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Episodes
Sermons preached at the Hinckley Evangelical Free Church (Hinckley, MN)
Episodes
Monday Jan 22, 2018
Monday Jan 22, 2018
The call to Christian conduct
January 21,2018
Matthew 5:3-12 (ESV)
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Monday Jan 15, 2018
Monday Jan 15, 2018
Navigating Change: Trust Your Crew
Various texts
The Need for a Crew
- A ship does not sail right by itself
- It needs a crew to steer and maintain it
Who is Our Crew?
- The Captain = Jesus (Heb. 2:10)
- ἀρχηγός (archeos): founder, leader, captain
- He sets the destination
- He commands the crew
- This is especially true in the Church (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18)
- And should be true in every aspect of our lives
- Shipmates: Our Church family
- We are not meant to do life alone
- We cannot navigate change alone
- We need each other
- In the Church (1 Cor. 12:14-18)
- In life (Gen 2:18)
- This is not just about a spouse
- But about a support system in each other
Trust Your Crew
- God has given you servant leaders in the Elders, Trustees, Deaconesses, and Church Board
- He has given you each other to be a support and encouragement
- To serve and love each other
- To be for each other as He is for us
- Everyone in the crew is imperfect (except the Captain)
- Trusting your crew is about trusting the Spirit at work in them, as they trust that He is at work in you
- The Pastor’s role on the ship
- First-mate
- Doesn’t set the course
- Doesn’t command the crew directly
- Listens to the captain and leads the crew as needed
- A ship can function without a First-mate for a time
- As long as they listen to the Captain
- And as long as the rest of the crew leans into the work
- First-mate
So What?
- As we learn to navigate change in God-honoring ways
- Trust your Captain
- Trust your crew
- Lean into the work of ministry
Meditation Verse: Philippians 2:12-13
Monday Jan 08, 2018
Monday Jan 08, 2018
Navigating Change: Adjust Your Sails
Various texts
The Function of Sails
- Sails do NOT cause a ship to move
- Wind makes it move
- The sails harness the wind
- If there is no wind, the sails won’t work
- And it is impossible to sail directly against the wind
- So, a good sailor has to adjust his sails to catch the wind
What is the Wind??
- The Wind = The Holy Spirit (John 3:5-8)
- The term ‘spirit’ means breath or wind in both Hebrew (ruah’) & Greek (pneuma)
- He is Giver of life (Job 33:4; John 6:63)
- He is the empower & equipper (1 Cor. 12:11; see also Eph. 4:11ff; Heb. 13:20-21)
- He is God at work in us and in the world (John 14:16-18)
Adjusting our Sails
- As change happens, we need to adjust ourselves to what God is doing in our lives and in the world around us
- “Watch to see where God is working and join Him” -Henry & Richard Blackaby and Claude King, Experiencing God (see John 5:17, 19-20)
- This requires being attuned to the Holy Spirit
- Being silent and listening
- Setting aside our agendas and goals
- Relying on God’s timing
- It allows us to be conformed to His will (Rom. 8:28-29; 12:2)
- This leads to peace beyond understanding (Phil. 4:5a-7)
So What?
- As we learn to navigate change in God-honoring ways
- Let’s adjust our Sails to the wind of the Spirit
Meditation Verse: John 3:8
Monday Jan 01, 2018
Monday Jan 01, 2018
Navigating Change: Know Your Anchor
Various texts
Life is Change
- As we start a new year, we reflect on the ever-changing nature of life
- We seek out positive changes
- While trying to avoid negative ones
- But, change is unavoidable in life
- Both personally and corporately
- So, we need to learn how to navigate change in life in ways that:
- Honors God
- Helps us grow into the people He wants us to be
- We’re going to use a sailing analogy to help us
The Need for Anchors
- Anchors keep boats from drifting
- From running aground
- Or going into dangerous places
- Sometimes we think of them as keeping us from moving
- But, they’re used more to keep us from danger
What are our Anchors?
