Messages

So Much More
The lottery! Just the mention of this word has our minds whirling at the possibilities of what could be. But it’s not just the lottery. We let our imaginations travel to the most endearing places of human accomplishment and accumulation. In the Bible, there’s a story tucked away about a king named Amaziah. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not with his whole heart. With his riches and influence he wanted to build a vast army. With his military victory he was allowed to raid his rival’s city and take their possessions. He became puffed up with pride that led to some irrational and idolatrous behaviors that ultimately cost him his life. All in the name of wanting just a little bit more. The men of God in his life tried to warn him but he did not listen. In his attempts to garner all the earthly fame and riches he forfeited the results of this line made by one of these men of God, “the Lord is able to give you so much more than this.”

The Gift of the Holy Spirit
Have you ever heard someone say, “We need to talk. I think we need to go our separate ways. It’s not you, it’s me. It’s for the best.” These words can be excruciatingly painful to hear and in that moment no one really believes “it’s for the best.” But in John 16, that is precisely what Jesus says. In preparing His disciples for His departure He says, “It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you.” Another translation says, “my departure will be a gift that will serve you well.” Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit–as a gift–and He will convict us of sin, guide us in all truth, and glorify the Son. That we may fulfill the command, the will, and the desire of God to see His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Don’t Waste Your Life
The ‘kingdom of God’ and the ‘kingdom of me’ cannot co-exist. In his book Don’t Waste Your Life, John Piper states, “God created me–and you–to live with a single, all-embracing, all-transforming passion–namely, a passion to glorify God by enjoying and displaying his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life…The wasted life is the life without a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.” In the story of the ‘rich young ruler,’ Mark reveals the conflicting nature of these two kingdoms that cites the tragedy of Piper’s view of the wasted life. There is a battle being waged among our moral accomplishments and material accumulation with our willful abandon and wholehearted allegiance when Jesus bids us to come.

Where Are You
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. He also created two individuals to govern the earth and enjoy both the responsibilities and freedom of abiding in the presence of God in the garden. But when both Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened to the complexities created by their own sinful disobedience life became vastly different from all they had known. However, God was not content to leave them in the place of shame and hiding. He knew the fig leaves of self-righteousness would never be enough. He had every right to bring condemnation, but He longed for reconciliation. Hence the question, “where are you?” He knew that proximity created the best opportunity for restoring what was lost and healing what was broken. He knew they needed Him to make things right and whole again.

Can I Really Trust You
Can I really trust you? It’s a fair question. And a question that I was met with by my son several years ago as I encouraged him to jump from a rock into my arms. My father’s heart was crushed by my son’s insurmountable fear. But when that fear was met with extraordinary courage and confidence, it allowed him to take a leap of faith that created incredible joy. All because he was willing to trust me. God is a better father, and God is providing more joy in every moment of our lives than we could ever imagine when we choose to trust Him.

She Pondered These Things
The Christmas story is a very familiar story to a lot of people around the world. But there’s a phrase regarding Mary’s perspective of the story that says she “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” What did she ponder and treasure in her heart? The promise, the presence, and the people of God.

God Chasers
In high school, I read a book entitled God Chasers, and it changed the way I looked at Romans 12:1-2. Paul’s letter to the Romans was a plea that followers of Jesus would offer their bodies as a living sacrifice. While this seemed to be a foreign thought, Paul emphasized the need to renew our minds, encapsulating a total change in our perspective of God’s Word and work in our lives, to discern His good and perfect will for our lives.

Thieves and Shepherds
Growing up we played games like freeze tag, hide-n-seek, and cops and robbers. Teams given tasks of hiding, stealing, or protecting objects or individuals that were considered valuable or having significance and worth. In John 10, we see the roles of thieves and shepherds with similar tasks on a much more profound scale. Thieves come to steal, kill, and destroy while the shepherd comes to give life.

Above and Among All Things
Have you ever thought about how Jesus Christ is both above and among all things? He exists outside of space and time yet dwells intimately in our midst. His character is holy and perfect yet compassionate and gracious. John 1 tells us that He was there in the beginning when all was created yet He came to dwell among us. All that exists was created by Him and for Him. He is Above and Among all things.

The 2nd Mile
Have you ever ran a long distance race? Generally, everyone starts together but over time there is separation caused by different issues such as fatigue, adversity, or a loss of purpose. Jesus said when someone asks you to go with them 1 mile to go with them 2 miles. Go beyond the obligatory mile mandated by law and choose the miracle mile correlated with love.

The Light Has Come
What did Jesus mean when He said, ‘the light has come into the world?’ He was letting the world know that He would expose the sins of darkness and illuminate the truth of the gospel.

Have This Attitude
A recent sermon delivered at Providence Ministries. When we understand the person of Jesus as described in Phil 2:6-11 then we can begin to approach the circumstances of life with others as stated in 2:1-4. The phrase, “have this attitude in you which was also in Christ Jesus,” is the hinge connecting our attitudes to our actions.

The Long Walk Around
Using an illustration inspired by Clay Scroggins, this message illustrates how empathy embedded in our willingness to take the long walk around to consider others will reflect the character of Christ in building relationships with others.

Christ-Centered Life: Jesus is Our Servant
A devo for our students at Liberty during the quarantine. Motivated by unconditional love and humility Christ modeled a servant’s heart with a towel and bowl of water.

Christ-Centered Life: Jesus is Our Shelter
A devo for our students at Liberty during the quarantine. Shelters often do two things; a shelter eliminates fear and noise, and a shelter embodies security and provision.

Safe & Secure
A revival message about Peter and John’s deliberate response, “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard!”