Sermons
This Psalm seems like a contradiction. At the beginning there are praises to God, at the end there is lament concerning enemies, but as Pastor Todd shows, what seems like a contradiction is perfectly in harmony. We can praise God no matter the circumstance because of who God is and what he has done.
At Christmas God's eternal unchanging grace appears in the person of Jesus Christ. Focusing on that truth can give a Gospel and missional clarity in the midst of a difficult Christmas season.
The call to salvation and the call to follow Jesus are the same call. Therefore, the christian life is a life on the move. It is not static. It is a dynamic life always moving toward Christ.
In these verses Paul makes it clear that joy is not something that just happens. Joy can be purposely pursued and its source is never bound. In Christ, we can truly have joy, always.
When we realize who God is we ought to be moved to praise God. Reflecting upon God's character produces worship that never gets old, tired, or mundane.
Because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever we are free to do his will. He is the God of peace as the victor over the enemy and he calls us into brotherhood. Therefore, we do his will in the community of peace for his good purpose.
The glory of the Lord was shown to a group of shepherds heralding the coming of the Son of God in a manger in a small town called Bethlehem. A lowly birth, announced to a lowly group, and a small town carries with it the most joyous news.
As king David's reign comes to an end and his son Solomon is set to take the throne, David voices a prayer that makes clear everything in the cosmos belongs to God, and that truth is good news for us.
In this text, we learn that the reward for our faith is God himself. However, as fallen people, the only way we can please God is through a dependence upon his grace and mercy exercised by faith.
Jude calls his hearers and us to contend against false teachers. In this passage, we are reminded that those who stand against the plans and purposes of the one true and living God are on a dangerous, cursed path that leads to judgment.