Sermon Text:

Exodus 20:12

Throughout our series on the ten commandments we have been arguing that the ten commandments act as ancient bill of right ensuring that the Israelites promote freedom and flourishing throughout their society. We have noted that many of the ideas contained in the ten commandments are quite revolutionary. So how does this command to honor your father and mother fit into that picture? Why does this command have a promise attached to it? Could there be a less revolutionary commandment than this one? We will answer all of these questions and learn how the command to honor your mother and father does create a radically different society.

Sermon Text:

Exodus 20:8-11

Today we look at the fourth commandment. Rather than a set of fussy rules detailing how we can be sufficiently reverent, this sermon view the Sabbath as a much more revolutionary idea. At its heart is the idea that humanity is meant for more than producing and consuming. The Sabbath is a giant middle finger to a system that would like to dominate us. The Sabbath is about our relationship with God but it is also about what it means for us to be truly human. Join us and learn why the Sabbath is about freedom.

Sermon Text: Exodus 20:7

We continue our study examining the ten commandments as expressions of freedom attempting to create Israel as an alternative society to those like Egypt. We usually think of the third commandment as a religious stricture designed to foster reverence. However, in this sermon we see that the third commandment is much more than that. In fact it is the key to all of the ten commandments as Israel seeks to fulfill their mission of being God’s chosen representative and a priest to the nations. Some great Hebrew word study and some reminiscing on 80’s Christian t-shirts.

Sermon Text:

Luke 12:13-21

On one hand the parable of the rich fool seems like a simple story with an obvious meaning. However, what if there is much more than story than what appears on the surface? What role does the context of a dispute between two brothers play in understanding this parable? This sermon is a great introduction to exploring the depths and complexity of Jesus’ parable.

Sermon Text:

Exodus 20:4-6

2 Corinthians 5:17-20

The second commandment is the one forbidden the use of idols in the worship of God. Since idolatry is not a practice we typically engage in, this widespread cultural practice of the Ancient Near East can seem pretty irrelevant. Typically we make idolatry relevant by spiritualizing the practice. However, what if there is a whole lot more to idolatry and that idolatry has widespread relevance to our function as human beings? What if idolatry is more than God just thinking idols are stupid and therefore bad? What if idolatry is the fundamental problem of the entire human condition and what is wrong with the world? What if it sin is not the real problem but just the inevitable result of idolatry? Learn the answer to these and more questions as this sermon redefines the entire way you think about idols.

Sermon Text:

Exodus 20:1-3

As we begin our study of the ten commandments we discuss why it is important to view the ten commandments in their historical context. Typically the evangelical church has read the commandments as universal, abstract moral principles designed to show us how far we fall short of God’s standards.

This sermon takes a different approach. At Sinai the Israelites are called to be a new nation. The purpose of the ten commandments is to design a set of policies so that the new nation of Israel will be different from the oppressive, exploitive empires like Egypt where they had just been freed. The ten commandments act as a bill of right codifying the freedom gained from the Exodus.

We will learn how the first commandment is about much more than just about correctly enumerating the number of god(s) there are. It is a revolutionary claim that challenges are other authority and thought system and enlivening us to bring freedom, prosperity, abundance, and flourishing into the world.

Sermon Text:

Exodus 19:7-25

In todays text, YHWH descends onto Mount Sinai. The text describes this scene in vivid language as the divine erupts into the earthly realm. As the presence of YHWH is made manifest we are introduced to a new aspect of YHWH’s identity, His holiness. We discuss the concept of holiness and what specifically about YHWH holiness is meant to communicate. It is another one of those concepts that seems antiquated but we look at how it can be relevant to us. In the end we are left with the amazing and mysterious paradox and balance of the individual and the community, the immanent and the transcendent, the present and the other which are all brought together in this event. We explore all of these themes as we study the first line of the Lord’s prayer and how it relates to this amazing passage.

Sermon Text:

Exodus 19:1-6

What if I told you that almost everything you think you know about the function of the law in the Hebrew Old Testament is probably wrong? Here we look at YHWH’s introductory speech to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai as the Exodus and the entire Torah reaches its climax with the giving of the law. In these introductory words, YHWH lays out the big picture vision to the Israelites and it turns out it is not about earning salvation by following the law. Rather we see a more positive vision of the law describing Israelites mission in the world as YHWH’s representatives that bring life, flourishing, and prosperity to the world. Sinai then becomes relevant to our lives as 1 Peter certainly thought it did. Also we learn about the griffon vulture and how they are much cooler than eagles.

Sermon Text:

2 Peter 2: 1-11

Sermon Text:

1 Peter 4:1-11