Posts Tagged with "Sermon Summary"

Why do tragedies happen? It can be tempting to think great suffering is the result of serious personal sin. God is just and there are clear consequences for persistent and unrepentant sin, but these verses speak to another reason for disaster: an incentive to repent. The observer should be asking: "Why wasn't I one of those slaughtered in the atrocity?" The kindness of God...

As the first sermon in the Foretold: Christmas According to Isaiah series, we explored the darkness that had come upon Judea after King Uzziah's death. Then, God's people followed their new king, Ahaz, and trusted in their own wisdom for salvation by plotting with Assyria instead of trusting in God. In the midst of this, Isaiah prophesies about what God will do for his peo...

In 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Paul invites the Corinthian church to experience the thrill of God's grace by participating in the act of generous giving. Prior to this passage, Paul addresses the Corinthian church's reluctance to give by drawing their attention to the grace of God in Jesus Christ, who "though he was rich, yet for our sake he became poor, so that [they] by his po...

God is leading us step by step into a deeper love in Christ. He carries us gently and sweetly as his precious children into his heart. In these verses, we savor our Savior's sacrificial love. Jesus was not spared but offered up so that we might be saved. Jesus' love is effectual, invincible, and eternal. Oh, what wealth and privilege we have in him! Jesus comes to us in ou...

Review Job suffered because of his blamelessness, not because of his sin. It was to show that God is worthy of the worship of a man even when worldly goods are lost. Job did not suffer because of his sin, but he sinned in his suffering. Job's why questions lose their power when he encounters the greatness of God. "I had a million questions to ask God, but, when I met him...

The Complaint Job has come to the conviction that he does not live in a well-run world. What begins as a general lament before God in prayer gradually becomes a sinful complaint or charge before God, accusing him of mistreatment. If you, like Job, have suffered severely and even at times presume that you can better run the universe than God, lean in. The LORD has mercy fo...

Introduction CJ begins by recapping how far we have come in Job. In short: Job's suffering Job's "why question" Job's friends' accusatory (wrong) explanation for his suffering and Job's disagreement Chapter 28 interrupts the arguments between Job and his friends. It effectively ends the ongoing debate between them and allows the author to address Job's (and our) "...

Introduction Cyclical Discussions From chapters 4 to 19, the book of Job has been a series of three cyclical discussions between Job and his friends; each cycle has the same theology. His friends come with rigid, cold, cause-and-effect theologyyou do good, you prosper; you do bad, you suffer. In reality, a man's relationship with God cannot be determined by his circum...

Summary: CJ began by recapping Job 1-3. He highlighted Job's vividly described agony and explained how Job should humble us when we find ourselves complaining. Job's lament captures his fear that the worst has come to fruitionGod has abandoned him. But despite all of Job's suffering to this point, the worst may be yet to come. Satan slithers away and Job's closest compani...

Summary C.J. explains that we are about to venture into one of the darkest chapters in scripture (not the darkest). It lets us into the heart and mind of Job, a man undergoing unbearable misery. We transition from Job's obedient suffering to his lament before God. Job 2:11 13 Job's friends were legitimate friends. Little did they know, they would eventually be of no h...

Introduction The book of Psalms should be treasured Spurgeon thought the Psalms were undervalued in 1882how much more today! You will experience no emotion that has not been expressed in the psalms. This psalm was chosen with Rebecca Stephenson in mind. Rebecca's husband Wade Stephenson passed away three weeks ago. It is a Song of Ascents Psalms 120 134...

Summary After reading this Doxology, H.B. emphasized the Father's ability to keep you when you cannot keep yourself. He proceeded to summarize the rest of Jude's letter beginning with a call to arms by taking a stand for the Gospel of Truth, warning the Church of false teachers, and concluding with an appeal to the Saints to persevere. Our attention was then turned to th...

What about 16:9 20? What is textual criticism? Textual criticism: the science of studying all the known copies of a document to discover what the original said. A science that clearly shows God's generosity to us in preserving his word. Far more manuscripts exist of the NT than of Tacitus (3 manuscripts) and Josephus (120 manuscripts), and the manuscripts of the NT ...

Introduction Ultimately, no pastoronly the Holy Spiritcan communicate what happened in Gethsemane. The scene in the garden gives us a unique glimpse into the humanity of Jesus. Here, we encounter the mystery of the incarnation. Marvel at his humanity, but don't just marvel; be grateful! It is the basis for your salvation. Thesis Jesus' Suffering for our Sin through th...

Introduction: Bob opened by explaining that singing is Biblical (Psalm 96:1-2, Ephesians 5:18-19, Colossians 3:16). There are 400 references to singing in the Bible, 50 direct commands to sing, and Psalms (a book of songs) is the longest book of the Bible. There are three schools of thought when discussing singing in the Church: Music supersedes the words Words by the...

Introduction Traditions teach Jesus inaugurates a unique tradition for his family in Mark 14:22-25. The Tradition of the Lord's Supper The Purpose is that we might remember the central importance of his death. "The Lord's Supper, which was instituted by Jesus, and which is the only regulative commemorative act inaugurated by him, dramatizes neither his birth nor h...

