This sermon explores Paul’s warning to the Colossians about the teaching of the Judaizers. The Jews had taken the law of God that was intended to serve them and bless the world and turned it into something that they had to serve, which excluded the world. There is a danger for Christians to do that with our New Covenant inheritance as well, so we should learn from our forebearer’s errors.

This sermon appropriates the principles underlying Paul’s warning to the Colossians about the Judiazers to our own congregation. It is a warning to conservative churches about the reality that a community of believers can, in their desire to run away from the left side of the cliff (liberalism) end up falling off of the right side of the cliff (conservatism).

Paul’s Gospel is about reconciliation, but what does that mean and entail? This message seeks to answer that question and the rest of the book of Colossians will help to fill out the answer given here.

Paul wants the Colossians to grow up in Christ, and his prayer for them in chapter 1 tells us what they needed (and consequently, what we need) in order to achieve that growth.

This message was delivered with the intention of preparing Christ Church for an in depth study of Colossians that will serve our church not only in the way that Scripture always serves the people of God, but specifically in the process of defining Christ Church’s distinctives as a local church. This overview of Colossians sets out Mission and Maturity as key points of focus in the letter, and we set those points of focus as being key for the identity and direction of our church.

This sermon from Ruth chapter 4 shows us how God uses one act of redemption to set off a chain reaction of other redemptive acts that will culminate in the redemption of the whole world. Our personal redemption is one of those reactions, and it is intended to be used of God to produce others.

This sermon considers the might that God has placed in the feminine nature and the honor that that might should elicit from men who are around worthy women.

This sermon on Ruth chapter 2 verses 15-23 teaches us that God gives His gifts to His people, through His people. We are truly the hands and feet of Jesus and our words and deeds are God’s delivery system for blessing the world.

This sermon zooms in on Boaz and Ruth as the inspired author presents them as foretastes of the glory that would be revealed in Christ and His Church. Boaz, the strong and caring protector and Ruth the grateful recipient of his kindness, all culminating in their mission together to bring new life into the world, even as they bring forth children whose births lead to the birth of our Lord and Savior. 

This sermon teaches us to expect God’s blessing without attempting to dictate the forms that those blessings will take in our lives. If we belong to Him, we should expect God to bless us; and we should expect those blessings to come in unexpected forms.