As we have alluded to throughout the year, salvation in Christ is thoroughly the work of God's grace. God is the one who initiates and completes what he began in us. This week's sermon will specify this more by focusing on some of the Holy Spirit's role in salvation. In particular, I will explain what theologians call regeneration, conversion, and adoption. I will also elaborate on the practical implications of these three aspects of salvation, with specific attention to what some of us are presently experiencing…

One of the questions from this past week is if we can ever lose the Holy Spirit. Does he live in those who submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ forever? The short answer is, the Holy Spirit will permanently be with all those who submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ! Jesus himself says that the Spirit will always be with those who submit to his gospel (John 14.16; Matthew 28.20), even in our moments of weakness (Romans 8.26) since we have been sealed with the Spirit until we see God face to face (Ephesians 1.13-14)…

What comes to mind when you think of the Holy Spirit? Is it a distant or impersonal force that helps you in your time of need? Is it what enables intense experiences, such as unexplainable healing or euphoric moments with God? Or perhaps you associate it with divine dreams, visions, or messages? As we begin our sermon series on the Holy Spirit, we will correct misunderstandings of who he is and explore how the Bible describes him…

Problems are inevitable in life. Even our secular society understands this. In fact, many of us might be experiencing difficulties during this present season–whether it is stressful relationships or feeling stuck in a trying situation. The most important question during these times is not how we can solve our difficulties. Rather, it is: “who is Jesus?”

Related to the sermon from last week, we often have a narrow understanding of who Jesus is. Some of us view Jesus as simply a healer, a faithful friend, or a good teacher. In this sermon, we reflect upon the four names given by Isaiah's prophecy: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. As we reflect upon these names, we must be reminded that the one with these awesome names: (1) was given to us; (2) died on our behalf; and (3) and is our new identity and destiny…

In this sermon of the Advent series, we will focus on one of the primary purposes of Jesus's coming. Jesus came to rescue us so that we can live under his kingship. Many of us have been taught that Jesus is the true king. However, many of us have a skewed understanding of what Jesus's kingship means. This also leads to a skewed understanding of salvation and of the gospel…

How do you typically respond to difficult circumstances? Do you preoccupy yourself so that you don't have to deal with them? Or maybe you misinterpret them as God being absent or distant in your life? As we begin our advent sermon series on Isaiah 9.1-7, we learn that God is the one who brings these difficult situations in our lives…

For the last sermon of the 1 Thessalonians series, we will focus on the tension that all Christians experience: are we sinners or saints? Indeed, our identity is rooted in Christ, but Scripture continually describes us as both sinners who need to combat sin and saints who have been saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ…

Paul concludes 1 Thessalonians with a series of exhortations. Some of these might seem random or disconnected, so we will expand on them over the course of two or three sermons. This week's sermon will focus on the importance of sermons. Why do we devote so much of our worship service to sermons? Especially in our current context where any talk that goes longer than 10 minutes can be a struggle and where there is such a plurality of opinions, sermons might seem archaic and narrow-minded…

As we approach the final chapter of 1 Thessalonians, we will begin the sermon reflecting upon some of the key blessings from the letter: (1) the reality that not only is God incredibly gracious and loving by sending his one and only Son to die for us, but even our ability to respond and believe in this is by God's grace (1.2-10); (2) because we are in Christ, God's heart toward us is like a parent who longs for his children (2.7, 11); (3) God is the one who will guarantee that all those who are in Christ will abound in love and grow in holiness (3.11-4.12); and (4) because we are in Christ, we have hope that we will be glorified on the day of resurrection, which gives us assurance even as we experience our daily struggles (4.13-18)!

In this week's passage, Paul addresses one of the primary concerns of the Thessalonians. The Thessalonians were grieving because they were unsure of what happened to those who passed away. Will they somehow be neglected when Jesus returns?

Last week, one of you raised a wonderful question that we were unable to answer, but which is the topic of today's passage. How do we know if we are relying on ourselves or on God? How are we to maintain the balance of being responsible, and yet rely on God? These questions are supremely important not only for the Christian but even for the broader secular society. With the prevalence of evolutionary theory during this new scientific age, many are wondering if free will is a mere illusion…

Many times in our walks with Jesus, we wonder what we need to do in order to grow? How can we become more loving? How can we become more blameless and holy? There are certainly moments when these questions are helpful, but only insofar as we remember an answer to a far more important question? Who is the one ultimately responsible for our growth? God is!

I remember when my first-born, Jude, was dropped off at daycare for the first time. A part of me was overwhelmed with anxiety because I thought that Jude was going into daycare too early. Maybe his immune system wasn't strong enough? Maybe he is at the point of separation anxiety so he won't be able to adjust? As much as we tried to prepare him for the big transition, he could not stop wailing the moment that I tried to drop him off. He would not let go and I have never heard him cry so loudly or desperately. Yet I know that the right thing for me to do was for me to walk away…

Have you ever wondered if it is worth living your entire life based on the gospel of Jesus Christ? Or that the gospel is actually making an impact in your everyday life? Or that you are walking faithfully in light of what all Jesus has done for you in the gospel? Many of us, especially in 2020, might have had these questions…

As we have been repeatedly reminded throughout the past few years, all of life comes down to whether we sin (distort, suppress, or reject God's character and involvement) or we worship (recognize, submit to, and celebrate God's character and involvement). Left to ourselves, we are hopelessly enslaved to sinful tendencies. This, then, leads to other symptoms of sin: relational conflict, anger problems, gossip, lack of self-control, greed, etc…

As we have been learning throughout the summer, the pandemic life is similar in many ways with the exile life. The people of God found themselves in a foreign lifestyle where they no longer had access to things in life that provided them with a sense of security, normalcy, and familiarity. It must have been unthinkable for them to not have access to the temple and to be unable to worship God with animal sacrifices. Similarly, for us, the pandemic life has stripped us from many basic things that we have taken for granted…

All of us are living in a world where it is hostile against our faith. There are so many influences—both internal and external—that are trying to distract us from placing our trust in God. In this way, Daniel 3 is very instructive for us. During this time period, Daniel and his friends—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were living in an empire that was also hostile against their faith…

We often underestimate the gospel of Jesus Christ. We look at the gospel as mere tips for improving daily living or as reassurance for something into the distant future. We do this in part because we underestimate our utter hopelessness and how devastating our sin is. Thus, we fail to recognize how undeserving the grace, sacrifice, and love that Jesus Christ expressed through the cross…

Psalm 150