Brian's Sermons

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7 As we have been discussing Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, something should be clear – we can’t do things the way culture dictates we do them. It’s back to the broad road and the narrow road – the broad one leads to death, and many are on it, while the narrow one leads to life, and few find it. It should also be clear that becoming the ones who Jesus pronounces “blessed” is not something that just happens by accident or by osmosis. It doesn’t happen because your parents were in church or even just because you come to services every Sunday! It all starts with being poor in spirit – realizing that we are absolutely powerless to save ourselves, that what we bring to the table is worthless for salvation. And so we empty ourselves for God to fill us. We mourn our sinfulness and through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and through the gift of the Holy Spirit, God gives us comfort. We hold our power under control and are given ...

Do you write a Christmas letter?  I have one friend who always (only?) includes all of the year’s low points.  Death and illness and tragedy make for a really upbeat Christmas letter.  Another family friend used to have glowing overbearing praise for one of their children and a one-sentence update about the other child.  We have written a satirical letter, a real update, a one-sentence-per-family- member update, and just “Merry Christmas from the Vinsons.” The big question is: What do you include in the letter?  What makes the cut?  Jude set out, eager to write about their shared salvation.  That’s a really great subject – salvation.  Salvation is a huge topic for conversation, and we could spend all day today speaking on it, but let’s look at it quickly.  In the Roman Empire, the title “Savior” was given to the Emperor.  So when you see “Savior” spoken of, it’s often in direct response to Rome, making sure everyone knows that salva...

Last week we started Jude’s letter to the church – we got all the way through the first verse, the “who wrote it” and “who was it written to” of Jude.  Today we continue with his introduction.   Jude continues with the introduction to his letter: Mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance.  I like the way the New Living Translation puts it: May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love. The concept of mercy is rooted in God himself.  In Exodus 33, Moses asked God to show him His glory.  And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Do you think it’s fair for God to say “I’ll have mercy and compassion on whoever I want to have mercy on”? What do you think?  Let’s push on this for a moment. Does this mean God plays favorites?  To this I ask: does G...

...for they will receive mercy. If you don’t look out for yourself, nobody will. I’m looking out for #1! Roman philosophers saw mercy as a disease of the soul , a supreme sign of weakness . There is no reason to show mercy to others. After all, what’s the quickest way to being taken advantage of? Show mercy. What, then, is mercy? Mercy is compassionate treatment of others, especially those over whom you have power. Mercy isn’t just feeling sorry for someone. It requires action. It isn’t aloof, sitting "above" others, saying, "Because I’m so great, I suppose I’ll condescend to help them." It’s not just false pity that helps someone just to make me look good. Mercy is compassionately meeting people’s needs. We show mercy: mostly through physical acts : feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick/imprisoned, give practical help needed. in our attitudes : no grudges, resentment, capitalizing on another’s failure/weakness, or publicizing others’ sins. spiritually :...

... for they will receive mercy. Matthew 5:8 One of my favorite movies is the Lord of the Rings – well, as a trilogy, it’s technically three of my favorite movies, but that’s beside the point. In this movie, two Hobbits, Frodo and Sam, have a dangerous task – to take an evil, magical ring of power deep into enemy territory to destroy it. While they are on their way, Gollum, the creature who formerly owned the Ring, attacks them and tries to kill them. When they finally overpower him, Sam wants to kill him. Frodo won’t let him. Instead, Frodo shows mercy. As it turned out, Gollum led Frodo and Sam to their destination. He did not show them mercy – this was his way to later try to steal the Ring for himself. But his actions eventually helped destroy the Ring and seal victory for good over evil. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Showing mercy is counter-cultural. Instead of going for the jugular, mercy gives second chances. This beatitude walks hand-in-hand w...