Sermons from August 2020
“The Call of God” (Galatians 1:11-24)
The Call of God (1:11-24) Galatians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to several churches that he had planted a few years prior in the region of Galatia. Since his last visit, some false teachers came through the region teaching a different gospel. Not only did they preach something that was untrue, but they challenged Paul’s apostolic authority in order to undermine what was true. Paul cut right to the chase replacing his typical section of thanksgiving with…
“No Other Gospel” (Galatians 1:1-10)
No Other Gospel (1:1-10) Over six years ago we held our first public worship services with a series on Galatians. The context of the letter seemed like an appropriate starting point. Paul was a church planter. After his conversion he set out on three different missionary journeys in which he planted churches in the provinces of Galatia, Asia, Macedonia, and Achaia. After planting these churches Paul wrote letters of encouragement, instruction, and sometimes rebuke. Galatians is probably the first letter…
“You Shall Not Hate” (Exodus 20:13)
The Sixth Commandment: You Shall Not Hate As we get practical in our application of the commandments, we must always keep in mind the preface, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). These commands were given to a people who had been set free from their bondage in Egypt. Since entering the wilderness God had already shown himself to be faithful to preserve their…
“You Shall Not Murder” (Exodus 20:13)
The Sixth Commandment: You Shall Not Murder In such polarizing times it is difficult to maintain a godly posture towards those we disagree with. We are quick to allow our political allegiances to determine how we think about and treat others. If we follow the attitudes of many of our favorite radio and cable tv pundits, we may find ourselves not only in fundamental disagreement with our opponents, but we will begin to despise everything about them. What is most…
“Honor the Authorities” (Exodus 20:12)
The Fifth Commandment: Honor the Authorities Several values have shaped American culture since our founding. Those who crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower were mostly Puritans with an appreciation for Reformed theology. They sought freedom of religion and took extreme measures in order to find that freedom. Half of the pilgrims died during their first winter in Plymouth. November 11, this year marks the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower landing at Cape Cod. Although there was a strong Christian influence…