What happens when a theology professor sits down to have a deep conversation with Jesus? They end up having a late-night mental boxing match about what it means to be “born again”. Jesus tells the Bible scholar that, in effect, you can memorize books of the Bible, tithe generously to the Lord, live a moral life, believe in God, and sit in church every week until you die and have your funeral in a church and still go to hell if you are not born again by the Holy Spirit. Prepare for a brain cramp in this sermon…

Jesus showed up at the Temple, got angry, made a whip, and started sending money flying and people running? Why? Because the religious leaders did not care about worship, Jesus, or relationships. This week Jesus the Lamb turns into Jesus the Lion for some good reasons we will study together.

Do you ever wonder what eternity will be like? Have the cartoonish images of diaper wearing chubby baby cherubs sitting on fluffy clouds playing harps forever got you less than excited for eternity? The truth is that Jesus’ miracles revealed His eternal Kingdom. His first miracle was making wine at a wedding party which will likely upend a lot of what you have wrongly been told heaven will be like.

How do you discover God’s will for your life? Jesus first disciples had jobs they worked and a life course they had plotted. All of that changed, however, when Jesus came along and asked them to follow Him. The same is true for Jesus’ followers today. By understanding who Jesus is and what life in relationship with Him looks like, you too can begin to uncover God’s will for your life and walk with Jesus.

How do we really come to understand ourselves? That question, perhaps more than any other, dominates our thinking as we use personality tests and other tools to discover the mystery that is me. There is a man named John the Baptizer whom Jesus called the greatest man who has ever lived. People tried to figure out who John was, and he said that the only way to really understand oneself is to first understand Jesus. In that day, like ours, many people were making the mistake of looking at themselves too much and looking at Jesus too little. If you want to understand who you are, the first thing you need to understand is who Jesus is.

Who knows you best? When Jesus walked the earth, he had a best friend named John. John was an eyewitness to Jesus entire ministry, and no one knew Jesus better than John. Long after Jesus had returned to heaven, the other disciples had all died, and the last eyewitnesses to Jesus’ were reaching the end of their life, John sat down to write about his best friend and Lord, Jesus Christ. At breakneck speed that strains human understanding, John starts by telling us that Jesus is our Eternal God, Creator God, Polarizing God, Savior God, Human God, Only God, and Relational God. Why? Because if you want to understand who God is you have to start with Jesus!

Theologian R.C. Sproul has recently passed away. Many years ago, I had the honor of sitting down to interview him about theology, his beloved wife, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the fact that he'd never been on the Internet, seen Facebook, or sent an email. We dug up the old interview and hope you enjoy it.

At the Trinity Church on Christmas Morning 2017, Pastor Mark Driscoll teaches us a sermon entitled, "The Glorious Announcement for an Unlikely Audience"

After years of praying, weeping, and waiting, the elderly and barren Elizabeth rejoices at the birth of her son, John. His name means God is gracious and was chosen by the angel Gabriel. In response, John’s father Zechariah ends his nine months of muteness by blessing God in worship. The entire scene is one of great joy and life as the Holy Spirit fills Zechariah to prophecy over the life of his son who was chosen to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. A bit further into Luke’s gospel, and we hear Jesus saying that John was the greatest person (besides Himself) who has lived in the history of the world. His brief six months of public ministry literally changed the world because God’s power was at work in and through him.

As a single, pregnant, poor teenager from a small rural town who is betrothed to be married but a hundred miles away from home without any indication that her parents are involved in her life, Mary has a lot she could be worried about. But, rather than worrying, she spends her time worshipping. In so doing, she reminds herself who God is and why she can trust him for the future of herself and her unborn baby, Jesus. In so doing, she serves as an example for everyone in stressful, fearful, and anxious situations how to replace worrying with worshipping.