Sermons on Jesus (Page 5)
We Will See His Face
The Bible is replete with theophanies–special occasions when God revealed himself to people in incredible ways. Think of God’s glory passing by as God covered Moses’ face in Exodus 33, for example. But even at these special times God’s appearance is obscured or mediated in some way so that people can’t see him in all his glory. Apparently, it’s because of this: “No one may see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). There’s something so special about God’s holiness that we–presumably…
Pierced for our Transgressions
When considered within the scope of both testaments of Scripture, it clearly refers to Christ–something we would know even if we didn’t have Philip’s conversation with the Ethiopian Eunuch, a man who was confused by his reading of Isaiah 53. Luke tells us that Philip began with our text and “told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35). Perhaps the most obvious way this text reaches us is by teaching us again about Christ’s substitutionary death. Notice how many…
This Jesus
Sunday is Easter, of course, and people throughout the world will reflect in some sense on the resurrection of Christ. I chose Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 as my text because it was the first sermon preached after the resurrection, and so it was the first sermon from the apostles that was shaped by their new awareness of who Jesus really was. Notice how Peter uses the phrase “This Jesus” three times in his sermon: “. . . this Jesus,…
The Bible Jesus Read
A few months ago a famous, extremely influential megachurch pastor preached a sermon in which he said Christians needed to “unhitch from the Old Testament.” He’s been roundly criticized by people all over the world, including quite a few in the Church of Christ. Though most of us wouldn’t say what he said out loud, we might’ve thought it. The Old Testament, to put it bluntly, makes us uncomfortable. Bad things happen, sometimes with God’s approval, it seems, and at…
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…
That Other Side of Jesus: He Talks About Fiery Furnaces
Three weeks ago I introduced a short sermon series (click here to view) about the importance of seeing Jesus as he is portrayed in the Bible, and not just in the way that makes us most comfortable. We all like to think about the Jesus who held babies and forgave sinners and ate dinner at tax collectors’ houses. We may not be as comfortable with “that other side of Jesus”: the one who turns over tables, talks about “weeping and…
That Other Side of Jesus: He Overturns Tables
Two weeks ago I introduced a short sermon series about the importance of seeing Jesus as he is portrayed in the Bible, and not just in the way that makes us most comfortable. We all like to think about the Jesus who held babies and forgave sinners and ate dinner at tax collectors’ houses. We may not be as comfortable with “that other side of Jesus”: the one who turns over tables, talks about “weeping and gnashing of teeth” and…
That other side of Jesus
I ran across an article that was published back in February, and it inspired the sermon for this Sunday (as well as a few to follow). If you’d like to read the article, it’s here. All of us like to think about the Jesus who welcomes sinners and speaks words of compassion to those who are hurting. And people need to see that Jesus because some of them never have. But there’s another side of Jesus that’s presented in the…