Messages

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"Could we see some identification, please?" It might seem rude to ask God to show His ID. But that's exactly what He wants us to do. It's the reason He'd been forwarding personal details for thousands of years before He arrived on the planet: When He came, He wanted to leave no room for doubt that it was Him, and only Him. Today we begin a handful of Christmas-themed messages leading up to the holiday. This one's called, God's Passport Picture. Here's Jim.

Jesus reports back to Headquarters. "Many have undertaken to draw up an account" of the work of Jesus during his 3-plus years on Earth. Some have tried to do it honestly, some dishonestly. But what if we could hear the Lord's version of events?! How would He assess His own mission, and what He had achieved? We have that narrative in John, chapter 17. The Son is giving an account to the Father of His ministry, it seems. And He mentions some gifts.

Butterflies don't wrestle. A lot of Christians are wrestling with sin, struggling with all the stuff that belongs to the old life, trying hard to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil. We're living as worms. But there is a new life, and we can fly. Paul's teaching may have sounded almost as radical to the Romans as it does to us. Here's Jim to expound on, A Life Set Free.

And then there was the time when the Gentiles were a little too receptive. Every missions trip should give the missionaries some wild stories to tell, and this is one of the wildest. Maybe the miracles outpaced the message, or maybe something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. Let's just say that supernatural events need an interpretation - an accurate interpretation. We'll move further into the Book of Acts today, as Jim begins a message called, A Light for the Gentiles.

Philosophers seek to know the "highest good." Theologians ask, "What is the chief end of man?" But maybe the primary question should be, What Does God Desire of Us? Today we begin a new series on that question. At the end of 1 Chronicles, David is passing the kingdom to his son, Solomon - so we can examine the differences between those men. But more importantly, the Temple is about to be built. And from that place we learn about God's desire to have fellowship with us, and what's necessary for that connection to take place.

We should begin where Jesus did. It seems odd to us - as it did to John - that the Incarnate Word would come to him to be baptized. This is the wrong way 'round, isn't it? It seems very much as if the Lord is making a statement. In his sermon, A Most Unusual Beginning, Pastor Jim will show us four statements, four markers being laid down that day.

How do moms - Christian moms - feel about motherhood? Today we'll hear from a daughter about a candid conversation with her mother. And Jim will tackle that very tough scripture that begins, "Yet she will be saved through childbearing...." That has caused a lot of people, of both sexes, to scratch their heads. We're taking a one-day holiday from our New Testament survey to consider, A Mother's Heart.

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If the Law doesn't work... then we have some questions! If trying to keep the Commandments doesn't save anyone, why did God give them? If the Temple sacrifices didn't truly cleanse anyone's sin, why all that blood? And if the priests descended from Aaron were, at best, "imperfect" - then what purpose did they serve? The author of Hebrews has elevated Jesus so high above the Old Covenant system that we may start to wonder whether it had any value at all. Here's Jim, to explain.

You're invited to a wedding! Today we'll hear a funny and thought-provoking skit, and we'll learn about Jesus' parable of the Wedding Feast. Whether we're considering the metaphor of the bride - the Bride of Christ - or we shift perspective to that of the wedding guests, we'll need to think hard about our commitment. What is required of us, to follow Jesus? Every relationship has costs, and this should be the highest relationship. Pastor Jim calls this sermon, A Reasonable Decision.

The kingdom of God is a living organism - it reproduces itself! During the first half of Jesus' ministry it looked like one Person at the podium, the audience listening - the common teacher/student relationship. But then a switch was thrown. The rest of His earthly campaign would look much different. The Lord would invest some of His trainees with not only His message, but His power. Our journey through the Gospel of Matthew has reached a critical juncture. Here's Part 1 of Jim's sermon, A Shift in Strategy.

Stephen Langton strikes again! Langton was the man who gave us our Chapter divisions in the Bible. And they're more helpful than not, more often than not. But sometimes, as in the break for John, chapter 10, they can disconnect material that should remain connected. Jim's message is called, A Sure Thing.

