Kept
From the time we wake up until we lie down, it’s easy to spot danger and uncertainty; they’re all around us. Then we try to sleep, knowing that danger lurks even then. We see it inside ourselves, and we see it all around us. We feel our lack of control; there are things we can’t prepare for and people we can’t defend against. We see our own sin and short-comings; we can’t even keep ourselves on the right path. How in the world is a follower of Christ supposed to get to Him? How are we supposed to navigate the changes, shifts, and dangers of our journey? In this sermon, Abe Stratton preaches for us from Psalm 121, a psalm that speaks to these questions.
Listening to Hebrews
The book of Hebrews was read out loud before it was ever read in a Bible with binding. But this book was not only written to be read out loud, it is itself a written sermon. In this sermon we will get a sense for how this book may have sounded on the ears of the first hearers. More importantly, we hear the book in one sitting as God’s Word for us as Pastor Abe Stratton recites the book from memory.
Encouragement for Exiles
Suffering. Slandered. Insulted. Maligned. Tested. These are some of the words which Peter uses to describe the life of one chosen by God who is living on this earth. We’re not home, and we feel it. Our time on our pilgrimage is not comfortable, and our response to these trials is far from easy. But the apostle offers us grace for the road and peace for our souls. He does this by turning our gaze upward and forward. Far from making us ignore our suffering, this perspective makes us better able to live in the rough and tumble now. We’ve been soaking in 1 Peter for a number of months, and we’re almost done. In this sermon we’ll hear the whole letter at once as Abe Stratton recites it for us.
Out of Our Sin and Sadness
How will God bring His people home? That’s the question of this sermon as we continue our series Out of Our Lonely Exile. Christmas is approaching. Excitement is building. However, as Christmas heightens our joy and anticipation, it also deepens our sense of loss and longing. Ever since God evicted our first parents from the garden because of their rebellion, humanity has longed for and sought to find our way home, but every attempt has failed. We can’t get ourselves back to the place we’re supposed to be because we can’t make ourselves right with the One who matters. If we are ever to get home, God himself must do something. Listen in and be ready to rejoice in God’s shocking solution to our deepest problem.
The Armor We Wear
We made it – in our final sermon of the Armor of God series we examine the armor which Paul describes in Ephesians 6. It was important for us to look at all the other ideas first so that we have an understanding of what Paul tells us to do in this famous paragraph. What is this armor? How do we take it up and put it on? And how often should we do that? These are questions we’ll explore in this sermon. Be ready to put your armor on.
The Power We Need
When you are confronted with an overwhelming situation or a powerful enemy, it’s easy to be paralyzed. “I don’t know what to do. I can’t get through this. I’m not strong enough.” Coming from our last sermon in this series, we could be discouraged by considering the odds we’re up against. So we need help. We need strength. We need power to resist this enemy who is so much stronger than us. But where does that power come from, and how do we access it? Hear the Word unfold with us to find out.
The Foe Who Schemes
The previous sermon saw Paul’s words to the Ephesian believers echoed in Isaiah 59. There God rouses Himself for war, arms Himself for battle, and brings deliverance to His people. However, we know that evil has not yet been fully eradicated from our world or from us. Paul knows it too. He warns us that there is still a lion on the loose—a roaring lion who wants to devour.
The God Who Fights
This is the first of four sermons on the armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18). There are probably a variety of ideas which enter our minds when we hear that phrase. What was Paul talking about when he encouraged the Ephesian believers to put on the whole armor of God? What is the armor, and how do we put it on? If the stakes are as high as Paul indicates in his letter, then we need to understand what he meant. When we discover that Paul was referring to words from the prophet Isaiah, then we begin to get a clearer picture.
The Glorious Mystery
Paul wrote to a little church 2,000 years ago—a little church which was being told that they needed to experience something in addition to Jesus. That kind of message continues to crop up today: “You need something else. You’re deficient unless you’ve done [fill in the blank].” As the Colossians needed to hear Paul’s answer, we need to hear it as well. Pastor Abe begins the sermon by reciting the book of Colossians by memory, something he does for us from time to time.
Jesus, Son of Man
In the last sermon we heard that Jesus’ incarnation was necessary for our salvation; he had to be human in order to rescue us. But when Jesus calls himself “Son of Man,” isn’t he just saying the same thing—that he was human? Why did Jesus choose that title for himself? Why does it matter to us that Jesus is the “Son of Man”? In this sermon, Pastor Abe Stratton will lead us in a study of Daniel 7 in order to search out these questions. There we will find a new understanding of the “Son of Man.”
Refining Fire
Have you ever wished for something, but when you got it, you realized that it was completely different than you expected? Malachi reveals that our human tendency is to want God to act, to act now, and to act for us. However, when God does act, it rarely looks or feels like we thought. Sometimes we might regret ever asking.
Empty Worship
Have you ever asked the question, “How did I get here?” You find yourself in a place that’s darker and uglier than you ever thought possible. How did you get there? Through His messenger (the prophet Malachi) God exposes the ugliness of where His people are, and He explains how they got there. The words are hard to hear, but they flow from the heart of a God who exposes because He loves.
God Reigns
Our human race is hopelessly crazy. We think we’ve got the answers; we think we’ve constructed great things; we think we’ve made a name for ourselves. But time and time again, we’re brought to the shattering realization that we’re not as independent or in control as we thought. Why do our powers and abilities and achievements fail to last?
God Delivers
Whom will you serve? After all, every person serves someone or something. We all set up ideals or practices or relationships which we think will give us true satisfaction and deep purpose. But that is the folly of our human race. We look in all the wrong places. Everything or every person we pursue turns out to be powerless, helpless, unsatisfying, and empty. Whom will we serve? Whom will you serve?
