This passage explores both the “negative” parts (the prohibitions or warnings) and the “positive” parts (the blessings, love, and acceptance through Christ) of Christianity. To only embrace the “negative” is to be legalistic; to only embrace the “positiv…
Read More
This passage is the sum of the Christian life: walk in love, because Jesus loved you by dying for you. We will take three important principles from this short passage: 1) Doctrine and practice are absolutely wedded in the Christian life; 2) Love is the s…
Read More
In Ephesians, Paul lays down the beauty and genius of the Christian life. What is unique about the Christian life is that the Christian lifestyle flows out of a new self-understanding. One of the new ways Christians understand ourselves is that we are ch…
Read More
In Ephesians, Paul outlines distinct characteristics of the Christian lifestyle, and one of the characteristics is to seek to use work and wealth to care for people in need — otherwise known as “mercy ministry.” This sermon unpacks the 1) Nature, 2) Nece…
Read More
Christianity isn’t just a lifestyle, but the Bible does outline a distinctive lifestyle for Christians, including the purpose of our work. What’s the purpose of work? 1) To do something useful for somebody else and 2) To create wealth with which you can …
Read More
In Ephesians, Paul outlines distinct characteristics of the Christian lifestyle: what to do with anger, how to communicate, how to forgive, attitudes toward wealth and toward poverty, and how to use your words. This sermon focuses on communication—our wo…
Read More
God is a God who speaks, and we bear his image as communicators. Speech is incredibly powerful— there is nothing more fundamental than the need to be understood and to understand. This sermon considers the power of words under two headings: 1) One of the…
Read More
How do we get rid of bitterness toward others? Is it even possible? This sermon explores the external and internal side to getting rid of bitterness. Externally, forgiveness must sometimes be granted before it is felt; internally, you have to put on your…
Read More
How is it possible to be angry and indignant at injustice, but hold no ill will or bitterness towards others? Anger in and of itself isn’t sinful, but there are three forms of sinful anger: bitterness, blowing up; and clamming up. This sermon explores ho…
Read More
The Bible gives us a wonderful and amazingly balanced understanding of anger. What does it mean to be angry and not sin? It means that anger is not wrong in and of itself, but it can very easily lead to a tremendous amount of trouble. This sermon will ex…
Read More