Sermon Series (Page 9)
The Raising of Lazarus
As you get ready for the church teaching this coming Sunday morning, March 21, read the amazing story of John 11. Read the whole chapter. Catch the names of the characters in the story. See if you can catch the intensity of the situation at hand. Try to capture the human emotion and agony of sisters Martha and Mary when they were pleading for Jesus to come and heal their dying brother, Lazarus. Try to place yourself in the moment…
The Most Important Shepherd
Did you know that the process of sheep giving birth is called lambing? Did you know that sheep have rectangular pupils? Did you know there are over 1000 breeds of sheep? Did you know sheep have excellent memory, and they can recognize up to 50 other faces—sheep faces, that is. Did you know sheep do not have teeth in their upper front jaw? Did you know all these things because you grew up on a farm? Have you sheared sheep…
Because Jesus is the Light of the World, Then I as a Disciple…
As you get ready for this coming Sunday morning, I am asking you to read two chapters from the book of John: John 7 John 8 Through this season, we are spending our time looking deeply at the life of Jesus from the book of John, learning and connecting the dots on how the entire Bible is built around Jesus in our years-long series, “The Book of Jesus.” But last Sunday morning we crossed a continental divide, theologically. We saw…
Warning Label
Are you turning back also? When Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life,” he actually said it twice—in John 6:35 and again in John 6:48. The statement came on the heels of last week’s story, the famous feeding of the 5000. Remember Scott Jackson’s phrase from the sermon: Jesus had “bread power”! We were challenged again to truly come and make a decision as to who this Jesus really is to us: A Quid Pro Quo Jesus, the trade-off…
Getting Ready for This Sunday
John 6:1-15: Jesus Feeds 5000 When I was a little boy, I grew up in a Sunday School class and went every summer to Vacation Bible School. Those days certainly impacted my life in a huge way, and I am so grateful for the teachers and leaders who led me. Often we don’t remember details about those Sunday School days, but I do remember this one. We learned the story of how Jesus fed 5000 people (actually, because of the…
Do You Really Want to Get Well?
If I walked into a hospital room (which somehow sounds strange in our new world of COVID-19 restrictions!) and asked the sick patient if they really wanted to get well from the illness that hospitalized them, I am pretty sure they would give me a sarcastic response. “Why do you think I am here? Of course I am looking for a cure!” The story I am teaching this Sunday is from John 5:1-15. I ask you to read ahead before…
True Worship: The Woman at the Well
This coming Sunday, February 7, we are looking at the next story in our “Book of Jesus” series: the famous story of the Samaritan woman at the well. You can find the story in John 4:1-42. In every story we study this winter from John, we find Jesus revealing something new about himself. This story is no different. To help shape your thoughts, I want you to think about what it means to worship God. For most of us, worship…
“For God So Loved the World…”
“For God so loved the world…” I would guess that for many of you, if I gave you this opening line, you could finish it for me. You might be able to tell me where to find it in the Bible. Many of you have seen this famous verse on a billboard signs at stadium events, or even painted on the uniforms of a famous football player. If I ask you to think a little deeper, you probably could tell…
Where Have We Been, and Where Are We Going Next?
LifeWay Church Sunday Teaching: The Book of Jesus In September 2020, LifeWay began a journey of study that we have called, “The Book of Jesus.” The intent of this journey is to highlight how God’s story—as written in all of the Bible, both Old Testament and New Testament—is completely centered around Jesus. I want to remind you today where we have been and where we are now, and share a little look ahead into where we are going—and how you can and…
One Day in Cana
Have you been invited to a Jewish wedding before? Even though I used to live in New York and I have many Jewish friends and colleagues, unfortunately, I have never been to a Jewish wedding before, and so what I know about Jewish weddings comes from what I know from the movies. I know that the groom wears a skullcap, or yarmulke, to cover his head. I know that everyone shouts “Mazel Tov!” a lot. Lastly, I know that the…
From Fishermen of Fish to Fishermen of Men
Do you know what are walking, swimming and camping? They are the top three most popular recreations in our country, in that order. If you got that right, then do you know what came in 4th place? The correct answer is fishing. Even though fishing did not make it into the top three most popular recreations in our country, it is more popular than cycling, bowling, golf, skiing, even jogging. As a matter of fact, fishing is more popular than…
A Most Special Relationship Under Scrutiny
Back in September, Billy launched a comprehensive five-year Sunday morning teaching plan. For the next five years, he has committed himself to teach us how to read the Bible for ourselves, and to catch the deeper theologies of our God. At the end of five years, it is his hope that each one of us at LifeWay would mature in our ability to take what we read in the Bible to direct how we think and do, no matter what…
Can Things Be New in the New Year?