- The unchangeable nature of God (Heb. 6:17-18)
- Jesus Himself (Heb. 6:19-20)
- And His work on our behalf
- Scripture (Pro. 30:5)
What Do these Anchors Do?
- They help us grow into mature followers of Christ
- Protecting us from false teaching and thinking (Eph. 4:11-14)
- They give us hope during uncertain times (Rom. 8:28)
- They combat doubt in God’s goodness (Jas. 1:5-6)
So What?
- As we learn to navigate change in God-honoring ways
- Let’s hold on to the Anchors of our faith
- And trust that He is using change for our good
Meditation Verse: Hebrews 6:19
Wednesday Dec 27, 2017
Wednesday Dec 27, 2017
The Coming of the King
Luke 2:4-5, 10-14; various texts
Why Bethlehem?
- Was Jesus’ birth in the Bethlehem a matter of coincidence or was there more to it?
- Bethlehem has a rich history before the birth of Jesus
- It is near where Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife, was buried (Gen. 35:19)
- One of the minor judges, Ibzan, was a Bethlehemite (Jdg. 12:8-10)
- A Bethlehemite girl was the victim of a sever lack of hospitality by the men of Gibeah (Jdg. 19-20)
- An irony lost on the people of Bethlehem in Jesus’ day
- It was the hometown of Naomi and became the adopted home of Ruth
- And it was the hometown of David
- Because of its connection with David, Bethlehem became associated with the coming Messiah (Mic. 5:2-5a)
- Thus, Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem was not coincidence
- But rather, part of God’s orchestrated plan
- And a clear declaration that Jesus came to be Messiah!
What is Messiah?
- Messiah is the promised king of Israel
- From the lineage of David
- Called Christ in Greek
- The expectation of the Jews of Jesus’ day was that Messiah came to conquer Israel’s enemies
- Seen as Rome in that time period
- But, the people’s expectations were wrong
- Something He was suspected of (John 7:42)
- Something He was mocked for (Mark 15:32)
- Something He was arrested for (Luke 23:2)
- Jesus came to be Messiah
- The king who would win victory over the enemies of God’s people
- The king who would bring peace (Isa 9:6-7)
- But, the enemy was not Rome or some human institution
- It was sin & death
- And the peace He offers is not simply a lack of conflict
- But real peace with God (Rom 5:1)
- That was the message that the shepherds heard that night over 2000 years ago (Luke 2:10-14)
So What?
- Do you know Jesus as King?
- Do you have peace with God through Jesus?
- That is what why we celebrate this time each year
Meditation Verse: Luke 2:14
Monday Dec 11, 2017
Monday Dec 11, 2017
The Coming of the Savior
Luke 2:10-14, various texts
Why a Baby?
- Why did we need this child to come into the world the way He did?
- If God wanted to step into human history, could He had done so without becoming human?
- Or could He had simply come as an adult?
- Not if He wanted accomplish part of Jesus’ mission
- To be a Savior for humanity (Luke 2:11-12)
- Jesus coming as a baby was a sign that He came to be our Savior
- He came to be human in every way, so that He might experience every aspect of humanity
- In order to sympathize with us (Heb. 4:15)
- Thus, the rags & manger
- Before this, Jesus did not know what poverty was like
- As, God owning all things
- Before this, Jesus did not know what powerlessness was like
- As God, being all-powerful
- So, He took on the lowest, most vulnerable of humanity to know what it was truly like to be human (Phil. 2:6-8)
- And He invites us to do the same
- He came to be human in every way, so that He might experience every aspect of humanity
- In order to redeem it all (Titus 2:14)
- In order for Jesus to do His redemptive work on the Cross, He needed to be an appropriate substitute for us (Heb. 2:17)
- Before this, Jesus did not know what poverty was like
- Thus, the rags & manger
- In order to sympathize with us (Heb. 4:15)
The Great Savior
- Jesus came to be our Savior because we needed saving
- From our sins
- From death
- From ourselves
- That’s why He is named ‘Jesus’ (Matt. 1:21)
- It means “The Lord saves”
So What?
