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.
Great Irony and Great Mercy
Peter and John performed a tremendous miracle in Jesus’s name by healing a man who could not walk. Afterward, Peter had the opportunity to explain this event to the crowd. What does this have to do with LeBron James, Jason Terry, you, and me? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on Acts 3:11-26.
Happy Birthday, Church!
Cake and ice cream all around! Well, maybe not. But this Sunday we celebrated the anniversary of the church’s birth, a moment recorded in Acts 2:1-21 known as the Day of Pentecost. What are some implications of this story for today’s church life? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on this passage.
Heaven is Real, and so is Earth
When Jesus ascended into heaven, forty days after his resurrection, his disciples were left gazing into the sky with one big question looming overhead: now what? Their initial reaction was to meet together and spend time in prayer. How can this example speak to our present situation? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on Acts 1:6-14.
The Best Bible Teacher
When Jesus appeared alongside the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), they had no idea that they were in the presence of the best Bible teacher of all time. The Lord opened their eyes – in more than one way. How does this story relate to our interpretation of current world events? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s sermon on this passage.
Easter’s Done – Now What?
At Mt. Haley, Easter Sunday is a big day – it’s our highest attendance of the year, and the morning is full of activities that we only do once each year. What a difference a week makes! What does this have to do with Jesus’s first two appearances to his disciples after his resurrection (John 20:19-31)? Click the link below to hear Pastor David’s message on this passage.
The Lord is Risen!
Over the past few days, we have remembered and celebrated the weekend that changed the world. On Maundy Thursday, we shared in the Lord’s Supper and washed each other’s feet. At sunrise on Easter Sunday, we gathered with the women at the empty tomb. Later that morning, we celebrated with the full congregation of those who had heard the good news: the Lord is risen! Click the links below to hear Pastor David’s messages from these three services.