In 1961, at the start of training camp, Vince Lombardi walked into the locker room of the Green Bay Packers and spoke what would become one of the most iconic lines in sports history: “Gentlemen, this is a football!” He was reminding them of the fundamentals. He was going back to basics. It’s easy … [Read More…] The Basics of the Gospel
Music has a way of connecting to our emotions in wonderful ways. Some music helps us rejoice or relax, and other music is deeply therapeutic. Psalm 42 is a therapeutic song, written from the perspective of someone who is desperate for spiritual healing, desperate to be delivered from their spiritual depression. When our souls … [Read More…] Psalm 42
In this sermon, we explore one of the Psalms of King David that was written while he was fleeing from Saul. David faced intense fears when he penned this song; and yet, the prose explodes with praise and adoration for God. When you face difficulties or fear, do you put your praise on pause? … [Read More…] Psalm 34
Who can dwell with God? God has very high standards for who can live with Him. And that is what we are going to consider from Psalm 15. In this short psalm, author King David asks the Lord: “What kind of person may live with you and be in Your holy presence?” David describes … [Read More…] Psalm 15
How do you pick up the pieces when you’ve blown it so very badly? Peter was devastated by his thrice denial of Jesus. Even after Jesus was raised from the dead, and Peter had met him twice in the flesh, Peter was still thinking, “What must He think of me!?” For those of … [Read More…] The Redeemer
Breakthrough is the moment when everything changes. The old categories are shattered, and a whole new paradigm is born. And the greatest breakthrough in all of history is when Jesus rose from the dead. It shatters the old categories and gives birth to a whole new paradigm. In this passage form John 20:19-31, … [Read More…] The Lord
Cognitive dissonance is the influx of intellectual disequilibrium. In other words, when your tidy framework of reality is suddenly unsettled by unexpected facts, your “mind is blown.” And suddenly, you see the world very differently. Resurrection morning created massive cognitive dissonance for the followers of Jesus. They never saw it coming! Not only did … [Read More…] The Raised
Everyone enjoys a good plot twist. Whether in a novel or a film, that moment when everything you thought you knew is suddenly undone, and realization dawns mingled with disbelief. Those are the best endings. In many ways, the death and resurrection of Jesus is the greatest twist ending of them all. Talk about … [Read More…] The Buried
In this passage from our study in the Gospel of John, we come to the crucifixion of Jesus. We may want to look the other way, to not face the harsh reality of an innocent man nailed to a cross, to not bear the weight of the torture and agony and injustice of this moment, … [Read More…] The Crucified
Jesus gets it. He gets how hard life is. He gets how heartbreaking it can be. He gets how violating and brutal and unjust people are sometimes. We all need a God who gets it, because when life’s cruelties break into your life, you don’t need a god who’s aloof and pampered and insulated. … [Read More…] The Condemned
