Sermons from January 2021
The Way of the Wilderness
The wilderness temptation of Jesus is pivotal for defining his way of ministry as opposed to Satanic pathways. This also echoes the people of Israel’s wilderness wanderings and presents Jesus as a new sort of Israel. Matthew 4:1-11 SERMON OUTLINE “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1) The Wilderness: Where will my provision come from? The Wilderness: Where will my protection come from? The Wilderness: Where will my praise…
Baptized with Water and Spirit
Jesus’ baptism is the fulfillment of all righteousness and a revelation of His Sonship. It also echoes the Exodus journey of Israel through the Red Sea. Matthew 3:13-17 SERMON OUTLINE “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.” (Matthew 3:13) Facts of Jesus’ Baptism timing setting Theological Truths of Jesus’ Baptism Representative Messiah: John’s hesitation and Jesus’ purpose The Descent of the Dove: the coming of the Holy Spirit Jesus the Unique Son of God:…
The Voice of One Calling Out
This week explores John the Baptist as a prophetic voice calling out for repentance and change in a challenging time for Israel. Radical elements call for revolutionary overthrow of Rome. John calls for a radical revolution of the human heart. SERMON OUTLINE “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” (Matthew 3:1-2) John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-4) Repentance The kingdom of heaven The voice…
Refugee Messiah
With echoes of Moses’ journey and the Exodus, Jesus’ earthly parents flee from the wrath of Herod the Great to Egypt, returning only after an angelic visitation tells them it is safe. They return not to Bethlehem but to Nazareth. Matthew 2:13-23 SERMON OUTLINE “So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the…
The Way of Jesus and the Way of Herod
An exploration of the contrasting kingship of Jesus and Herod with attention to how both of them present a “way” of life that is starkly different in its rule, tone, and outcomes. Matthew 1:20-25; 2:3, 12 SERMON OUTLINE “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under.” (Matthew 2:16) A Conversation about Ways What…