Most everyone is ready to turn the calendar over to 2021. But we also know well that just turning over a date does not make all things new. I don’t mean to be a downer. But here’s what I do know about making all things new: it doesn’t come from turning over a calendar page, or watching the clock strike midnight on December 31. It comes from a life in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the…
Proclaiming to the World Who He Is
“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen you salvation which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel.” Luke 2:29 The passage above is the amazing proclamation of a man named Simeon. Luke chapter 2 tells his story. Read Simeon’s words in Luke 2 for yourself over the Christmas weekend. This elderly man had…
Do You Know Him as King?
The Wise Men in the Christmas story had a question. “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2) We know these historical figures well. Many of us have the wise men in our Nativity sets, on our desks or even in our front yards. Who were these guys, really? How do they really play into the storyline of God’s gift of Jesus to the world? What did their question really mean? Let’s consider it…
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is a classic Christmas song that is solemn and powerful. It was written 1200 years ago during the Middle Ages, in a religious monastery. The first lyrics were in Latin: Veni, veni, Emmanuel. Musically played and sung in a minor key, it’s almost as if the darkness of night is brought to life when you hear and sing this song. You can almost feel a longing and anticipation that light will eventually come, even though…
Did You Know Jesus Came for All Nations?
When you picture Jesus in your mind’s eye, what do you see? I asked this question last week. This week holds the next challenging question: Is Jesus a cultural figure for only one part of the world? This Sunday we will study Isaiah 49, a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah—the birth of Jesus. It is a prophetic passage that tells us who the Messiah is, and who in the world his message is really for. The passage talks…
Did You Know?
2020 Advent & Christmas Season Sermons at LifeWay What comes to mind when you think about Jesus? What picture or image or even famous painting comes into your head? Images are extremely powerful and lasting. In every one of our lives there will be a few powerful images that emerge from our past experiences that we can never shake—some of them extremely positive, and some, in the opposite way, highly terrifying. What is the image that you see when I…
One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus
I know by now you have all heard of our state government’s recent shutdown of indoor restaurants, workout centers, and public gatherings as we move closer to the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. This, of course, concerns me for the sake of the many local businesses and the families it affects. I am certainly concerned as well about the spread of COVID-19 and increasing infections. But I am here to address what this means for us here at LifeWay Church, and…
Partnering With the World
Are you ready for your commitment? This whole week we have focused on ways that we are invited by the Almighty God of the universe to partner with him in his work. A Christian leader a while back famously said, “Find out what God is doing, and then join him.” The beauty of this truth is that we actually do get to join God in his incredible work. He offers this partnership to his people (you and me), but are…
A Test
Today I am giving you a test on “The Book of Jesus”! A test?! A test of what? Well, it’s a test of your theology and doctrine. Everyone’s life is built on theology and doctrine. You may wonder why I say this, because so many people don’t really have a belief in God and a trust in scripture. Do even those people have a theology and doctrine in their life? The answer: yes—as everyone believes in something. Everyone has a “god”…
Remember
This fall I have walked us, Sunday by Sunday, through the major theological and doctrinal truths of scripture that point us toward the story of Jesus. This Sunday, November 1, we will focus in on one of the most significant and historically memorable events in the Old Testament out of the book of Exodus: the Passover. Why the Passover story in a series called, “The Book of Jesus”? Because you cannot fully grasp the central truth of Jesus Christ until…
Sacrifice
We throw this word—sacrifice—around a good bit in our conversations. I think we use it most often far too casually. We say we will “sacrifice our time” when it comes to volunteering for a project. We might say “we sacrifice our money” when we give to an organization. We might say we “sacrifice our career” when we make certain choices for family matters. Sometimes this term is used when we feel like we are victims of something. Sometimes it is…
Covenant: Understanding God’s Covenant to Mankind
Genesis 12:1-3 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Sunday morning’s message is found in Genesis 12:1-3. This is the…
The Shattering of Our Nobility
There is nobility in being human. That’s what we studied this past weekend. That’s also what we feel deep down inside. Well, if that’s true, then what happened? Why does it all feel so dysfunctional, chaotic, and even deeply wrong? Because we have “shattered the image” that we were created to be. Homework Here is your homework assignment as we prepare for this weekend. Read ahead As you prepare for this coming Sunday morning, read these passages: Genesis 3 &…