Sermons on Jesus
Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory
Jesus seems to have been determined to let people know that he wasn’t interested in a certain kind of power. In the text above, he directly rebuffs Satan’s attempt to lure him into bypassing the suffering that lay ahead for the immediacy of some kind of political position with all of its trappings. After one particularly notable miracle, the people wanted to make Jesus their king, a lifelong dream for many would-be rulers. Jesus quickly fled the area to spend…
Born Again
The phrase “born-again Christian” has become a fairly common phrase in the English-speaking world, particularly in America. It’s often used pejoratively to describe a particular flavor of Christianity . . . one characterized by emotional conversion experiences and usually accompanied by an especially conservative outlook on life. A “born-again Christian,” in other words, is someone outside the mainstream of “normal” American culture. For Jesus, the phrase itself would be confusing. For him, if you’re born again, you’re a Christian, and…
The Word Became Flesh
This is the last of three messages that I’m sharing about John’s incredibly beautiful Prologue (John 1:1-18), one of the most enriching descriptions of the Incarnate Son of God to be found anywhere in Scripture. Tomorrow we’ll study the culmination of John’s Christological message: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, . . .” We’ve spent a fair amount of time over the last two weeks discussing what John meant when he described Jesus as “the Word” (i.e.,…
In Him Was Life
We’re spending a couple of weeks on John’s incredibly beautiful Prologue (John 1:1-18), one of the most enriching descriptions of the Incarnate Son of God to be found anywhere in Scripture. Tomorrow we’ll study what John tells us about Jesus as the “life” and “light.” Notice John’s wording: it’s not just that Jesus *gives* life and *brings* light . . . he *is* life, and he *is* light. Consequently, we’re raised from our deadness because we become partakers of his…
Let All the Earth Keep Silence
Habakkuk’s struggle is a classic one: where is God when wicked people and evil nations flaunt his ways through oppression, violence, and arrogance? God answers with a series of “Woes” that he puts into the mouths of the nations Babylon was oppressing. He says a lot, but his message could be distilled to this: Evil will not have the last say (if you have time, read the whole passage: Habakkuk 2:4-20). We’ll talk about that some tomorrow, but because that…
The Temptation of Christ
There’s an obvious connection with Israel’s temptation in the wilderness in this story. Israel experienced “baptism” in the Red Sea, then went into the wilderness for 40 years, while Jesus was baptized by John then went into the wilderness for 40 days. Jesus’ response to the devil with each temptation was to quote from Deuteronomy, the book of the Torah that in many ways summarizes and completes Israel’s wilderness experience. Israel failed, while Jesus did not. That, in itself, helps us…
King Jesus
Throughout the month of December, I’m focusing on the Person of Jesus. To some extent we always do that, of course, but each week this month I’m focusing more intentionally on some aspect of his character or role. Mark wastes no time, as is his habit. Matthew starts with a genealogy, Luke includes a lengthy birth narrative, and John goes all the way back to creation. In contrast, Mark just immediately starts in on Jesus. It’s almost like he’s thinking,…
The Root of Jesse
Throughout the month of December, I plan to focus each Sunday on some aspect of the Person of Jesus. To some extent we always do that, of course, but each week this month I’m focusing more intentionally on some aspect of his character or role. This text is clearly Messianic. Throughout the Old Testament there’s this note of anticipation as Israel waits for God to do what he’d promised that he would do. They looked forward to the time when…