A Fresh Wind Sermons

Self-expression has become the religion of America. We’re all trying to make a name for ourselves. And what do we have to show for it and the end of our lives? A gravestone. On that one piece of stone we do our best to tell our story as succinctly as possible. But what if you were asked to give up your grave?

It's hard to accept a king. So many of our leaders have let us down and proven to be untrustworthy. Strong beginnings often come crashing down as these leaders repeatedly fail. That is until Jesus. Jesus was the ideal of nobility. The one man in whom all qualities of mind, character, morals and truth reached it’s ideal. The perfect man and the one and only, truly noble King.

That day, after He wept over the city, Jesus entered Jerusalem. He entered it to die. He died for your sins and mine. He died to make you a new person. He died to give you a new heart. He died so you could have your sins wiped away. Jesus is our God and King. Whether you believe it or not. If you deny Him nothing can save you. But if you believe, nothing can keep you from Him.

Humanity in general is plagued with this idea to make a name for myself. It is why Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are so popular -- Let me make a name for myself. We have to submit to God and His Word to identify the chaos we are to bring into order.

Many of us grew up seeing the cute cartoons of a smiling, jolly Noah waving from the window of the ark with a bunch of cuddly animals surrounding him. Yet, this isn't quite the vibe we get from the Genesis account. Instead, God observes a wicked, sinful, evil world and has decided that now is the time to act. The flood was a holy and righteous God’s judgement on evil and wicked people — people who were created to be His imagers and reflect God in the world. By preserving Noah and his family, God’s promise to redeem mankind would find its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Noah was a man who found favor with God, despite living during a time where humanity had completely disregarded God and everything they thought or did was completely evil. In these tumultuous times it’s easy to succumb to the pressure, but Noah found favor with God because lived righteous and blameless, walking faithfully with His God.

Enoch walked with God and was not there. He believed God, he sought after God, He walked with God, and he was an example. A life worthy of imitation. I don’t know a better example in the Bible. A sinner who placed his faith in God and was given the righteousness of God for it. What does your walk look like?

Genesis 4 is a horrific account of domestic violence and murder. Yet, we also discover that despite the ravages of sin, its spreading through the generations, its violence, vengeance and murderous rage, the isolation, alienation and anxiety to which it leads, the disorders and ambiguities of life in this broken world, God can still be known.

After the fall, though humankind was estranged from God and no longer immortal, the plan of God was not extinguished. Genesis 3 tells us why we die, why we need redemption and salvation, and why we cannot save ourselves. It also tells us that God’s plan has only been delayed—not defeated—and that the human story will be both a tragic struggle and a miraculous, providential saga.

Life in the garden was great. Adam had an abundant supply of everything he would ever need and didn't owe a penny on any of it. Yet, in this place of absolute beauty and freedom, Adam was alone, and for the first time God says something in this brave new world is “not good”.