- We celebrate Jesus coming to be our Great Savior
- Saving us from our sins, death, and ourselves
- Are we trusting Him to do this in us?
- And declaring it to the world!
Meditation Verse: Matthew 1:2
Monday Dec 04, 2017
Monday Dec 04, 2017
The Coming of the Great Shepherd
Luke 2:8-14, various texts
Why Shepherds?
- Why did God choose shepherds to first hear the good news about the birth of Jesus?
- In that day, shepherds were social outcasts
- There is a strong link between shepherds and Israel’s history
- Abel was a shepherd (Gen. 4:2)
- The Patriarchs of Israel were all shepherds
- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
- When the Israelites moved to Egypt under Joseph because of a famine in Canaan
- They were given the land of Goshen to live in because it was good land for herding sheep (Gen. 46:34)
- And the Egyptians detested shepherds
- Moses served as a shepherd to his father-in-law (Ex. 3:1)
- David was a shepherd before he was king (1 Sam. 17:34)
- They were given the land of Goshen to live in because it was good land for herding sheep (Gen. 46:34)
- The image of the shepherd became associated with the leaders of Israel ( 27:17; 2 Sam. 5:2, 7:7; 1 Kgs. 22:17; 1 Chr. 11:2, 17:6; 2 Chr. 18:16; Ps. 78:71)
- And was often used as a lament when there were no one godly to lead, especially during the time of the Prophets ( 10:2; see also Jer. 22:22; 49:19; 50:44; 51:23; Ez. 34:5, 8; 11:16-17)
- But God is also described as a shepherd (Isa 40:10-11; see also Gen 49:24; Ps. 23; 28:9; 80:1; Jer. 31:10; Ez. 34:15)
- And the promised Messiah is described as a shepherd (Ez. 34:15-16, 23-24)
- God sent the angels to these shepherds to declare the coming of the promised Shepherd who would:
- Seek the lost
- Bind up the injured
- Strengthen the weak
- Bring justice to the oppressed
- And who to better recognize a good shepherd than other shepherds
The Great Shepherd
- Jesus claimed to be God’s shepherd (John 10:14-15)
- Sent by the Father
- Taking care of His sheep
- Who, in turn, listen to His voice (John 10:4)
- And follow where He leads
So What?
- We can celebrate because Jesus came to be our Great Shepherd
- Seeking the lost, binding up the injured, strengthening the weak, and bringing justice to the oppressed
- Are we listening to His voice like good sheep?
Meditation Verse: John 10:14-15
Monday Nov 27, 2017
Monday Nov 27, 2017
Fostering Thankfulness: In Change & Injustice
Psalm 107:33-43
The Homeless Brought Home (v. 33-38)
- The psalmist turns his attention to those who have been uprooted from their homes
- The land has stop producing good things (v. 33-34)
- Because of the evil deeds of some who live there
- And everyone is affected
- However, God’s plan for them is not simply upheaval
- But rather to bring them to someplace better (v. 35-38)
- We often fear change
- Because we fear the unknown
- But, we are called to trust God in the unknown
- Because it is not unknown to Him
- Because of the evil deeds of some who live there
The Righter of Wrongs (v. 39-43)
- The psalmist reflects on how those who have abused their authority will be humbled
- And how those who have been humble will be raised up
- This is a reflection of God’s justice
- This is not always something that happens here and now (see Matt. 5:2-12)
- We need to have a long-term view of God’s work in the world
- “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.
- This is not always something that happens here and now (see Matt. 5:2-12)
The Wisdom of Thankfulness (v. 43)
- We must learn to trust Him even when our lives our in upheaval
- Because though our lives change, our God is unchanging
- He is our certainty in uncertain times
- Because He uses these situations to change us
- To helps us learn to trust Him better
- To conform our character to that of Christ’s (Rom. 8:28-32)
- In everything, God is for us
- He uses hardships to mold us and refine us (Rom. 5:3-5)
- Because though our lives change, our God is unchanging
So What?
