The Christian walk is synonymous with innocent suffering and pain, through which Christ our Lord suffered and died. He left us all an example of how to follow him in this. A Christian’s call to this behavior goes against the grain of his human tendencies: to suffer unjust treatment without retaliation, trusting only that God would be the judge of things ultimately. Jesus lived the sacrificial life to which he calls all his believers. It is a life that leads to the cross, and he has modeled how to live this sacrificial life for us. When we suffer unjustly, we share in a tiny portion of what happened to him. When we are mistreated, we are to turn the other check, bless those who curse us, and return good for evil. We are not to retaliate, not to threaten, not to get even. Jesus showed us how to live, and he showed us how to die. This response is a miracle in itself and is under girded and made possible only by the gift of grace from God.
Text: 1 Peter 2:21-25We are to submit to all those in authority over us. As Americans, when we read that we are to submit to the king, we tend to dismiss that thought since we haven’t had a king since 1776. What does Peter mean when he says we are to submit “for the Lord’s sake"? It means that there is a direct connection between the people in authority over us, and God who is the Ultimate Authority.
Text: 1 Peter 2:13-17As we turn today to Titus 2, the focus, as one pastor states, “changes from the pastors to the people, […]
Text: Titus 2:1-2, 6-8This is the final message in the God Speaks Today series. As I look back on all that has happened, […]
Text: Luke 15:1-7Mrs. Baker, a fifth grade teacher, observed a student in her class flipping a coin as he answered each true/false […]
Text: Titus 1:5-7We’re beginning a brand new series today from the New Testament book of Titus. This short book is often forgotten […]
Text: Titus 1:1-4(This particular sermon was a “tag team” effort where I preached the first part, and Pastor Bob Boerman preached the […]
Text: VariousSince this is the first sermon in the God Speaks Today series, I thought we should answer a few key […]
Text: Genesis 2:18-25; Hebrews 13:4Recently a survey was done with a group of kids. This is how they responded to the question, “What do […]
Text: 1 Kings 3:1-15A week after purchasing a pair of glasses for her husband, the wife decides to take them back to the […]
Text: Philippians 1:9-11