Life on the West Side

The New Testament doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on the “empty tomb.” In fact, that only led to fear and panic. The fact that Jesus rose bodily from the dead–leaving behind an empty tomb–is true and crucial for the Christian story. Indeed, it is necessary for any true encounter with a risen Lord. But it wasn’t the empty tomb that produced hope in the heart of believers; it was their encounter with the risen Christ. The sight of the empty tomb brought fear and panic; but visions or appearances of Jesus brought hope and joy.

“Having a personal experience with Jesus Christ” formed the basis of the first Christian witness. And it should inform our walk and talk as well. For Jesus is alive and well.

The sermon today is titled "Why Christianity Has Appearances." It is the third installment in our "Matters of First Importance" Series. The Scripture reading is from 1 Corinthians 15:1-7. Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on October 23, 2022. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under Learn: Christian Doctrine.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

• William Lane Craig, "Could the Post-Resurrection Appearances of Jesus Be Simply Hallucinations?" Reasonable Faith.
• Matthew Love, "The Empty Tomb Changes Nothing," Beebe Church of Christ bulletin (May 18, 2017).
• Luke Timothy Johnson, The Writings of the New Testament.

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In partnership with:

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• Life on the West Side: Nathan's Weekly Substack

Christians believe in resurrection. The cross is certainly part of the great news from heaven to all of creation; but what makes it good news is that death is not the end of the story. The resurrection forms the center of the gospel of God. Christ came that we might have life, because he himself is the resurrection and the life. Christians proclaim that the Spirit is the giver of Life. And nothing declares that God is Father Almighty quite like saying that God raises the dead–first Jesus, then we ourselves–that death may be swallowed up in victory.

The sermon today is titled "Why Christianity Has A Resurrection." It is the second installment in our "Matters of First Importance" Series. The Scripture reading is from 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on October 16, 2022. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under Learn: Christian Doctrine.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

• Craig vs. Muddiman discussion (Oxford University, 2004).
• N. T. Wright, "Only Love Believes," ABC Religion & Ethics (April 17, 2014).
• N. T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God (Fortress Press, 2003).
• William Lane Craig, The Historical Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus During the Deist Controversy (Edwin Mellon Press, 1985).
• Richard B. Hays, "This is the Day the Lord Has Made," ABC Religion & Ethics (April 3, 2021).
• C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory.

I'd love to connect with you!

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In partnership with:

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• Life on the West Side: Nathan's Weekly Substack

How can Paul claim to “boast in the cross”? How can Christians sing “in the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever?” To have the power over death and allow yourself to die is anything but glorious; its an act of insanity to himself and treachery to his followers (who left everything to join him in this crusade). He must be mad, or delusional…or he must know something we don’t know. It’s for the same reason Londoners take pride in the fire of London. How can I glory in the cross? Because his cruel death is my glorious salvation, allowing everything that is decaying in me to die, so that I might—with transformed vision and a transformed life—begin to truly live.

The sermon today is titled "Why Christianity Has A Cross." It is the first installment in our "Matters of First Importance" Series, and also serves as a "Part 2" to The God Who Is Self Sacrificing (Season 2, Episode 23). Scripture reading is from 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on October 9, 2022. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under Learn: Christian Doctrine.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

• Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion.
• "Dream of the Rood." (8th-10th cen poem), lines 9b-17.
• Timothy Keller, The Reason For God.
• Barry Bearak, "Crisis in the Balkans: Macedonia," New York Times (April 26, 1999).
• N . T. Wright, The Day The Revolution Began.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide and even kids notes on the sermon notes page.
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In partnership with:

• West Side Church of Christ
• Life on the West Side: Nathan's Weekly Substack

Doubt is something virtually all of us experience, but we don’t always know what to do with it. Our churches don’t always know what to do with it.  I’m shocked and struck with awe at how many people in the Bible expressed their doubt. 

Try this exercise. Find a single major argument against God that you’ve heard an atheist use that isn’t already included in the Bible itself. “Life seems meaningless?” You’ll find that in Ecclesiastes. “God can’t be good, or loving, or even there if bad things happen to good people.” That’s Job. “Evil flourishes and nothing gets done about it.” That’s in the Psalms and in Habakkuk. “My soul is crushed; I go looking for comfort from God, and I can’t find him.” Read Lamentations.