He was the best of men; he was the worst of men. Maybe that's the only way to open a sermon called, A Tale of Two Lamechs. As we continue through Genesis we read an account of early man that's supported by the physical evidence - it's just not the narrative we might find in a museum or a textbook today. Adam lived to see the earth well-populated with literate, civilized people. And these people knew their history because they could consult eyewitnesses. Lamech is the one name of two very different men.

Long before scientists knew the universe is expanding, prophets said that God "stretches out the heavens." The world is round, human beings are tiny, and God is still spreading out the heavens - we get all that from one verse: Isaiah 40:22. But it's the beginning of that system we'd like to learn about in our Firm Foundations series. How did our cosmos come to be? So today Pastor Jim will open a new sermon borrowing a phrase from Isaiah for his title: A Tent to Dwell In.

Well, well, well! Look who's not singing "Kum Bah Yah." We live in an age of tolerance - supposedly. All points of view are held to be equal... except the view that not all views are equal. "Inclusiveness" is the word on everyone's lips. But there's Someone who doesn't fit in, in this fantasy world where everyone fits in. It's Jesus. In His Sermon on the Mount He stands against fake truth and those who sell it. Here's Jim with Part 1 of A Very Present Danger.

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"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." In that proverb we see an upright person planting life wherever he goes, and a wise person saving lives for eternity. That kind of wisdom seems to be rare these days. We have evangelism programs. But do we have the wisdom that wins some? Win-some-ness is what we need.

People behave differently when they know they're being watched. Put someone on stage, and he'll immediately forget what to do with his hands. Merely walking across the stage is unnerving when you know that hundreds of pairs of eyes are watching you. Well, God's gaze is less intrusive. We don't even know He's there much of the time - and that's a problem, as Pastor Jim will point out today. Open your Bible, if you can, to 1 Thessalonians, chapter 2. We'll hear Part 1 of Jim's sermon, A Witnessed Lifestyle.

There were two sinners at dinner. The Pharisees were concerned with holiness - and to them that meant keeping the maximum possible distance from anything, or anyone, unclean. So the religious man who invited Jesus to dinner couldn't imagine a kind of holiness that reaches down into the gutter to pull sinners out. And more importantly, he didn't know that there were at least 2 lost souls in that dining room! Today and Monday Jim will help us consider A Woman with a History.

It was "deja vu all over again." Twice in the Gospels we see a woman anointing Jesus' feet during dinner - and we mustn't confuse the two incidents! Lately we've talked about the reception at Simon the Pharisee's home, and the woman who caused such a stir there. Today Jim will compare-and-contrast this with the second occasion, later in the Lord's ministry. Different time, different woman, different purpose for the anointing - and different lessons to be drawn.

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We could think of faith as a kind of time travel! When we act as if what God promises is true (and of course, it is), we bring something of the future into our present. Our current reality gets re-aligned to match what will be. This is powerful stuff, faith, and it's the subject of one of the most impressive chapters in the Bible: Hebrews 11. That's where we're going today, and the writer will take us back to Genesis for an early example of a faith-filled man. And no, it's not Abraham; it's Abel.

The problem with priests. The problem is that a priest needs to be holy in order to stand before God - though there is "none righteous." And if such a perfect person existed, he couldn't very well represent us sinners! As we turn the pages of the book of Hebrews we're challenged to think deeply about the Old Covenant system of mediators and sacrifices, and we'll come to the conclusion that it's just not adequate. Jim's talk is called, About Priestly Things.

What we think of as the "Promised Land" was just the little promise! We've been walking through Hebrews 11, and in that list of faith heroes, perhaps none is greater than Abraham. The writer shows us that this towering patriarch was looking forward to more than just a large tract of real estate. He was focused beyond that, to a heavenly homeland. That vision kept him from getting too comfortable - or too disappointed - here. Here's Part 1 of Abraham: When the Pursuit Depends on Others, from Pastor Jim.

