Sermons

One of the most prominent themes of Jesus' life was mercy--he showed mercy to those who were in desperate physical need and to those who were in desperate spiritual need. It is little surprise, then, that as he describes the values of his upside down Kingdom, he says, "blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."

The apostle John tells us that the reason why he wrote his gospel: so that you would know that Jesus is God, and that by believing in Him you may have eternal life. Friend, eternal life is near! Love Jesus because He is God and He is worthy of our highest affection.

Although Jesus was in a position to be served by others, he showed his disciples by word and action that he came into the world to serve others. He would ultimately do this by his death on the cross.

There is only one place in the Gospels that speaks about what the heart of Christ is like. Jesus calls people to come to him because he is gentle and lowly in heart, and in him we find rest for our souls.

When a Christian dies in this world, what happens? Where are they now? Are they okay? Will we ever see them again? These are some important questions to think about, and it seems like the Thessalonians were unclear about what happens to the Christian dead. So in order to give them real hope and good courage, Paul informs them about the glorious resurrection to come when Christ returns.

In Paul’s second prayer in Ephesians, he continues to ask God to do some remarkable things. These are not puny prayers. They are somewhat audacious. We do well to lean in to what he asks in order to instruct us on how to pray for each other. Specifically, in order to teach us how to better delight in God.

It may surprise you that God wants you to be happy. But, that is how He created us to live and after He saves us He points our hearts back toward real joy. That joy is found, fundamentally, in God Himself. This is what we refer to as “Delighting in God.” Paul prays that Christians would discover this joy for themselves. The way they will do that is by having their minds opened to what God has actually done for them in saving them. The more they grasp what He has done, the happier they will be in Him.

As people with a brand new identity, we spend the rest of our lives seeking to live like who we are really are. And this process of stopping some behaviours and adding others ushers us in to an intense spiritual battle. To fight the war properly, we need to put on the armour of the One who has already conquered our enemy. And then stand our ground until we see Him face to face.

The apostle Paul shifts his focus from sexual purity to address the church concerning brotherly love. This is something that the Thessalonians were doing well. But the exhortation was to grow even more in love for one another.

Jesus promises a blessing upon those who long for the very best thing of all: righteousness.