Advent helps us ponder hope in three ways – associate, celebrate, and anticipate. First, during Advent, we associate with hope.We associate with the exiled Israelites. We think about what it must have felt like to live under oppression and how they were desperate for God to do something. We read prophecy and we connect with…
I recently preached through Matthew 12:22-32 which includes what is known as the unforgivable sin. It’s not an easy task to speak on this topic in a concise way! Here are my notes from the part of the talk addressing this unforgiveable sin. There’s a lot of debate and questions that surround these verses. Wait,…
The theme of union with Christ may be the one of the most under-emphasized doctrines today. I recently asked a group I was teaching to raise their hands if they have ever heard a sermon or talk on union with Christ. Nothing! Yet as I have been studying this theme recently, I am increasingly convinced…
In the book of Nehemiah, God did a great work through his people to build the broken wall and establish the city once again. One of the main reasons this work was accomplished is because God used a great leader, Nehemiah, to motivate, organize, and inspire the people. Nehemiah overcame great opposition and multiple obstacles, always…
Sshhhhh… just wanted to pass along an awesome “secret” website called radical.net. I especially recommend the resources tab and click on Secret Church. When you go there you will find a ton of videos, notes, and audio of the past topics. We have taken groups through this material for many years now and it is…
You have heard that Jesus said he was a ransom for many… but what exactly does this mean that Jesus was our ransom? Most people think of kidnapping or the Mel Gibson movie or the movie Taken, but what does the biblical idea entail? This resource explains the Old Testament idea behind ransom, how it is used…
Idols of the heart are those pursuits that take precedence over God in our lives. They are the sin beneath the sin. They are things that we trust in more than God to meet our needs. This chart is a listing of these idols. Take some time to identify what you may be pursuing other…
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross satisfied God’s justice. Because God is perfectly just, he must punish sin, otherwise he would not be true to his holy character. So instead of giving us the punishment we deserved, God sacrificed Jesus on the cross to bear the penalty of death in order to see justice done. And so God is…
This past week we attempted to answer the question, “why the cross?” Why was it necessary? Why did Jesus die? What was God demonstrating? The short answer is that the cross demonstrates the glory and character of God, that he is both just and merciful. It is where the love of God and the justice…
In researching material for a series of talks on singleness, I came across this quiz. I found it to be somewhat humorous, somewhat revealing, somewhat true, and somewhat cheesy! Basically it is a questionnaire to take that is supposed to reveal if you would date you… are you ready for a relationship?! Preparing for a Permanent Relationship…
Equip 