Tough Questions
A Future for Israel?
Does God still have a plan for the nation of Israel? Is it true that God will be merciful to them as a nation once more? We examine three chapters which take up this subject matter directly and see clearly what God has in store for the people of Israel. May we learn from Scripture and conform our thinking to it.
Who Is True Israel?
How can the Gentiles be included in the promises made to Israel? Does this not do damage to the Old Testament? What about those promises given to Abraham? What we see in both old and new testaments is that Christ is the fulfillment of Israel and the one whom is the rightful heir of all the promises of God. It is through Christ that the Gentiles and Jews receive their inheritance and blessing. Christ is the key, the cornerstone, the…
What About Israel?
Are there two people of God, Israel and the church? Or one people of God? Does Israel have a separate future? How do we apply the old covenant made with Israel? These questions are answered in many different ways today. This sermon looks at Ephesians 2 and 3 to understand the relationship between Israel and the church in the new covenant age since Christ has come.
Not By Faith Alone?
What do we do with a passage that says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone”? To understand it rightly, we do what we must with any passage of Scripture. We must understand it in its own context. When we do this, all the confusion goes away and this verse teaches us something very profound that we must always remember. As Luther said, “we are saved by faith alone, but saving faith is…
Beholding God: The Christian Life
What does it mean to live the Christian life? What is it to grow as a Christian? The key is to behold God! We learn from this text that the Spirit of the living God plants his law into the hearts of his followers. They are changed to look like Jesus Christ. This happens when we behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. What does that look like? How is it done? This sermon examines those…
True Christians: Known By Their Love
Jesus said that his disciples would be known for their love for one another. What does that look like? What is true love? What we see is that God’s love is the pattern of Christian love. God’s love is an outward facing, self-sacrificing for the good of others to the glory of God. This is the love being produced in true disciples of Jesus Christ.
How Do I Know I’m Really a Christian?
Can there be a more important or urgent question? Eternal life is at stake. Do you know what a true Christian looks like? There are many counterfeits to true faith. Jesus said that many will be turned away on the day of judgment who think they are one of his. This reality causes us to consider carefully what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus. May God use his word, and specifically the book of 1 John, to…
The Triune Nature of God
We consider questions related to the importance of the Trinity. Where is it taught in Scripture and why is it so important? What we see is that the triune nature of God is the foundation for his outward, self-sacrificing love that he shares with his people. It is the very foundation of the gospel. Let us delight together in our triune God! For the insert on passages teaching the doctrine of the Trinity, click here.
“Embarrassing” Bible?
What do we do with those obscure portions of the Old Testament that are dug up by critics and skeptics who seek to mock Christianity? Here we examine one of those texts and see it in the light of the whole counsel of God.
Hell and the Love of God
How can a loving God send anyone to eternal conscious torment? How can hell be reconciled with the love of God? Rather than editing God, see the true wonder of his grace and love! This sermon explores what hell is, then turns our attention to the love and justice of God and how God loves his enemies. When we have a deficient understanding of hell, we’ll have a deficient understanding of the gospel. For those with further questions on hell,…
The Final Judgment
How many judgments are there? What do they look like? How will they be decided? Here we explore this important and oft neglected topic. In this sermon we consider Jesus’ teaching on the final judgment. We see from Scripture that there is one final judgment to take place at the return of Christ. All people, both Jew and Gentile, believer and unbeliever, will gather before Jesus to be judged. Some gaining eternal reward, others eternal punishment. This judgment exposes all…
Revelation 20 and the Thousand Years
What is the thousand years mentioned in Revelation? And when does it happen? We examine this wonderful text together and see how Scripture reveals a unified message of Christ’s return and conquering of his foes. “Scripture interprets Scripture” and “Context is king!” are the principles by which this passage is understood and wonderfully applicable to us today.
- 1
- 2