Sermon Series

His Protection | Matthew 6:13

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:13 ESV Whenever I begin to finish a sermon series, I almost always have a longing to set aside my previous plans for the following series in order to repeat the current one again. This is because, after having spent dozens of hours …

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The Gospel Transforms...

Background on Colossians

Author The author of Colossians is blatantly stated to be Paul (1:1). Timothy likely served as the scribe while Paul dictated the content with exception to the final verse of the letter, which Paul wrote with his own hand. Many scholars have tried to argue that Paul did not author this letter; rather, someone (who …

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Why I’m Not a Stoic

Of all the various philosophies to choose from, Stoicism is particularly fascinating to me (as I've noted previously). Far from the stereotype of seeking to remain emotionless through life, Stoics seeks to live each day as if they might not have another, to master their primal appetites and desires, and to face with resolve and …

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Sermon Series

His Pardon | Matthew 6:12

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matthew 6:12 ESV Our study of the Lord’s Prayer continues with the petition for God to forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors. In many ways, this supplication is the natural plea arising from a belief in the forgiveness of …

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The Gospel Transforms...

Introduction to Colossians

Being the kind of person that assigns subtitles to my sermon notes through portions of the Bible, I wrestled a great deal with what to call this study through Colossians. At first glance, Colossians can appear to be a lesser imitation of Ephesians. Of course, Paul’s letter to Colossae has its own magnificent merits (such …

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Bonhoeffer on Stupidity

The following quotation (from Bonhoeffer's Letters and Papers from Prison) is a section of a Christmas letter that he sent to his fellow co-conspirators, called After Ten Years, in which "he reflected on the years since Hitler came to power and the resistance into which he had been so ineluctably drawn" (xii). As with every quotations, I …

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Sermon Series

His Provision | Matthew 6:11

Give us this day our daily bread Matthew 6:11   Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds …

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The Pride of Man | Genesis 11

With around 6500 languages in the world, we are a divided people. The previous chapter of Genesis gave to us the Table of Nations, explaining from where each major people group descended. After explaining the descendants of each of Noah’s sons, we were told that they were listed by their clans, languages, lands, and nations. …

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Biblical Wisdom

Whoever Gives Thought to the Word | Proverbs 16:20

Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. Proverbs 16:20 ESV The natural interpretation of this verse would seem to refer to our words, our speech. Giving thought to the word, therefore, would be guarding one's mouth, considering carefully beforehand what is about to be …

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Sermon Series

His Will | Matthew 6:10

your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven Matthew 6:10 ESV Thus far in our study of the Lord’s Prayer, we have seen to whom we pray (our Father in heaven) and what it means to pray for the hallowing of His name and the coming of His kingdom. We continue with …

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