Summary In this sermon, Brian exposits Hebrews 10:19-25, encouraging us with the foundation of Jesus' high priestly ministry and exhorting us to strive toward fellowship with God and one another. Consequently, we are shown how we should then live as faithful Christians. Foundation of Faithful Christian Living (10:19-21) The author of Hebrews is writing into a context ...

Introduction (Mark 14:10-21) C.J. compares chapter 14 to the slow climb of a roller coaster before the big drop. Mark decelerates his Gospel account to prepare us for the crucifixion of Christ. C.J. highlights three key components of this passage: Outline Judas' Preparation for Betrayal (Mark 14:10-11) We see a dramatic change in mood from Jesus' anointing by Mary. ...

Jeff explains how Jesus’ foretelling of the destruction of the Temple represents the passing of the Old Covenant and the coming of the New. Although He is aware of His impending crucifixion, He is not preoccupied, but instead focuses on pastoring His disciples. This passage is meant to identify the conditions required of Jesus’ disciples to live faithfully until His re...

Earlier in the day, the religious leaders assailed Jesus with various quesitons. For instance, the Pharisees and Herodians asked a question pertaining to taxes (Mk. 12:13-17), the Sadducees interrogated concerning the resurrection (Mk. 12:18-27), and a Scribe inquired about the law (Mk. 12:28-34). However, after a day of questions, Jesus asks the question of the day—a qu...

Summary: Jesus interacts with a scribe, who asks for clarification pertaining to the "first command above all others" (Mk.12:28). Jesus first answers by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mk.12:30). Additionally, he provides the second greatest commandment from ...

Summary : Jesus takes another step closer to the cross as a result of his confrontation with the Sadducees. The Sadducees are the chief rivals to the Pharisees politically and theologically. They are characterized by three doctrines: 1) they only affirm the authority of the 5 books of Moses (Pentateuch), 2) they disavow the doctrine of the resurrection, and 3) they deny t...

Summary: Mark chapter 11 concluded with an interaction between Jesus and the religious leaders on the topic of authority. Chapter 12 begins during the same interaction, but now Jesus moves from a discussion on authority to the telling of a confrontational parable. From the very moment that he enters Jerusalem, Jesus' approach toward opposition changes. He is now on the of...

Sermon summary and discussion questions from C.J.'s message on 1 Timothy 2:1-7...

The writer of Hebrews knew that, even as Christians, our hearts are prone to wander. That wandering can be subtle and easily go unnoticed if we are not actively guarding our hearts. This passage prepares and protects us from the tendency to wander so that by God’s grace we may be preserved to the end....

Marking our two year anniversary, CJ preached from Jeremiah 9:23-24 in order to deepen our joy in the Lord's faithfulness. He discussed two facets of the passage: (1) Personal humiliation, and (2) God glorifying exaltation....

Sermon summary and discussion questions from C.J.'s message on Mark 9:38-41....

Sermon summary and discussion questions from Jeff's message on Hebrews 12:1-2...

Sermon summary and discussion questions from C.J.'s message on Mark 9:30-37....

Sermon summary and discussion questions from Brian's message on Ephesians 4:11-16....

Sermon summary and discussion questions from Jeff's message on Mark 9:14-29...

This week, CJ pointed us to the drama of the Transfiguration text in Mark 9:2-13. In this passage we see the revelation of the concealed majesty of Jesus, the Son of God....

In Mark 8:31-9:1 Jesus gives a stunning prediction. As the Messiah, he must suffer and die, but will conquer death through his resurrection. This leads to a description of what it means to live as a disciple of the suffering Messiah....

Sermon summary and discussion questions from Kevin's message on Matthew 20:1-16....

At the center of the narrative in Mark’s Gospel, there are two provoking questions that serve to clarify the true identity of Jesus. Is he just a prophet or is he God’s messiah and anointed deliverer? In Mark 8:27-30, the Messiahship of Jesus is magnified: he is the Christ, the anointed one, and the king! As readers of this narrative, we are challenged to ...

Sermon summary and discussion questions from C.J. Mahaney's message on Mark 8:1-9....

This Sunday, C.J. preached from Mark 7:31-37, expounding on the story of Jesus’s healing of a deaf and mute man in the Decapolis. In this sermon, we encounter the power of God in Christ and the coming of his kingdom. Below is an outline and summary of C.J.’s sermon entitled: A Beautiful, Unusual Miracle....

On Sunday C.J. preached from Mark 7:24-30, expounding on Jesus’ shocking response to the Syrophoenician woman. Through this sermon, C.J. helps us gaze upon the beauty of humble faith and the abundant generosity of our Savior....

This Sunday we had the immense privilege of hearing from Shawn Woo, a graduating student in the 2014 class of the Sovereign Grace Pastors College. Shawn preached from Ephesians 2:1-10, highlighting the good news that God saves hopeless sinners to display his sovereign grace. Below is an outline and summary of his sermon entitled, Saved by Grace....

A summary of Mack Stiles message on 2 Timothy 2:14-19...

A summary of C.J.'s sermon on Mark 6:45-52...

Summary of CJ Mahaney's sermon on Mark 6:1-6...

Summary of Ryan Fullerton's sermon on Ephesians 3:14-21...

This past Sunday, we had the joy of welcoming Dave Odom, who serves as the lead pastor at Redeeming Grace Church in Franklin, Tennessee....