Put on your tuxedo or fancy dress! It’s time for a wedding banquet! So goes the parable Jesus tells in Matthew 22:1-14. Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s take on this parable – which has more to do with one’s identity than with one’s clothing or behavior – and to hear his impressions of a few movie characters.
Stewardship of Life
Jesus cleverly evaded the Pharisees’ attempt to trap him in Matthew 22:15-22 by revealing their hypocrisy. What does this have to do with the biblical concept of stewardship and our new church budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on this topic.
Production note: About 2 minutes into this recording, Pastor David’s wireless microphone batteries died. The rest of the sermon was recorded from a distance by other microphones in the sanctuary. We apologize for the poor quality!
The Truth About Who’s in Charge
In Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders questioned Jesus about where his authority came from – and he answered with some pretty strong words in Matthew 21:23-32. God would rather have a people who repent and obey him than to have a people who inherit the faith and sit idly by. What does this have to do with us – in practical terms? Click the link below to listen to Pastor David’s message on this topic.
The Truth About God’s Provision
Jesus once compared the Kingdom of God to a landowner who hired workers throughout the day and paid them each a full day’s wages. Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on this passage, Matthew 20:1-16, which illustrates God’s justice and great generosity – and calls us to put in our fair share of labor in the vineyard.
The Truth About Forgiveness
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.