Sermons by Chuck Webster (Page 36)
God’s Beautiful Story: Genesis 1-11
God’s beautiful story Act 1: God establishes his Kingdom: Creation Act 2: Rebellion in the Kingdom: Fall Act 3: The King chooses Israel: Redemption Initiated Interlude: A Kingdom Story Waiting for an Ending Act 4: The Coming of the King: Redemption Accomplished Act 5: Spreading the News of the King: The Mission of the Church Act 6: The Return of the King: Redemption Completed Key themes in Genesis 1-11 Yahweh creates by bringing order and beauty out of chaos and…
A Rule of Life: Habits, Not Resolutions
“We become what we repeatedly do”–Sean Covey. Every year as the calendar flips, many of us get caught up in the dream of change, and in so many ways this is a beautiful thing. Justin Earley writes, “There is common grace in a calendar that regularly presents us with opportunities to reconsider how we live. The flurry of resolutions made this time of year reminds us that we really do long to be made new.” But true renewal is only…
He Was Called Jesus
Jesus’ birth narratives are fascinating, and they’re loaded with powerful statements about who Jesus was and what he came to do. Unfortunately, these important teachings are sometimes obscured by the Christmas season as the birth of Jesus is romanticized and sanitized (or ignored). Of all the gospel writers, Luke includes the most historical details about Jesus’ birth, and Sunday we’re going to study and reflect on his version of this beautiful story. Last week we studied his account of John…
A Voice Crying in the Wilderness
The way Luke chooses to begin this chapter is fascinating . . . he sets the stage by listing the most powerful people in the world, starting with the Emperor of Rome and narrowing in on the local secular and religious leaders. And then he takes us to John, an eccentric character who receives God’s word in the wilderness. Tiberius reigns in Rome, but Luke wants us to see what God is doing in the backwater region of Judea: he’s…
On These Two Commandments
This is the last of the sermons I’ll preach in 2018 on the theme for the year: Love God. Love People. Change the World. I will try to wrap it up, summarizing the theme as we end the year and look toward a new one. There’s plenty of evidence around us that loving God and the people he created will need to be a continual emphasis of Christians everywhere. We’re surrounded by hate and violence and political division. What the…
Too Bad or Too Good?
The essence of Satan’s nature is that he lies to and about us. He loves to make accusations concerning us, and here’s one of his favorites: About the good news of Jesus Christ, he’ll say one of two things: For some people, he tells them that they’re too bad, that they have no hope for mercy. “Your sins are worse than everybody else’s . . . God doesn’t show mercy to people like you.” And many people believe him, assuming…