God Reveals
Everyone is asking questions, whether about current events, social dynamics, global pandemics, or personal issues. We’re all looking for answers. Where do we go to find them? When leaders and politicians and educators and experts can’t find answers or offer contradicting answers, where do we turn? Daniel 2 gives us a vivid picture of the futility of this world’s wisdom and points us to the source of true wisdom.
God Gave
Our security and familiarity are toppled. The culture is trying to conform us to their way of thinking and behavior. The odds seem hopelessly stacked against us. What do we do? How must we think? What must we believe? This description is not new. God’s people through the centuries (and many in other parts of the world right now) could describe their own situation the same way. So, Daniel’s book is a good word for us in this moment.
The Keeping God
What really matters is often invisible. We tend to forget the cosmic plans of God because we see only the mundane details of everyday life. In Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman (John 4) and His priestly prayer to the Father (John 17) we catch glimpses of the eternal purposes of God which He is pursuing and which He will accomplish. In these two sermons we merely touch down at a couple of points in John’s Gospel to get some perspective on what God is doing in the world: God is pursuing sinners to transform them to worshipers, and God is uniting and guarding those worshipers as His people.
The Seeking God
What really matters is often invisible. We tend to forget the cosmic plans of God because we see only the mundane details of everyday life. In Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman (John 4) and His priestly prayer to the Father (John 17) we catch glimpses of the eternal purposes of God which He is pursuing and which He will accomplish. In these two sermons we merely touch down at a couple of points in John’s Gospel to get some perspective on what God is doing in the world: God is pursuing sinners to transform them to worshipers, and God is uniting and guarding those worshipers as His people.
Jesus, You, and Surprising Mercy
Life can be crushing; difficulties and anxieties surround us and press in on us. But Psalm 118 reminds us that the God who set his love on his people will not let them be destroyed. In unexpected ways he provides a way out. This will be our final sermon in our short series, The Psalms, Jesus, and You.
Jesus, You, and a Royal Wedding
The beauty of the Psalms is that they capture so many of our human emotions. As we hurt, as we walk through darkness, as we grieve, as we are angry, these God-given texts give expression to our deepest pains. However, they also provide us with expressions of unbounded celebration and joy. They pull our eyes and hearts up and remind us of the glories which are real and which are coming. Through this sermon we get to participate in a wedding celebration—a Psalm so full of beauty and light and festivity that we can’t help but join in.
The Glorious King
Who can stand in presence of the Creator and owner of all things? What kind of person will receive his blessing? Only one who has clean hands and a pure heart. Where does that leave you and me? Psalm 24 offers us an answer, and there is good news; it’s good news of a glorious King.
Looking to Jesus
The book of Hebrews, found toward the end of our Bibles, is more than a letter to first century Christians. It’s a penned sermon expounding the glories of Jesus Christ in light of the whole of the Old Testament. Listen as this sermon is recited from memory.
Come, Let Us Sing
What do singing, kneeling, and listening have in common? Psalm 95 weaves these three actions together to stir us up and to warn us. We have a God who has done mighty works for His people, who cares intimately for His people, and who speaks seriously to His people. Listen in with joy, worship with reverence, and listen with awe.
A Holy People
In the last several sermons, we’ve gazed upon the Holy God, and we’ve seen that He has made a way for sinners to be made holy so that we might stand in His presence. As a result, we are to live holy lives which reflect and carry out the identity we’ve been given. But why is God doing all of this? Why does He even care about rescuing messed up people? Why is it so important that He give rebels a holy identity? Through this sermon we’ll look at God’s plan to create and gather A Holy People.
A Holy Life
In the past two sermons we’ve seen a glimpse of the Holy One—the God who rules over all, who is blazing in His brilliance, and who is utterly different from us. However, this God condescended to make defiled and impure people holy or distinct like Himself. With this sermon continue our series called The Beauty of Holiness, and we’ll see from 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 that God’s character and His work to make people holy has powerful implications for how we live every day.
A Holy Identity
In the midst of darkness, where is the light? In the midst of seemingly rampant sin (both in ourselves and in those around us), where is the hope? In Isaiah 6:1-7 the prophet sees a glorious vision of the Holy King. Isaiah’s vision of God would transform him forever, and it provided the message of hope and light which he would share for the rest of his life. So what light can we offer in a world of darkness? What hope can we cling to as we see our own sinfulness? Listen in to find out.
The Holy God
Holiness is a word which stirs up any number of reactions or emotions. It also exposes a lot of misunderstanding and misperceptions. To get a grasp on what it means, we have to turn to the God who is described in Scripture as “The Holy One.” In Him we begin to see what holiness truly is, and from Him we begin to learn how we can be holy. Through the preached word we will meditate on Psalm 99 and gaze upon the Holy God as Pastor Abe Stratton begins our 4-part series, “The Beauty of Holiness.”
Ignorance and Idolatry; Knowledge and Love
As God’s people we know that we’re supposed to love Him and pursue Him more than anything else. But if we’re honest with ourselves and with others, there are times when God seems pretty low on the list of things which are interesting or exciting. In fact pursuing Him or reading His Word can sound downright boring. This reality reveals a dangerous truth about our souls: we don’t really know God. If we did, we would realize that nothing compares to Him in beauty, love, and glory. The prophet Hosea addressed these things in his message centuries ago. Listen in to see how it connects to you.
Song for the Fearful
It seems that there are a million things which crowd into our lives and bring anxiety. Financial issues, loss of a job, broken health, strained relationships, international tensions, and even natural disasters overwhelm our hearts; fear and worry are often close behind. Hear this Psalm which turns our eyes from chaos and uproar to our eternal Protector.
