Jesus and Simon Peter

Ben Foust
John 21:1-17

Peter's three-fold denial of Jesus was a failure of faith. As fallen humans, we over-estimate the strength of our intentions and faithfulness. Jesus anticipates our failures but has a vision for us beyond our failures. He forgives our failures and restores us relationally. He refines our character through our failures and redeems our failures.

The Sermon on the Mount - Part Three

Ryan Lowery
Matthew 5:17-48

In part 3 of this look at the Beatitudes, Jesus addresses the nature of God's Law, which had been incorrectly expanded by the rabbis of the time to create an inappropriate focus on keeping the "letter of the law." Jesus instead called on people to follow the deeper spirit of the law, which is far more difficult--in fact, we should understand it to be impossible. Instead we need Jesus' offer of forgiveness to open the door to God fulfilling the letter of the law, and empowering us to better honor the spirit of the Law.

Working Out What God Has Put In

Dennis McCallum
Philippians 2:12-16

To work out your salvation with fear and trembling may at first glance sound like we must work for our salvation with fear and doubt, but that is not at all what Paul is saying here. As believers, our salvation from the penalty of sin is eternally secure. Paul is encouraging us to live out the reality of the forgiveness that God has put into us at the moment we received his forgiveness. As we live in light of that truth, we will shine like stars to a watching world.

Jesus and Nicodemus

Ben Foust
John 2:23-3:21

In John 3, John describes an encounter with Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a leader and teacher to the Jews. Nicodemus visits Jesus under cover of darkness. He is a man of power and commands great respect in his community, unlike the woman at the well from last week's teaching. John has these two very different encounters back to back perhaps to contrast Nicodemus' apparent righteousness and the woman's obvious sinfulness. They both need God's forgiveness. Nicodemus could never be righteous enough to earn entrance into heaven on his own and the woman is not so far down the road to sin that God can't forgive her, too. Both are equally under judgment and both are equally offered forgiveness.

John the Baptist

Ryan Lowery
Matthew 3:1-3

People in Israel at the time of Jesus' birth awaited a messiah, and knew that this messiah would be preceded by an "Elijah" figure, announcing his arrival. John the Baptist served in this role, calling on people to acknowledge their sin and repent--to agree with God that they fall short of His standard. We are called to the same acknowledgement, which opens the door to us receiving what Jesus, the Messiah came to give--forgiveness from sins, based on his death on the cross.

Joys and Pains in Paul's Relationships

Brian Runk
2 Timothy 4:9-22

As Paul is facing the end of his life in prison, he recounts those who have faithfully stuck by him in ministry and those who regretfully, have abandoned or rejected him and the ministry. In spite of the betrayals, Paul remains committed to being invested in people despite the risks and personal costs. He was able to do so because, "The Lord stood with (him) and strengthened (him)..." The love of Jesus sustained him in his effort to love people who sometimes grievously let him down. \r\n\r\nSome keys to his ability to keep loving others were his commitment to live without bitterness, his understanding of the fallenness of human nature, and his staying close to Jesus.

Galatians: Freedom Manifesto

Dennis McCallum
Galatians 1:1-12

The book of Galatians was Paul's counterattack against the legalists who were trying to ruin new groups in the region of Galatia. It explains the freedom Christians can enjoy if they seek to understand it.

After the Cross

Dennis McCallum
Mark 16:1-8

Here we see that after Jesus' death on the cross, he is found by his followers to be raised from the dead. The question of the reality of Jesus' actual, real, physical resurrection either establishes or destroys the Christian faith--the belief that you can have your sins forgiven and can enter into a relationship with God. It's essential for us to examine the evidence and render a verdict.

The Most Important Event in History

Dennis McCallum
Mark 14:32-42

Jesus' crucifixion is clearly the most important event in human history, as it opened the door for man to be reconciled to God. Through the event, Jesus willingly experienced terrible suffering--physically, psychologically, and spiritually--as people mocked and tortured him. In addition he experienced the spiritual agony of being rejected by God, as he took on the punishment for all of man's sins--God's intense wrath toward sin. He did this out of love, allowing us to receive his gift of payment for our sins, and begin a relationship with God.