God doesn’t turn his back on questioners; he invites questioners! He honors them. He engages with those whose struggle with faith brings them face to face with difficulties. Don't let your doubts be a barrier to the faith community; see it as a sign that you belong with a faith community. See church as a community of questioners crying out "I believe; help my unbelief" (Mk 9:24)

The sermon today is titled "A Faith Worthy Of Our Doubt." It is the final installment in our "Worthy Faith" Series. The Scripture reading is from Mark 9:24 (ESV) and 1 Cor 8:1-3 (MSG). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on November 13, 2022. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under Begin: A Satisfying Faith.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

• Philip Yancey, "Faith and Doubt."
• Ray Pritchard, "If I Believe, Why Do I Doubt?"
• Philip Yancey, Reaching For the Invisible God (Zondervan, 2000), Chapter 3.
• The Papal Condemnation of Galileo (1633)
• Julia Baird, "Doubt as a Sign of Faith," New York Times (Sep 25, 2014).
• William Lane Craig, "Doubt & Certainty."
• Timothy Keller, "Noah & the Reasons of Faith: Faith as Understanding" (Sep 18, 1994).
• St. Anselm, Proslogion.
• Andy Griffith Show Clip, "Opie Needs Help Running Away."

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
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Proof is the wrong word. We don’t “prove” there is beauty in the artwork or that our spouse is in love with us. But we know it—and it is true and very real. 

Is it reasonable to believe in God and in the Christian story? 

We interpret facts on the ground through the lens we have already chosen. Detective work doesn’t start with what evidence we want to have in front of us, but what we actually have in front of us. And it doesn’t help if I tell you I have a secret code you don’t have, or I only will consider evidence that already fits into my system but nothing else. No…I want us to look at what is readily available to just about anyone, and see what it suggests. So I’d like to look at some clues…that’s the phrase I prefer…clues…that point me to the story that defines my life. In this lesson, we look at clues in nature, in people, and in the story itself that has given rise to faith all over the world.

The sermon today is titled "A Faith Worthy Of Our Examination." It is the third installment in our "Worthy Faith" Series. The Scripture reading is from Deuteronomy 4:39. Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on November 6, 2022. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under Begin: A Satisfying Faith.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

• St. Augustine, Confessions.
• "I believe in Christianity, like I believe the sun has risen" (C. S. Lewis, "Is Theology Poetry?" in The Weight of Glory)
• Thomas Nagel, The Last Word (2001).
• Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers (1978)
• Arthur Eddington, The Expanding Universe (1933)
• Odds of life: 1 in 10(299). Lee Smolin, The Life of the Cosmos (Oxford, 1999). See also this article in Scientific American.
• H. S. Lipson, "A Physicist Looks at Evolution," Physics Bulletin 31 (1980), p. 138.
• A. N. Wilson, "Why I Believe Again" New Statesman (2009)

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
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We all have a hole in our soul. And we look around at the universe for something to fill it. Youthfulness doesn’t last, money doesn’t heal all wounds, and every technological advancement only makes the problem worse.  For some, even religion hasn’t given them the satisfaction they seek. As every day goes by, and we march closer and closer to death, our soul cries out, “is that all there is?”

What if I told you that the God I serve—the God I found in Jesus Christ—provides the answer to the deepest longings of your heart? He can fill that hole in your soul that money, relationships, and even religion can’t fill. And what he offers is no pie in the sky; it will resonate with you.

The sermon today is titled "A Faith Worthy Of Our Longings." It is the second installment in our "Worthy Faith" Series. The Scripture reading is from John 14:6. Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on October 30, 2022. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under Begin: A Satisfying Faith.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

• I am indebted to Timothy Keller, Making Sense of God, for the reference to Peggy Lee's song, the story about the nursing home, and for reminding me of Thomas Nagel's philosophy and J. L. Mackie's ethics textbooks.
• For more on Nozick's experience machine and survey results, see this article by Joachim Krueger in Psychology Today.
• To watch the Warren-Flew debate, click here.
• Much of the material in the "Truth" section is taken from Os Guinness's speech "True Truth" (including comments about Peter Berger and G. K. Chesterton's illustration of how freedom requires truth).

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
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We all have doubts and uncertainties; but is the whole idea of faith simply not credible? Questions and doubts are not opposite faith…they are part of a life of faith. But questions and doubts can either drive us to or drive us away from exploring the Christian story. Some questions often asked about religion, faith, or Christianity are rooted in misunderstanding or faulty assumptions. "Negative" apologetics is trying to deal with these misunderstandings so that others might consider giving faith a fair hearing. If we can clear the air a bit, we might be able to engage in a conversation that allows the gospel to speak on its own behalf. In this first lesson, I share why I believe in “a faith worthy of our questions.” 

The sermon today is titled "A Faith Worthy Of Our Questions." It is the first installment in our "Worthy Faith" Series. The Scripture reading is from Exodus 18:13-15 (MSG). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on October 23, 2022. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under Begin: A Satisfying Faith.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast:

• Timothy Keller, The Reason For God
• Timothy Keller, Making Sense of God
• John Stackhouse, Humble Apologetics
• For the Pew Research poll, see it here.
• Sarah Bailey, "The World Is Expected to Become More Religious--Not Less," Washington Post (April 24, 2015).
• For Janet Soskice's story, see chapter 2 in Rupert Shortt, God's Advocates
• Craig-Atkins debate (1998) video clip.
• "Casey K" comment, mentioned in Tim Keller's books, can be found here.
• Jonathan Hill, What Has Christianity Ever Done For Us?
• David Bentley Hart, Atheist Delusions
• Greg Koukl, "The Real Murderers: Atheism or Christianity?" 
• Ben Mitchell, "The Christian Origin of Hospitals"

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.

