From One Degree to Another

On August 20, 2023, at Crestview, I preached the first installment of a short series on Family Discipleship. The sermon was That the Next Generation Might Know Him (Psalm 78:5-8). This notion of knowing Jesus and making Him known isn’t merely the church’s work (although I wish churches were known as the place where they could know Jesus). Knowing Jesus is part of God’s heart and will for your family. This sermon was my attempt to encourage everyone to move out in grace toward this goal. I hope it encourages you.

If you interact with the video, many students were laughing at a couple of things I did in this sermon like these two snippets:

We all talk about getting to this or that matter of importance “someday.” In this sermon, I tried to show that Jesus’s work of salvation in us is a matter of now, today, or right now. And, the spheres we looked at related to our lives, loves, and our holiness. I hope this sermon, Salvation Is Now (2 Corinthians 6:1-7:1), encourages you.

My 7/30/23 sermon at Crestview, The Art of Persuasion (Not Us, But Him) – 2 Corinthians 5:11- 21, is now online. The big idea was to invite people to believe the fantastic good news found in Jesus. This isn’t just about being a religious zealot or jamming this down people’s throats. God is so rich in mercy that it is unbelievable when people first learn it. So, God has all that needs to be done to make a life lived in relationship to Him possible. I hope the sermon encourages you.

So, my sermon from 7/23/23 is online. Always of Good Courage (2 Corinthians 5:1-10)

One intriguing part of the sermon dug into the tension between groaning, yes groaning, and always being of good courage, yes always of good courage. This tension is real life. We feel this consistently. I dig into this tension and then chart a way toward Jesus, where being always of good courage is found.

My hunch is that many can’t always be of good courage, let alone grab moments of it. I hope this sermon encourages you. Enjoy!

I opened my sermon on 7/16/23 with this quote from Dustin Nickerson (a great comedian). I’m not a runner. I love that there are energized people in our church running 5Ks or marathons; it’s not me. But, there is a calling on the lives of believers to endure. We press on in God because He is at work, bringing salvation complete in us.

We Do Not Lose Heart (2 Corinthians 4:7-18); this sermon dug into how we can endure. The sermon was all about Jesus and how He changes everything for His followers. I hope it encourages you.

My 7/9/23 sermon, Unveiled Glory (2 Corinthians 3:7-4:6), is now online. This sermon had to reckon with an Old Testament story of Moses’s coming down from Mt. Sinai with the tablets and having to wear a veil. You can read about that in Exodus 34:29-35. And Paul’s point in this passage, which I tried to point to, relates to the centrality of seeing Jesus. Once we encounter Him, we have a different way of living, including boldness, freedom, and speaking about Jesus to others. I hope the sermon encourages you.

My 6/25/23 sermon, A Life-Giving Pathway (2 Corinthians 2:12-3:6), is online. I tried to get curious about what impact you have when you walk into a room and how spiritual realities can inform the effect you have. I’m tempted to ask, “What’s the smell left when you leave the room,” but you’d have to listen to this sermon for it to make sense. Jesus triumphs. This changes things. Does it impact real life for you?

My 6/18/23 sermon at Crestview, Caring for Others (2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11), dug into some practical ways to care for others genuinely. Among these were acting in love and forgiving. Indeed, caring for others is something that we probably all aspire to do. Unfortunately, many of us operate out of different sources for that strength. In this sermon, I’m attempting to unpack a Christian foundation for such action. I hope it helps you.

I’m posting a quick update on the heels of a fantastic Sunday at Crestview. We got to celebrate the good news of Jesus with one another, see visible proof that God answers prayers, and begin a new series in 2 Corinthians. My sermon, The God of All Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:1-11), is online to watch or download. We enjoyed such an entire morning of blessings, I’m not sure where to begin, but I wanted to share the link from yesterday for anyone interested. I hope it encourages you.

My 5/21/23 sermon is online at Crestview, A Practical Church (Titus 3:12-15). This sermon wrapped up a short, 6-week series we gave after Easter 2023. I loved this particular sermon because it allowed me to dig into one of the big themes of Titus: good works. Many recognize how “doing good” benefits society, life, and individuals. But, the Christian world’s good works come from a deeper reality. This sermon gave me a chance to dig into this. I hope it encourages you to be about doing good for others.