Greed is good! Isn't it? Or is that just in the movies? Coveting, lusting, lying - these are things that come naturally to us. If we were writing our own moral code - as many are trying to do, today - we'd have a very different list of "Thou Shalt Nots" than the one God gave us. How can we be "good without God" when we can't even define good without God? Our discussion in the book of Romans continues with the purpose of the Law. And Jim will begin to talk about grace in this episode, too.

God's secret plan is out in the open, but many of us don't understand it. The secret, or "mystery," is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." That's from Paul's letter to the Colossians, which we're studying. But to say the words, isn't to grasp their meaning - much less to appropriate this truth for ourselves. It brings a supernatural life above where most of us are living. Today Jim opens the sermon Alive in Christ.

Have you ever wondered why there's so much prejudice - so much hatred - toward the Jews? The antisemitism in the world can be traced back to Satan, and his intention to nullify God's promises to Abraham. In today's episode, Jim will bring these implications out of the text of Romans 11. Paul has certainly spilled a lot of ink defending God's faithfulness to the nation of Israel. We'll see that the Almighty will keep His covenant - and then some. Jim's new sermon is called, All Israel Shall be Saved.

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Did Jesus really tell the Disciples that the timing of the Kingdom was none of their business? We tend to read Acts 1:7 like that. "It's not for you to know..." sounds like, "That's above your pay grade." But there's a rich subtext under Jesus' answer - 39 books' worth. Jim begins a sermon called All the Prophets Said.

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If you want to capture a reader's attention, don't begin your book with the "begats." Matthew was writing for a different audience, in a different time. For them, Jesus' lineage is an explosive opening! A son of Abraham - obviously. A son of David - ah, tell me more! And there are some surprise branches on the family tree. Today Jim opens to the first page of the New Testament with the sermon, All This Took Place to Fulfill.

How did the Lord deal with disloyalty and desertion? Feelings of abandonment and betrayal are universal. We were only children when we learned what it means to have our secret blabbed to the whole class; to have a "friend" laugh at our humiliation. So we became guarded. We learned to say, "Trust is earned." Jesus experienced these same things, but He responded differently. Let's walk from the Upper Room to Gethsemane with Pastor Jim.

The point of the Parable of the Unjust Judge was to show that believers should "keep praying and not lose heart." That's right there in the text. But we're praying for something specific! A lot of us have wondered about this parable, captured by Luke in chapter 18 of his Gospel. And once again we'll find that context is our friend. Jesus had just answered the Pharisees about the timing of the Kingdom; now He's instructing His Disciples. Pastor Jim says, It's Always Too Late to Quit.

"All Scripture is inspired by God, and profitable..." but one book of the Bible makes a unique promise. "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near." You recognize that as Revelation 1, verse 3. Well, let's grab some blessing! On this day after Resurrection Sunday we launch into a new series with a message called, An Amazing Secret.

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When the Holy Spirit arrives, He brings boldness! In a sermon called, An Intimate Look Within the New Church, we'll see several marks of the Spirit's work. He brings unity among the brothers and sisters; He sometimes comes with a physical sign - "the place where they had gathered together was shaken" - and He supplies the courage to testify of Jesus. He'll put the Christ in our Christianity, if we'll let Him. Jim starts the message by reading the words of gospel music pioneer Thomas A. Dorsey.

What's your favorite day? Christmas? Valentine's Day? (Happy Valentine's Day.) I think everyone's favorite day is payday! God never said you'd be working for Him for free! Think of all the parables of Jesus that involve a landowner squaring accounts with his workers. Rewards! - it's a big topic in the New Testament, and we've shied away from it, for fear that people would think they could earn their way to heaven. But Jim has made it cool to talk about everyone's favorite day again, as we've studied crowns and other perks of the Kingdom. He'll end the series with An Overview of the Rewards.