Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Re:Sermon | Are you killing it?
Taken from Mystery of the Mind of Christ Your fight against sin begins with believing there is a fight to be had. Sin will either tempt you to not fight, to fight the wrong things, or to fight the wrong way. I've heard it said, 'Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent. You can get very good at fighting the wrong thing the wrong way. Here is the right way: 1. Fight honorably – the [...]
The trouble with talking about sanctification
The trouble with talking about sanctification is that our flesh always gets in the way. Even if we know that the ACT of God’s grace (justification) has secured our union with Christ, we wrongly believe that our communion with Christ (sanctification) is a work dependent upon ourselves. Without question, there is an inescapable tension between justification and sanctification; between our position of holiness and our practice of holiness; between faith and works. 12 Therefore, my [...]
The Road Church Network | Redefining and Renaming
WHY WE PLANT CHURCHES We believe our mission is to live out the Great Commandment as we fulfill the Great Commission. Through the gospel, Jesus gathers us into a family of families and then sends us on mission into the world. Specifically, we believe we are called to make disciples and plant churches. This commitment requires the conviction that the Great Commission can be accomplished and will be completed. Furthermore, it requires that pastors and churches view themselves [...]
Re: Sermon | Jesus says some scary things
The first time I preach a sermon, I always wish I could preach it second time. The second time I preach a sermon, I always wish I could preach a third time. I always feel there is more or less to be said, or much to be changed. Such is the case with my last sermon titled JESUS IS SCARY GENEROUS from Matthew 7.15-23. "Scary" is probably not the most popular adjective to describe Jesus. The truth is, [...]
Fit for Twitter | Jesus is Narrow
Below are excerpts taken from sermon Jesus is Narrow (Text but not recording available). In essence, the following 10 statements encapsulate all that I hoped to say in twitter-sized chunks.The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best description of a Christian. Sadly, because none of us live this description perfectly, few of us take it seriously.Jesus is not calling people to consider or admire Him; He is calling people to follow Him. There is no [...]
Changing the Score Card
God continues to bring a phrase to mind through different men, books, and blogs: "Change the score card". As a church planter, the idea of a score card is something a pastor never admits he is always thinking about. Though no one is really keeping score, pastors can't help but feel as if there is. Most days, we feel like we are either winning or losing the "numbers" game. They say numbers are important, but [...]
The Tomb is still empty | Because He lives, I live.
Jesus’s resurrection ensures our substitution |THE SACRIFICE IS MADEThe resurrection of Jesus proves that Jesus was received an acceptable substitutionary sacrifice. Jesus was the sinless priest who offered the Himself. His sacrifice perfectly represented man and satisfied God. The resurrection proves that Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of God’s law on our behalf.Jesus’ resurrection ensures our propitiation | THE DEBT IS PAIDThe resurrection is God’s receipt that our accounts have been “paid in full”. The ransom [...]
Living a fearless (resurrected) life
Faith in the resurrection means I serve a living God who wants me to believe, trust, and live without fear. The cross shows that our relationship with the Lord begins with FEAR, but the resurrection shows it ends in love with casts out all fear:1John 4.15-18 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that [...]
Re:Sermon | Fear makes us selfish
Taken from Sermon titled: Jesus on Fear | Matthew 6.25-34 Fear is a nasty thing. Fear doesn’t lead us to God; it leads us away from Him and others. Fear does not build trust in God, it creates doubt. Fear does not generate intimacy with God, it fosters mistrust. Ultimately, fear leads us to sin. Fear destroys relationships because fear makes unfaithful and unloving. All of our faith, all of our love, all of our [...]
7 Ways the Resurrection Changes Me
Jesus’s resurrection ensures our substitution | THE SACRIFICE IS MADE The resurrection of Jesus proves that Jesus was received an acceptable substitutionary sacrifice. Jesus was the sinless priest who offered the Himself. His sacrifice perfectly represented man and satisfied God. The resurrection proves that Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of God’s law on our behalf. Jesus’ resurrection ensures our propitiation | THE DEBT IS PAID The resurrection is God’s receipt that our accounts have been “paid [...]
Re:Sermon | Changing how and what I pray
The following is taken from the sermon on Matthew 6.5-14: Jesus on God-glorifying PrayerJesus teaches us that prayer is not a means to manipulate our good God into doing the good things we want. Prayer is not our chance to vent to God, argue with God, or beg from God. Prayer is not even about fixing problems, fulfilling needs, or even changing circumstances. We don’t pray to impress God and be admired. We don’t pray [...]
Re: Sermon | Stop Tooting Your Own Horn
Taken from Jesus on Self-Promotion | Matthew 6.1-4 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward." "Being noticed is not evil; but trying, expecting, or wanting to be noticed may be. And this is where all of us live. Our culture is all [...]
Wanted: “Older” Men to Help Us
The current display of men's brokenness on the internet is grievous for many reasons. For better or worse, everyone has a story, or an opinion, and a Facebook account to share it on. There is no absence of voices or words. Among all of the stories, confessions, and calls for repentance, there is one thing missing. Almost completely unnoticed is the absence of godly older men who lead like godly older men should. But as for you, [...]
