Sermons from 2015 (Page 4)

If God, Why Evil?

What we see is that denying God or attributing evil to man’s free will is unsatisfactory experientially and unsatisfactory according to the Bible. Rather God has ordained evil and suffering to display his glory. We see this primarily in the death of Jesus Christ that was planned as a sacrifice for sin before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8; Eph 1:3-11; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Acts 2:22-23; 4:27-28; 1 Pet 1:18-20). This means that, incredibly, sin was part of God’s…

People Without a King

This sermon goes over what may be the most vile event recorded in the pages of Scripture. It’s recorded to reveal to us the human heart apart from submission to a righteous King. It points us forward to our need of rescue by the flawless King Jesus. It’s a disturbing read, but in many ways, describes the times we live in so well.

Raised for Our Justification

What does it mean that Christ was raised for our justification? Can an extraordinary claim like resurrection be sustained by the historical evidence? This sermon looks into those questions and also what our response to the resurrection of Jesus should be.

Delivered Up for Our Trespasses

In an act of loving mercy, God handed over his Son to death because of our trespasses. As we reflect on this verse, we must acknowledge our sin that put Jesus on the cross and praise God for his mercy and forgiveness through the death of Christ.

When We Make the Rules

What does society look like when we make the rules? Everyone does what is right in their own eyes. This was the state in the time of the judges and it is more and more like our society today. When we do what is right in our own eyes religion is arbitrary and morality is self-serving. What we need, and what the world needs is a righteous King, a righteous ruler. What we need is Jesus Christ. The state of…

Samson and Delilah

People in Scripture, like us, are full of misconceptions. In this account we see that Samson has a misconception concerning his strength. Like us, he thinks himself strong enough to stay in temptation and not flee to hope and trust in God. We’re strong when we acknowledge our weakness and come to Christ humbly and in dependence on him.

Samson

Samson, privileged from birth, set apart by God, granted the power of the Spirit, strong in physical power, but weak in faith and a man of moral failing. Samson is a fitting image of Israel, God’s chosen people that continue to do what is right in their own eyes.This narrative shows us a God who does not share his glory with another. God’s people are called to be separate. Separate from the world and not to be unequally yoked to…

Gideon and Abimelech

After the success of Gideon’s victory over the Midianites by the grace and working of God, Gideon’s life ends in turmoil. Rather than humility, God’s grace in Gideon’s life leads him to pride, to assume the role of the king and exact revenge on those who defy him. Following Gideon’s death, Gideon’s son Abimelech then sends Israel into further turmoil until God judges him for his sinful and underhanded ways.

Gideon

As the people of Israel again do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, the Lord prepares them for deliverance. He sends his prophet to call them to repentance and obedience, he tears down their idols, and then he reduces their army to practically nothing so that he and he alone would receive all the glory and honor. There is much for us to learn here from God’s actions and Gideon’s flawed faith.

Deborah and Barak

We see another Judges “cycle” where God delivers his people in an amazing and surprising way. In this story of twists and turns the result is that God is praised and worshiped. We see in this text, his power to deliver and his might and sovereign hand orchestrating this deliverance years in advance.