This sermon was influenced by a sermon by Rico Tice. I’ve always admire Tice’s ability to preach gospel narratives with insight and I’ve been trying to imitate him as I improve in my own preaching of narrative.
FOCUS ON JESUS
An Orderly Account: Encountering Jesus in the Gospel of Luke
Luke 1:57-80
GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
Where is your focus this Christmas? It’s a question likely being asked in many pulpits this morning, and for good …
On December 12, 2024, I was asked to speak to our men’s study at Lake Wylie Baptist Church on the subject of prophecy. I’ve posted the audio and a link to my lecture notes here. Be aware that this is a discussion group and since I was the only person with a microphone, any questions that were raised by the audience were not recorded, therefore many silences have been edited out.
Click the link below …
Genesis introduces us to God as our Creator and the one who calls Abraham’s descendants into covenant blessing. For three semesters and 37 weeks, I had the pleasure of expositing the book of Genesis in a community women’s Bible study at Lake Wylie Baptist Church. Below you will find my study notes for your own use. I do ask that you not republish or distribute the notes without permission. I also gladly admit that I …
INTRODUCTION
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.
(Isaiah 1:17)
“What kind of thing do you say that godliness and ungodliness are,” Socrates asks Euthyphro.[i] This is another way of asking, “What is the standard of just living?” Who defines justice, and how can we know what actions make up a just society? How do we justly prosecute unjust actions? Socrates and Euthyphro debate …
THE SONG OF MARY
An Orderly Account: Encountering Jesus in the Gospel of Luke
Luke 1:39-56
THE TEXT:
The text for the sermon today is Luke 1:26-38. Our text can be found on page 856. These are the words of God:
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth …
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY NICENE CHRISTMAS:
Luke Introduces Us to the Son of God
An Orderly Account: Encountering Jesus in the Gospel of Luke
Luke 1:26-38
GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
“When the first Christian emperor, Constantine, conquered the Eastern half of the Roman Empire in 324, he found the Eastern Church divided by a fierce doctrinal dispute. It had begun in Alexandria in 318, where an elderly, cultured and ascetic presbyter called Arius (256-336), a popular …
GOSPEL EXPECTATIONS
An Orderly Account: Encountering Jesus in the Gospel of Luke
Luke 1:5-25
THE TEXT:
The text for the sermon today is Luke 1:5-25. Our text can be found on page 855.
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before …
As news spread that our great friend & mentor, Phil Thompson, passed away many of you have posted memories and reflections about his skill with a horn as well as his heart for teaching and encouraging the next generation of musicians.
I want to tell you about the Phil you might not have known and how his story intersects with mine. I was called to the pastorate of Lake Wylie Baptist Church in May of …
GRAB THEIR ATTENTION
Life is full of mysteries. Where did we come from? What happens when we die? What is love? Why is the sink full again? Many historical mysteries have never been solved. Where is Cleopatra’s tomb? Who has Jack the Ripper? Who built Stonehenge? What’s the deal with the Bermuda Triangle? For many of us men in the room, the biggest mystery is where we left our keys, or what are women thinking? …
When God calls us to faith-filled obedience and promises to be with us, we can rest assured that he will keep his promises. In other words, you can stake everything on the promises of God. The Old Testament book of Joshua displays this truth in story form. From crossing the Jordan River and the battle of Jericho to the death of Joshua, we’re told that:
…Not one word of all the good promises that the