- Can we be thankful in the face of change and injustice?
- Trusting God is working for the good to transform us & redeem the suffering
Meditation Verse: Psalm 107:43
Friday Nov 24, 2017
Friday Nov 24, 2017
Loving Well: Quality Time
Various Texts
Quality Time
- Time spent in giving another person one's undivided attention in order to strengthen a relationship
- It is about being present
- Including being a good listener
- Don’t confuse quantity with quality
God as the Lover
- God is shown throughout Scripture spending time with people
- Adam & Eve (Gen. 3:8a)
- It was only after they sinned that they hid from God (Gen. 3:8b)
- Abraham is called “friend of God” and they spoke together often (Gen. 8:17ff, 2 Chron. 20:7; Jas. 2:23)
- As was Moses, spending time in His presence (Ex. 33:11)
- The Tabernacle is often called the Tent of Meeting because it was where Israel would come to be with God
- Overwhelmingly, Scripture speaks to God’s desire to be near His people (Ps. 34:18; 145:17-18)
- Adam & Eve (Gen. 3:8a)
Our Response of Love
- As God desires to be near to us, we need to desire to be near to Him (Ps. 73:28; Isa. 55:6)
- One the best ways to do this is through Quiet Times
- Time spent in prayer and the Bible alone
- Giving God our undivided attention
Loving One Another
- Make time together a priority
- For couples: Dates, devotions, prayer, daily face time
- For families: Family game night, devotions, prayer, dates with your kids
- For friends: studies, prayer, fun together
- Being present when we are together
- Face time over screen time
- As a Church when we gathered together, Jesus promises to be in our midst (Matt 18:20)
- Worship: Coming before God together (Col. 3:16)
- Fellowship: Small or large events together (Heb. 10:24-25)
- Hospitality: Inviting people into our homes (Rom. 12:13; 1 Pet. 4:9)
- It is about doing life together
Loving Our Community
- Being available to others
- Be a good listener
- Support community events with our presence
Know Yourself to Love Other Better
- God is the master Lover who loves in ways that connects with us
- We are allowed to experience God as He made us
- And we are not going to always thrive in giving and receiving love in each of these ways
- We must strike a balance between speaking our own language well
- While being stretched to speak others’ language too
So What?
- Are we loving through how we use our time?
- Making others a priority in our schedules
- Giving others our undivided attention
Meditation Verse: Hebrews 10:24-25
Monday Nov 13, 2017
Monday Nov 13, 2017
Fostering Thankfulness: In Sickness
Psalm 107:17-22
A Theology of Suffering (v. 17-18)
- The psalmist turns his attention to those who suffer physical affliction or illness
- Here connected to disobedience to God
- Scripture does NOT teach that all afflictions or illness is a direct result of personal sin
- Sometimes it is the result of living in a fallen world
- Sometimes it so that God’s purposes might be fulfilled (John 9:3; 11:4)
- Either personally or on a bigger scale
- Like in Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’ (2 Cor. 12:7-10)
- Sometimes God doesn’t provide a clear reason
- Like with Job (Rom. 11:33)
The Great Physician (v. 19-20)
- Regardless of the reason for the affliction or illness, our response should be the same
- To call out to God
- He is able to heal us
- Though our healing is not always physical
- And He promises to be with us through our suffering (Ps. 41:3)
- He promises to never leave us nor forsake us (See Deut. 31:6, 8; Josh. 1:5;1Kgs. 8:57; 1 Chron. 28:20; Heb. 13:5)
The Praise of the Restored (v. 21-22)
- We are called to thank God for His work of restoration in us
- Both physically and spiritually
- And share His work in us with other
- Understanding that often times of suffering can draw us near to Him
- And though we might not understand the reasons
- He is still working for our good! (Rom. 8:28)
So What?
- Can we thank God as we suffer?
- Trusting Him to work things out for our good and His purpose
Meditation Verse: Psalm 107:20