Shadows of the Cross, Part 5: The Crushed Servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:12)
In the 8th century B.C., the prophet Isaiah issued a series of visions about an extraordinary man he called “the Servant of the Lord”—a mysterious figure who would come in the future and bring the...
View ArticleShadows of the Cross, Part 6: The Final Substitute (Select Scriptures)
Throughout our series we have seen the language of substitution. From the ram caught in the thicket in Genesis 22 to the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53, one creature routinely takes the place of...
View ArticleEaster Sermon: A Resurrection of Hope (1 Peter 1:3-7)
There’s a multi-million dollar industry in this country that thrives on the sale of motivational posters. They seem to be everywhere—the gym, the doctor’s office, the lunchroom at work, the board...
View ArticleEaster Sermon: Running on Empty (John 20:1-31)
Jesus’ empty tomb sends people running on that first Easter Sunday. Everyone is dashing through the cemetery, but why? They’re running to find answers to their questions and help with their confusion....
View ArticleThank God It’s Friday, Part 1: The Word of Forgiveness (Luke 23:32-37)
If the murder of the Son of God was forgivable, then your sin—whatever it may be—is forgivable, too. Series Overview When Jesus hung on the cross on that first Good Friday, he made seven statements...
View ArticleThank God It’s Friday, Part 2: The Word of Assurance (Luke 23:35-43)
The only thing more surprising than the thief’s request was that Jesus granted it. Sermon Overview As we march toward Resurrection Sunday, we’re stopping by the cross to listen to Jesus’ seven last...
View ArticleThank God It’s Friday, Part 3: The Word of Affection (John 19:23-27)
The presence of our helplessness can be a gift to the helpless. Sermon Overview Each statement of Christ from the cross gives us a glimpse of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). That is, it has in it...
View ArticleRed Lights on the Dashboard of Life
I’ve been renovating our bathroom lately. Actually, for two and a half months. It’s looking pretty good, but I’m not very good at this kind of work. It doesn’t come easily or naturally to me. Sometimes...
View ArticleUnconditional? The Call of Jesus to Radical Forgiveness
Unconditional? The Call of Jesus to Radical Forgiveness by Brian Zahnd. Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2010. “If Christianity isn’t about forgiveness,” says Brian Zahnd, “it’s about nothing at all.”...
View ArticleThe Deepest Kind of Faith: A Brief Thought on the Church Massacre
Only love can turn evil’s arrow into a boomerang and take out the source that threw it. That’s how it was at the cross, and that’s how it is with the people of the cross. Could you say these things to...
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