Mega-Pastors and Professional Wrestlers
In recent weeks, the evangelical cyber-world has been full of news about two pastors for all of the wrong reasons. Like two passive-aggressive juveniles who can't seem to play nice on the playground, these men have managed to "fight" one another without ever meeting face to face. Most of the interactions have been communicated indirectly through a blog, a sermon, or any number of twitter posts. Both men are smart. Both men [...]
RE:Sermon: God is Coming (Malachi 2.17-3.5)
If there is one thing I am notorious for doing in my sermons, it is trying to say too much. I write too much and I talk too fast. As a result, there are often a few notes of truth that get lost in all of the noise pouring out of my mouth. Below, are a TEN of these "notes" that may have been missed in my last sermon. They do not represent thunderbolt-like truths [...]
The best sermon I have ever heard.
I don't listen to many of the sermons of my contemporaries. For the most part, this is because I can't help but play the "comparison" game with them--a game I usually lose . Such is not the case with Tim Keller. I figure I'll never be able to preach like him, and that is a good thing. I enjoy Tim Keller's preaching immensely. His sermons are deeply intellectual but, like CS Lewis, easily accessible. Bottom [...]
RE:Sermon | Relationships as Worship (Malachi 2.10-16)
Recently, Pastor Mark preached Malachi 2.10-16 | God is Faithful. I am grateful that God has blessed our church with several men who can preach. Each pastor brings his own experiences, style, and presuppositions to the text. I once feared sharing the pulpit with anyone. Over time, God has shown me the beauty of what different perspectives, styles, and voices can bring to a given text. Though each sermon may sound and look [...]
Beautifully simple church
Last night marked the first official gathering of Damascus Road Church in our Snohomish space. This original historical timber frame building was constructed in 1882. In its 131 years of life, it has functioned as a general store, a livery, a Pontiac Car lot, an office space, and even a Billiards hall. But last night, for the first time, it served as a dwelling place for God among His people. We prayed thanksgiving to our [...]
Resermon: on pleasing God
To say we should aim to "please God" can easily sound anti-gospel. I believe we should hope to please God, if for no other reason, because God hopes for us to please Him. Pleasing God is the same thing we would hope that our own children would want to do for us. Whether or not my children "please" me through obedience does not dictate my love them for them. If I'm displeased with my children's [...]
Sermonette from Vision 2013
Below is the sermonette preached at our recent vision meeting on Tuesday, June 18, 2013: Welcome. We have a lot of information to share with you tonight. Beyond the decisions, dates, and dollar amounts, more than anything, we want our church to know the heart of your pastors. The enemy, the Father of lies, is a master of confusion. He will tempt us to wrongly interpret words, to assume the worst, and to judge outward [...]
On Church Planting #4-10: Go, Preach, Gather, Train, Appoint, Repeat
The 10 blogs over 10 days didn't really work out as planned. The preparations for this upcoming Vision meeting became a little overwhelming. The last post offered quick summary of an apparent "cycle" of church planting later in the book of Acts. After the Holy Spirit empowers the disciples, the church settles into a comfortable rhythm within Jerusalem. Unfortunately, it is possible they became too comfortable because they apparently were forgetting Jesus' command to be witness [...]
Head Coverings and How to Handle Difficult Texts (p2)
So, do women have to wear head coverings or not? I believe the answer is no. Of course, there are a few Christiansgroups that continue the practice. Many individuals, groups, and denominations use this text to support their belief and, although we disagree, I respect their faithful commitment to Biblical authority. The question is not whether the practice should be stopped by churches that do, but whether or not it should be required for all [...]
Head Coverings and How to Handle Difficult Texts (P1)
Last night, I had the joy of wrestling through a difficult text with a small group of friends. The text, 1Corinthians 11.2-16 has proven to be difficult to understand and receive. Commands about marital authority and/or warnings against androgyny are not popular topics in today's culture. Additionally, there are verses dealing with head coverings and statements about angels watching church services that are just plain confusing. Pastor Chris Rich preached a sermon on this last [...]
On Church Planting #3: A Snapshot of a process (Acts 2)
The second chapter provides us a snapshot for the entire book of Acts. The chapter gives us a glimpse into how God, by His Spirit, builds His Church through gospel truth, gospel community, and gospel living (our core values). Before we can identify any pattern of sorts, it is important that we understand the form and function of the particular Scripture that we are reading. Specifically, we must understand the genre of the literature, [...]
On Church Planting #2: The power to do what? where? how?
More than once Jesus told his disciples that He had come to serve and that, eventually, He would suffer and die (Mark 8.31; 9:30, 31; Matt. 17:12, 22, 23; Luke 24:7). As that time approached, Jesus assured his disciples that God would help them to complete His mission--to do even greater things than He had accomplished. To that end, they would not be "sent into the world" alone by themselves. But the Helper, the Holy [...]