The Bible says we will be glorified. In the middle of Romans 8, Paul reminds us that God is in the process or restoring, reframing, and redeeming. He says that our bodies will be raised...then changed. Not only that, the creation will be set free from its bondage to decay. The imagery tells us that God wins, there is freedom that extends as far as the curse is found, and God intends to make even those parts we think of as unimpressive or unimportant into something to be put on display to the glory of God. This is what it means to be "glorified."

The sermon today is titled "Pinnacle: The Spirit Glorifies You." It is the last installment in our "This Present Strength" Series. The Scripture reading is from Romans 8:17-30.  Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on October 2, 2022. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed twice under Begin: A Faithful Presence &  Begin: A Hopeful Renewal.

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I want to talk about "living water" and Jesus' miracle in Cana. We already know from John 4 and John 7 that stories about water that “come alive” are stories about the Spirit. Look at five things we see in the story of water turned to wine in John 2. Abundance. Fullness. The Good the Best. A Power that Changes and Overwhelms. This is how we are supposed to think about what God provides. And what God provides for his people is His Holy Spirit. It’s not a coincidence that we meet that abundant, full, good and best changing power of the Spirit when we go down into the gallons of water.

Paul actually makes this connection in one of his prison letters (Ephesians 5:18): “Do not get drunk with wine,” says Paul, “because in that is debauchery” (he means “filling yourself up with wine can lead to a change of behavior that is not what God has in mind). But, in contrast, “be filled with the Spirit.” The comparison is apt.

Sin is a master. It isn’t just an infection; it’s a disease. Romans 8 says whatever we yield our bodies to is our master. So don’t yield your bodies to sin. Instead, yield them to God’s Holy Spirit. Why? We know why. Because the Spirit represents abundance. Fulness. It is God’s good and best gift. And the Spirit is the overwhelming power that can change how we think, how we act, and (on the day of Jesus) how we look (1 John 3:2). To paraphrase Paul, “Don’t look to wine to change your life; instead, be intoxicated with the Spirit.”

We have already had a lesson in this series about “power.” We know the Spirit works in us and for us. But I wanted to highlight an important corollary: The Spirit empowers us.

The sermon today is titled "Performance: The Spirit Empowers You." It is the fourth installment in our "This Present Strength" Series. The Scripture reading is from John 4:10-13 and Romans 8:1-11.  Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on September 25, 2022. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under Begin: A Faithful Presence.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

I'd love to connect with you!

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In partnership with:

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Being holy means being like God. God does far more than “avoiding bad actions.” He also doesn’t want to do bad actions. That is, he doesn’t just say “no” to bad desires. Even his desires are pure. So holiness must also include purified desires. So much so that we can learn to “do as we please” once “what we please” is simply to please Him.

Yes, it means set apart from evil actions. Yes, it means set apart from evil desires. But that isn’t complete enough. How could God ever take up residence among us if the Holy God must always be “separate” or “distant” from anything less than perfect purity?

Sometimes Christians face moral dilemmas. Some one or something moves into town, doing some things you disapprove of. So what should the Christian do in response? One option is to ban, boycott, or avoid. I think there is a time and a place for that. But we have to balance that with the call of Jesus to be salt and light in a dark world. The call to actually rub shoulders with the very people we are trying to reach with the gospel. To be incarnational—like Jesus was. Many in our culture see Christians as always aloof and unapproachable. That Christians are always marking and avoiding anything that smells unchristian. When we act that way, we are able to maintain our purity. But how can we purify anything else?

It turns out God’s holiness has two parts: one part speaks to how different (how high and holy) he is; the other speaks to how willing he is to rub shoulders with those who need his holiness to rub off on them. We see it in Isaiah 57:15: “God’s name is Holy. I dwell in the high and holy place, and also in the lowly of spirit.” Did you catch that? What does it mean to be holy, according to God? To be so high above it, and to also dwell within it—untouched by the evil, but present to help serve those wrapped up in evil.

The sermon today is titled "Progress: The Spirit Makes You Holy." It is the third installment in our "This Present Strength" Series. The Scripture reading is from 1 Corinthians 1:2 and Romans 8:1-11.  Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on September 18, 2022. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under Begin: A Faithful Presence.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
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In partnership with:

• West Side Church of Christ
• Life on the West Side: Nathan's Weekly Substack