There217;s always one thing we217;d rather not put on the table when God asks us to give something up—and we usually know exactly what it is. In Luke 18, a rich man walks away from Jesus grieving because that one thing is precisely what Jesus names, and the disciples217; stunned question in response—221;then who can be saved?221;—turns out to be our question too.
We all reach for something we can actually recognize and hold on to—some concrete person or presence we can truly know, not just a philosophy about. That hunger is exactly what John 1 puts its finger on: the Word who was with God in the beginning became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.
A vaccination can leave you feeling wretched for a week, tempting you to wish you could undo it and try again later. That217;s the kind of pressure that hits when the gospel goes out in Acts 14—Paul and Barnabas meet rising opposition in Iconium, and the question becomes how we press ahead without quitting or compromising.
Most of us know what it feels like to pray with one eye on the people around us—wondering whether we sound holy enough, reaching for language we217;d never use in ordinary conversation. In Matthew 6, Jesus warns us that prayer aimed at impressing an audience—human or divine—has already received its only reward.
When things feel urgent and broken, we want a solution that works right now—and that impatience is exactly what Luke 19 puts on display as the Palm Sunday crowd shouts 220;Hosanna221; at Jesus, certain he217;s about to deliver the instant fix they217;ve been waiting for.
We can be inclined to delay approaching God, too busy obsessing on our doubts to come, much like Thomas in John 20. But Thomas did come and so should we.
Pastor Tim shares a message on fear, shame and the Resurrection from John 20:19-21.
The Book of Proverbs talks about Fear of the Lord. What does that mean? Pastor Tim explores what we find out about this confusing term when we look at how it is used throughout Proverbs.
Satan tempted Jesus, yet He did not fall to those temptations. Tonight we consider our temptation to seek shortcuts in faithfulness.