Stonebrook Church, Ames, Iowa, Sermons

Romans:  Intro and 1:1-7  Astonishing Salvation   If you were the CEO of a large corporation, and you were choosing someone to be the FACE of your company, what kind of person would you want? Someone with a good reputation. Kind Honest. Full of integrity Believable.  Loved   Sometimes the corporations have to FIRE someone as their spokesman, for though they may have started out good, bad things happened. Like Lance Armstrong Like Tiger Woods. Like Jerod for Subway.   […]

Forgotten OT Books:  Malachi—The Unchanging God   Have you ever said—or do you know someone who has said—that the Bible is out of date?  Old-fashioned?   We can criticize it for being out of touch with our advanced, sophisticated culture.   Yet when I read the Bible, I find it is incredibly relevant and up-to-date. Why? Because human nature hasn’t changed. The externals have changed.  Technology, for example. But the condition of the human heart has not. We are still […]

Forgotten OT Books:  Malachi—The Unchanging God   Have you ever said—or do you know someone who has said—that the Bible is out of date?  Old-fashioned?   We can criticize it for being out of touch with our advanced, sophisticated culture.   Yet when I read the Bible, I find it is incredibly relevant and up-to-date. Why? Because human nature hasn’t changed. The externals have changed.  Technology, for example. But the condition of the human heart has not. We are still […]

Forgotten OT Books:  Esther—The Unseen God     Has anyone here actually ever seen God? Has anyone actually seen heaven, like the Apostle Paul may have in 2 Corinthians 11? Has anyone actually seen a miracle? Like someone rising from the dead? Like a man with a shriveled arm made whole?   We cannot see or touch God, yet we believe that he is there. This is what FAITH really is. Hebrews 11:1 ESV  “Now faith is the assurance of […]

Today we’re continuing our series on “The Forgotten Books” with everyone’s favorite devotional read: Lamentations. I don’t know about you but I haven’t typically considered Lamentations a “go-to” book when I’m looking for some encouragement from the scriptures. In my bible reading plans, Lamentations is one of those that I tend to just kinda coast through without much engagement because frankly I have a hard time relating to its contents. Anyone else?   There are a few verses here and […]

Forgotten OT Books:  Song of Songs   We’re going to start with a quiz to the married men, and those men who want to be married.   We are going to read three Bible verses. And in each case, you tell me if is a good thing to say to your wife.   Song of Solomon 1:9 ESV  “I compare you, my love, to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.”  Husbands, is this a loving thing to say to your […]

Forgotten OT Books:  Leviticus:  Holy God, Holy People   Introduction   I would wager the most JOKED-about-book of the Bible is Leviticus. I know I have.  I’ve joked how BORING and DRY it can seem.   Here’s a notice:  I have repented of my disrespect toward God’s word.   You should, too.   This morning, I am going to teach about Leviticus.   Admittedly, parts of it seem rather dry.  Unrelateable.  Strange.   I won’t exaggerate and tell you […]

Introductory thoughts. Today we are beginning an 8-week series overviewing often neglected books of the Bible, the ones we don’t typically get around to when we’re thinking through sermon series.  I get to kick us off with a single sermon on 42 chapters of the book of Job. A large task, and one that I’ve really enjoyed digging into in the last couple of months.  Of course 40 minutes on this book is going to be totally insufficient for an […]

Easter is that time in the Christian calendar when we set our sights on the very foundation, roots, essence, and core message of our faith: the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Messiah, from the dead. It is very easy, with all the cultural and religious trappings of the holiday, to turn Jesus and his resurrection from the dead into another mere myth. I want to say emphatically that the Gospel Message that Christians proclaim, is not good […]

Introduction Suffering. Who wants it? Who likes it? When faced with suffering, our normal human response is to escape it. Whatever it takes to get out of pain, we will do. That’s normal, and even an appropriate response, because pain is…well….pain. It hurts. We would advise ourselves and other sufferers to do whatever it takes to escape from the pain. Today we are finishing a series on a letter the Apostle Peter wrote to churches in Asia Minor, modern-day […]