Category Archives: Sermons

Forgiveness: Doing What Cannot Be Done

Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the … Continue reading

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How to Do What Can’t Be Done (Philippians 4)

Some of the things that need to be done to make our relationships healthy are things we cannot do. But they are things we could do if we learned how to live “in the Lord.” The New Testament uses that … Continue reading

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Here Comes the Bride: The Church as the Bride of Christ

Many of us (I suspect this is especially true of men) have trouble connecting with the image of the church as a bride. But this is, perhaps, the richest of all biblical metaphors of the church. It is full of … Continue reading

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Church as Temple and Priesthood (1 Peter 2:4-10)

Melissa Highsmith was kidnapped by a babysitter when she was just 22 months old. Her kidnapper changed her name and raised her as her own in the city where she was born, but Melissa never had an inkling about her … Continue reading

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Alien Residents (1 Peter 2:11-12)

In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter calls the people of Jesus “foreigners and exiles.” They have green cards. They’re here on work and student visas. It is not their ambition to settle down, though if they can make this a better … Continue reading

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The Family of God (Series on the Church)

You are a young man in first century Israel (though what I am about to say would have been true of men almost anywhere in the first century). You got married on Sunday. Your family, your bride’s family, your friends, … Continue reading

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The Day You Came Into the Church (1 Corinthians 12:1-13)

Last week, we looked at the day the church was born into the world. This week, we will look at the day you were born into the church. But first, we need to think a little further about what the … Continue reading

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The Day the Church Was Born (Acts 2)

We are looking today at Acts 2, which recounts the origins of the Church. When God poured out his Spirit on the 120 Jesus-followers who had gathered in Jerusalem, they went from being friends and associates with a shared history … Continue reading

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Built on a Promise (Matthew 16:13-20)

When I was a boy and would put more food on my plate than I was able to eat, my mother would say, “Your eyes are bigger than your belly.” When a pastor puts Matthew 16:13-20 on his preaching plate – at least this pastor – his desire to preach might be bigger than his exegetical ability. Continue reading

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We Are the Temple of the Living God (with Kevin Looper)

How can Christians be in the world but not of it? What does it mean to be unequally yoked? Does this only happen in marriage, or can we be unequally yoked in other relationships? We explore the questions as we … Continue reading

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