Lectionary Study Notes: Acts 4:5-12, May 3, 2009

Friends, Here is my second installment of study notes for this week’s lectionary readings. This one focuses on Acts 4:5-12. The study focuses on the Spirit’s role, the Name, and the Exclusivity.  Quotes from William Willimon, Richard Philips, John Stott, Robert Tannehill, LJ Olgivie, DA Carson, Eugene Peterson, Aijith Fernando, Mark Driscoll, and more. There…

Skycast: 90 Days with Scripture, The King: 2 Samuel 5-7

Friends, This is the audio version of my sermon in the 90 Days with Scripture series from 2 Samuel 5-7. The sermon is simply titled, The King. (The manuscript version is also published here at this blog.) The sermon is about 31:28, but goes fast. God bless. Soli Deo Gloria! You can download here: The…

Skycast: Isaiah 2:6-22, Trusting God

Friends, Sadly, much of the church has become inundated with all sorts of idolatry. I think this idolatry is perhaps even more insidious than the sort of idolatry recognized by small statues in our front yards or shrines on the mantlepiece. This sermon is about Trusting God. This is what Isaiah was imploring the people…

New Skycast: Isaiah 2:1-5, Raising God

Friends, Here is the latest Skycast. This is from August 24, 2008 and the sermon is from Isaiah 2:1-5. The printed text is found in a separate post here at Life Under the Blue Sky. The sermon is about 25 minutes long and I think we have finally solved our audio problems at the church…

Holy Week and Kidney Stones (2007)

Friends, This is the text of a sermon I preached on Resurrection Sunday in 2007. It’s a very personal reflection on suffering. 2007 was a difficult year for me physically as I have never been to as many doctors, taken so many prescriptions, and told my health history so many times as I did last…

Podcast #8: The Advancing Kingdom of God, Mark 5:1-43

Friends, I published the manuscript for this sermon last night. This sermon is about 28 minutes long. I am preaching from Mark 5:1-43. You can see from the manuscript version of this sermon that I am trying to work out what it means to be involved in the re-creation of the heavens and the earth…

Grace as Undeserved Love, Luke 6:27-36, Podcast #5

Friends, On the page ‘Grace’ I have posted the print version of a sermon I preached in February called “Grace as Undeserved Love.” This is the audio of that sermon I preached on February 17, 2008 at the Painesville Church of Christ in Painesville, Ohio. The congregation is going through some tough times and recently endured…

Podcast #3: Colossians 2:16-23: The Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ’s Judgment

Friends, This is part 5 of my current sermon series based on Colossians. In this sermon, I am dealing with the issue of people who want to pile rule upon rule upon rule as requirements for salvation. The apostle says, “don’t let anyone judge you.” Sound words in our age of internet ‘discernment’ (read: judgment)…

Podcast #1: The Resurrection Driven Life, pt 1

Friends, This is a new adventure for Life Under the Blue Sky: Podcasting of sunday’s sermons.  This is a trial run from a sermon I preached about 2 years ago. The sermon is called Now is the Time to Fast and Pray and is part 1 of a 5 part series called The Resurrection Driven…

Spiritual Disciplines: Service, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Friends, We have begun our new series of sermons at the church. This month I am preaching on the spiritual discipline of ‘service.’ But as you will see, service is not just about service. Service is rather about developing a servant’s heart. This sermon is drawn from the first 11 verses of 1 Corinthians 12,…

Worship as Proclamation: 1 Corinthians 10-11

Friends, here is the last part of the series on worship. The sermon is based on 1 Corinthians 10-11. It develops the idea that worship is, at its core, saying something about God. In fact, it may say more about God than it says about us; although, to be sure, it says something about what…

Grace as Undiscriminating Love, Luke 10:25-37

Friends, here is part three of my short series on Grace. It is taken from Luke 10:25-37 and the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan.’ I hope it blesses you.  Luke’s Gospel Luke 10:25-37 Grace as Undiscriminating Love Introduction On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do…