Fulfilling the Gospel Mission

This is a follow-up to the sermon Fulfilling the Gospel Mission [Dec. 16, 2012]. The Scripture passage for the sermon is Acts 15:36-16:40.

The Not-So-Mysterious Mission of God

It does little good to go around talking about the mission of God if we ignore what he’s already said about how he fulfills that mission. Chaos is the inevitable result of that kind of confusion, along with a lot of damage to the witness of the gospel (not to mention the lives of all the people involved).

Saved through Jesus Alone

This article is a follow-up to the sermon Saved through Jesus Alone [Dec. 9, 2012]. The Scripture passage for the sermon is Acts 14:24-15:35.

Grace Is Not “Jesus Plus”

Contrary to how we usually think of discussions and debates, they’re not all bad. In fact, sometimes people disagree about things that are so serious that it would be wrong not to discuss them. Suppose two people disagree over whether or not they could afford to buy a certain house. Or, quite a bit more seriously, suppose two groups disagreed over whether or not murder is wrong. These are not the kind of decisions where we can just say, “No worries. Let’s agree to disagree about this.” The more serious the discussion, the more important it is to decide. This is because no matter what you choose, there will be consequences (in these examples: a house you either can or cannot afford, and a society that either condemns or condones murder).

So then, you see can why there was such a big discussion and debate over how Jesus rescues his people. Are we rescued (“saved”) through faith in the grace of Jesus? Or are we rescued through faith plus obedience to the commands of God?

Money & The Generous Life

This article is a follow-up to the sermon Money & The Generous Life [Dec. 2, 2012]. The Scripture passage for the sermon is 2 Corinthians 8:1-15.

Discovering What You Truly Love

Remember that time you swore you were running a fever, but the thermometer proved you wrong? Or perhaps there have been times when you thought you were well but you were actually quite sick. In both cases the thermometer was the only sure way to tell what your actual temperature was. In a similar way, Jesus gave us a kind of “thermometer” for our hearts. (In the Bible, the heart is not a reference to the blood-pumping organ in your chest, but a reference to the decision-making part of every person that is controlled by their desires or will.) So if you want to know the state of your heart, Jesus gives you this simple test: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). If Jesus had said the same thing in our time, he might have said it like this: “Where you devote your money shows what your heart is truly devoted to.” In other words, our bank statements tell us a lot about what we truly love, care about, live for, hope in, and depend upon. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”