Brian's Sermons

What’s New? Isaiah 43:18-21 In September 2004, I went to Phoenix, Arizona for a youth ministry conference. I had never been to Arizona before that, but when I was there, every day the temperature was over 100°. We would walk on one side of the street on the way from the hotel to the conference center and on the other side on the way back, just so we could stay in the shade. The comedian Jeff Allen talked about the heat how people say, “It’s a dry heat – it doesn’t feel 118°. Now, it feels 290°! Run for it, kids, God has abandoned this place!” There’s a reason the Bible continually references the desert as the place where God isn’t. At best, it is the place in between. At worst, it’s a place of testing. Perhaps the defining moment in Jewish history is the Exodus – God delivering his people from slavery in Egypt. Sometimes memories can be a little deceiving; when the Israelites looked back at the Exodus, they focused on God’s power and deliverance. By day the LORD went a...

Colossians 3:12-17 Last week we looked at the first ten verses of Colossians 3; Jesus took upon himself every one of our sins and nailed them to the cross and we were raised with Christ, and because of this, we are commanded to set our hearts on things above. This isn’t just a suggestion; it’s a command. We can’t just expect our minds to go where they aren’t trained to go. I don’t ever remember being told how important it is to train my mind. Our culture lies to us and tells us how we are is how we are going to be, that there is no changing. Of course, every parent and teacher works on the assumption that we can change our kids, and society expects us to be able to, but why should we even want to change ourselves? Or to allow God to do so? As we set our hearts and minds on things above, it is going to change who we are. Paul continues by telling us: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, This is the context of God’s commands. God isn’t some cosmic meanie, ...

Colossians 3:1-10 What do you have your heart set on? I’m not just talking about something you want, I’m asking what you really have your heart set on. There’s a difference. For example, once my dad and I were going out to eat, and there was one restaurant I really wanted to take him to. We got there only to find out that it was closed. I had my heart set on eating there, and although we ended up going somewhere else, nothing else really would satisfy. That is a good way to describe someone with their heart set on something; when nothing else will satisfy. In Colossians 2, Paul makes the case for the new life we live in Christ. When [we] were dead in our sins and in the uncircumcision of [our] sinful nature, God made [us] alive in Christ. (Colossians 2:13) Remember that this new life in Christ is not because of anything we do; we aren’t good people who sometimes do bad things; we are by nature evil and only by God’s common grace are we even able to do the slightest good...

Because of Jesus, I am New There is nothing like early Christmas morning, seeing the joyful sight of a Christmas tree with beautiful gifts under it. My kids are at the age where there is such excitement about what is under the tree. Really, who doesn’t love getting new toys? There are some areas where almost all of us like the new. I think I can safely say we all appreciate our indoor plumbing, furnaces, air conditioning in the summer. Who still uses rabbit ears to watch your black and white TV? Does anyone still use an 8-track player or a Victrola? On the other hand, I remember when Tara’s grandfather died, his closet was full of gift boxes, all filled with the sweaters everyone had given him for Christmas. He would get a gift, look at it, grimace, and say, “ugh, another sweater” without ever even opening it. He didn’t want anything new; he was comfortable with his old, threadbare sweaters. I think it’s a man thing: we call it “my favorite” while our wives call it “a rag.” ...