Jun 30, 2024, on Ephesians 5:1-20 by Pastor David Parks. Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you. Sermon Transcript Today, and through the end of July, we’ll continue to work through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in a sermon series called The Gospel in Life. And today, as we start Chapter 5, we’re going to consider how our identity in Christ — our union with Christ — impacts and transforms the direction of our lives. I don’t know about you, but I love to go backpacking. The first time I went backpacking, I was in high school, and our youth group went to Colorado for a 5-day, 4-night hike over a 12,000+ foot mountain pass. Now, backpacking is so much work. You carry everything you need for life on your back the whole time. If you forgot something, you just don’t have that thing. If it rains, you put on your rain gear and keep going. And there are certainly no showers, beds, or bathrooms on the trail. But as some of you might’ve guessed, I love that kind of challenge, and I love being out in the woods or the mountains. However, we didn’t know what we needed to bring or what to do, or how to get from where they dropped us off at the trailhead to the end of the trail (on the other side of the mountain). But everything was ok because we had a guide, and our guide knew where we needed to go and what we needed to do to make it across some very rough and potentially dangerous terrain. Our guide made sure we stayed on the right path. He showed us how to hike through the woods, above the tree line, and finally across the snow at the top of the pass. Well, in our passage for today, the Apostle Paul acts like a trail guide, helping us know how to navigate the rough terrain — how to walk through life. Every one of us will reach different points in our path where the trail seems to lead in different directions. How will we know which way to go? How can we make sure we’re on the right path? the path that leads to life/love/joy/peace? the path that honors God and is worthy of the calling we have received in Christ? If you have your Bible/app, please take it and open it to Eph 5:1. We’ll read through this text and unpack it as we go. Ephesians 5:1–2 (NIV), “1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Last week, we considered the call “to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” That in Christ, we’re being transformed day by day into the likeness of Christ. Here, Paul uses the idea of walking as a metaphor for how we live our lives. Three times in this passage, he refers to how we might walk through life, the first of which is here in v. 2 (“…walk in the way of love”). He says, “Follow God’s example (lit. “be imitators of God”), therefore, as dearly loved children.” Have you ever seen a little kid imitating their parents? Not just in their appearance but in how they speak, dress, or act? This can be really cute or scary, depending on the example of the parents. But, Paul says, no matter what example our parents were for us (g...…
To Be Made New: What does it mean to "put off your old self" and "put on the new self?" This hopeful calling is about experiencing the whole-life transformation God envisions for you. No longer having to follow our emotions and desires alone, anyone can learn this new way of life according to the truth that is in Jesus. Recorded on Jun 23, 2024, on Ephesians 4:17-32 by Pastor David Parks. Our series, Ephesians: The Gospel in Life, serves as an epilogue to Finding Life in Jesus’ Name from John’s gospel. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals much about how the life found by faith in Jesus actually works. This series will touch on themes of grace, identity, purpose, family, the church, spiritual warfare, and more. If you’re considering the life of Jesus or if you’re ready to follow him today, this series is for you. Sermon Transcript We’ve been working through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in a sermon series called The Gospel in Life. And today, as we finish Chapter 4, we’re going to consider the call of the Christian life to put off the old self and “to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” I remember when our kids were little. Some of you have little ones here today. Two out of our three kids are adults now. But when they were little, I could never really picture how they would be when they were all grown up. I could only ever picture the next phase of their life. When they were in preschool, I could picture them in second or third grade but not high school. As a parent, I had certain things I hoped they’d have in their future, but I just couldn’t really envision them in that future. But then they’d go from preschool to second or third grade, and by then, I could start to picture them in fifth or sixth grade…or even in middle school. But here’s the thing: my kids were going to learn/grow/change; they were going to be transformed as they grew up, whether I could picture it or not. And it turned out to be more than ok. I love the young adults they are today and am excited about their future, whatever it’ll look like. In our passage today, I hope you’ll see that you have a Father in heaven who has a vision for your future. But unlike me, he can see the end from the beginning. And his vision for your life is a vision of transformation for every part of your life. If you have your Bible/app, please take it and open it to Eph 4:17. We’ll read through this text and unpack it as we go. Ephesians 4:17–19 (NIV), “17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.” The first half of Ephesians is more on what the gospel is. The second half focuses more on what the gospel does or (to use his language) what it looks like to walk in a manner worthy of the calling they’ve received in Christ. Here, Paul starts by looking back at where his mostly Gentile friends in Ephesus came from before they became Christians. He says, “…you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.” Now, remember that most people in his audience are Gentiles. But Paul isn’t cutting them down here. He’s been clear that everyone, Jews and Gentiles, were on the same sinking ship, and both groups needed a savior in Jesus. What he is saying is that apart from Christ and the power of his Spirit, the life of unbelieving Gentiles flowed out of a futility or an emptiness in their ways of thinking. Again, this isn’t meant as an insult. He says they were darkened in their understanding of reality because they were separated from God. He’s not saying they’re not smart,…
Ласкаво просимо до Player FM!
Player FM сканує Інтернет для отримання високоякісних подкастів, щоб ви могли насолоджуватися ними зараз. Це найкращий додаток для подкастів, який працює на Android, iPhone і веб-сторінці. Реєстрація для синхронізації підписок між пристроями.
Daily Deals
Daily Deals
Схожі до Appleton Gospel Church
Fr. Larry Richards is the founder and president of The Reason for our Hope Foundation, a non- profit organization dedicated to ”spreading the Good News” by educating others about Jesus Christ. His new homilies are posted each week.
…
continue reading
The Village Church exists to bring glory to God by making disciples through gospel-centered worship, gospel-centered community, gospel-centered service and gospel-centered multiplication.
…
continue reading
Welcome to the Enjoying Everyday Life TV podcast with Joyce Meyer. To learn more, visit our website at joycemeyer.org or download the Joyce Meyer Ministries App. By supporting Joyce Meyer Ministries, you can help us reach hurting people around the world. To find out more, go to joycemeyer.org/donate
…
continue reading
Catholic podcasts dedicated to those on the spiritual journey! Offering the best teachings from the rich Catholic Spiritual/Discernment tradition.
…
continue reading
Your online home for leadership lessons for both the church and the workplace.
…
continue reading
Player FM - додаток Podcast
Переходьте в офлайн за допомогою програми Player FM !
Переходьте в офлайн за допомогою програми Player FM !
))
