What do September 11 and Matthew 18:21-35 (in which Jesus tells a parable about forgiveness) have in common? From what perspective should Christians approach such a day of national remembrance? And how much is “ten thousand talents” anyway? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s answers to these questions and more in yesterday’s sermon:
The Truth About Christian Community
In David Kinnaman’s new book entitled unChristian, he gives some startling statistics from the Barna Group about how young people today view the church and Christian faith. Why are teens and twenty-somethings turning away from the Lord? Why do our attempts at Christian community turn them away? Why don’t we heed the words of scripture, especially those in Romans 13:8-14, which call us to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message to two congregations on this topic.
The Truth About Obeying God
It seems that everyone has an opinion about how to obey God: some say there is no God to obey at all, while others create rigid sets of rules that must be followed in order to please God. Many other viewpoints exist, as well, but who is right? And what does this have to do with the biblical story of Jesus saying to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!” in Matthew 16:21-28? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on this passage.
Why are we so divided?
The Sunday morning church hour is often considered to be the most segregated hour in America. Warner Sallman’s “Head of Christ” is a well-known representation of our Savior, but it might be a little historically inaccurate. Once, in Matthew 15:21-28, a Canaanite woman stood up to Jesus in a battle of words. What do these ideas have to do with each other? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on the state of our dividedness.
Why am I alone?
Elijah, one of the greatest Old Testament prophets, saw the God of Israel do some amazing things in his day. Yet when popular sentiment turned against him, he experienced something we all feel occasionally: complete abandonment and loneliness. Click the link below to hear Pastor David tell the story of 1 Kings 19:9-18 and connect God’s response to Elijah to today’s world.
Why struggle with God?
Jacob wrestled with a man in Genesis 32:22-32 – or did he wrestle with God? He won the match but suffered a dislocated hip. He got a new name but didn’t learn the name of his opponent. How can this ancient, mysterious story connect to our lives today? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on this passage.
Why is evil in the world?
The parable of the weeds, which Jesus told in Matthew 13:24-30 and explained in Matthew 13:36-43, raises many questions. With murders and bombings taking place all over the world, we ask many of those questions: How can such evil take place in the world? Why does God allow suffering, if he is good and powerful? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s reflection on this parable, its explanation, its promise for a harvest, and its implications for today.
Where is Good Soil?
At Mt. Haley we have begun a new series of sermons which will follow the gospel of Matthew and will raise some difficult questions of faith. This Sunday, Pastor David preached from Matthew 13:1-23, the Parable of the Sower, a passage which raises several questions: Where is good soil? Why don’t all churches grow quickly? Are some people simply designed not to accept the seed of the message of Christ? Click the link below to hear this sermon.
Stress-Full Growth
In the early days of the Christian movement, the church grew very quickly – but often under stressful conditions. As we study Acts 4:1-12, in which Peter and John are called before the authorities, we can learn something significant about how salvation in Christ works: salvation is an experience that has both spiritual and physical implications. Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on this passage. (Please excuse the audio difficulties; our microphones were acting up this Sunday!)
Those Were The Days
We can catch a glimpse of the life of the early church in Acts 2:42-47. Aside from some good principles, however, this way of church life seems quite impractical. What purpose does this passage play for us, and what can we learn from it? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on this passage.