Tag: Chris Cribari

Habakkuk: Choose Trust | 6-2-2024

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Updated: 11/8/2024

Sermon Prep

Life was so exciting in early June. My wife Glory was over 20 weeks pregnant with our daughter. I was flourishing at my new job I got back in December. Reunion Church was growing deeper roots via discipleship and fellowship with one another. It was a good time for us.

As one might expect when teaching through a book on wrestling and embracing lament, our congregation was ready to move onto our next series. It was going to be a character study on the life of King David, so pretty much everyone was excited about what was next. With that in mind, it was put on me to wrap up our series in Habakkuk so that we could move onto the new series.

But there was a lot of ground to cover and I wasn’t planning on combining what we at first planned to be 2 separate sermons in one. That being Habakkuk 2:2-20 and Habakkuk 3:1-19 respectively. Not the craziest amount of text to cover, but not the original plan during my prep either.

Then again, to teach requires one to be flexible like bamboo and not like glass. Most of the time, I’m as flexible as a pane of glass. Regardless, here’s the notes:

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • Do you trust me? Well, I don’t trust you.
    • I trust you with most things, yet not everything.

Intro

  • Andrew’s marriage and parenting advice vs his driving and movie taste.

Transition To Main Point

  • Likewise, we choose when we trust God too.

Main Point

  • God loves this world more than you do and knows what’s best for you, so choose to trust him.
  • Habakkuk 2:2-20 | God’s Response
    • Distrust leads to disorder.
      • Read Romans 1:16-25.
    • “God uses evil people to judge evil people.” – Clay Jones
      • See Genesis 50:20.
    • Every nation tailer-makes a god for itself.
      • Read Jeremiah 10:8-10.
  • Habakkuk 3:1-19 | Habakkuk’s Psalm
    • Shigionoth = a highly emotional poetic form.
    • After choosing to trust God, he sings a vow of praise.
    • “Even though I don’t know where God is, God knows where I am.” – Timothy Keller

Why This Matters

  • A promise is the assurance that someone will do something or that something will happen.
  • God promises to bring justice, defeat sin, and rescue the oppressed.

Power Text

  • Some of you don’t believe what I just said.
    • Your lament isn’t there yet and that’s ok.
  • Remember, lament is a prayer of pain that leads to trust. A spiritual journey can’t be rushed.
  • Stages of Lament:
    • Turn to God.
    • Brings complaints.
    • Ask boldly.
    • Choose trust.
    • Vow of praise.
  • Lament is dangerous because it tests all things.
  • Then again, a life guided by grace isn’t safe.
  • As C. S. Lewis puts it, “Safe? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king.”

Final Thoughts

This was a solid message and a good end to this short series. Even though I’m not the teaching pastor, but an associate pastor I will occasionally for one reason or another teach the majority of a series. This was one of those cases along with our 2023 series through Luke.

Life just happens and the teaching schedule we have internally will reflect that too. Didn’t bother me though since I thought this one turned out quite well. Also, fun fact: this was my last hand-written sermon before moving to digital. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

Habakkuk: Authentic Prayer | 5-12-2024

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Updated: 11/8/2024

Sermon Prep

I don’t know how it happens, but I have repeatedly taught sermons on Mother’s Day throughout the years and this was one of those times. It’s sort of an odd coincidence, but I think its God’s timing in that my messages on those days feel sharper and standout more than the others. To commemorate my wife Glory’s first Mother’s Day, the Friday before this sermon her and I went to the mountains to have a day in God’s creation.

Anyways, this was a powerful message to prep. In our church, multiple marriages were on the rocks and for a church of roughly 60 people that’s a lot to deal with as a community. Glory and i had our miscarriage scare. Around this time, a couple in our church lost both of their moms within the same week. It was a rocky road we walked together as a team.

In light of the sensitivity of the season, I prepped this message. Knowing some but not all of the struggles of the church. Balancing wisdom and wit to deliver a message faithful to God’s word about human heartbreak and heartache.

I think the Holy Spirit gently guided me as I wrote this sermon as I cried throughout most of the prep. It was a hard message to deliver given all of the somber circumstances. I could go on about the heaviness going on, but words wouldn’t be enough. Here’s the notes for this message and the recording too:

Sermon Notes

  • Opening Line
    • Have you ever been in an argument and said something you didn’t expect?
      • It’s surprising to blurt out how we truly feel and think about someone.

Intro

  • Have you ever heard someone pray something you didn’t expect to hear?
    • Mom’s friend lamenting stillborn children.

Transition To Main Point

  • As Andrew put it, “lament is a prayer of pain that leads to trust.”

Main Point

  • Maturity in our relationship with Jesus is defined by authentic prayer during tough times.
  • Habakkuk 1:1-4 | Habakkuk’s Complaint
    • Complaining to God about Judah the southern kingdom and its evils.
    • Questioning God’s character.
      • Is God good or loving?
      • Does God know better?
      • Is God strong enough?
      • Where is God?
    • Habakkuk feels forced to see grossly evil and immoral behavior.
    • The law is unable to act or move because justice is corrupt.
  • Authentic prayer is the act of openly sharing everything in our hearts with Jesus.
    • Trusting him with the highs and lows.

Why This Matters

  • We can’t let our pain define our perspective. That’s bitterness.
  • We also can’t hide from or suppress our pain. That’s blindness.

Power Text

  • Read 1 Peter 5:6-7 (Individual Lament).
    • Authentically pray knowing God cares for you.
  • Read Romans 12:15 (Collective Lament).
    • Obey God and share in the suffering of others.
  • Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 (Universal Lament).
    • In whatever season, have authentic prayer.

Final Thoughts

There’s 2 types of sermons: one that preaches and one that teaches. A message that preaches appeals to the heart and is passionate, while a message that teaches appeals to the mind and is profound. This is one of my greatest preaching messages. I couldn’t help but preach from the heart and the Holy Spirit empowered me on the day to do so.

In fact, this was one of my shortest messages as far as notes go. I truly didn’t write down all that much but the message was all the better for it. Less is more and that truth is quite evident with this sermon. Honored and proud to have had the opportunity to share this message. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

2 Timothy: Avoid Deception, Embrace Completion | 4-21-2024

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Updated: 11/8/2024

Sermon Prep

So unlike the majority of sermons I’ve uploaded onto the blog here, this one was never preached by me. In fact, the teaching pastor of our church shared this message last minute instead for me. God had other plans this Sunday.

On this Sunday morning, my wife Glory woke up and had a lot of blood like more than a period. When you’re pregnant 15 weeks that means one of two things: a miscarriage or a UTI. It could be other things certainly, but we’re not medical experts so for us that’s what we assumed in the moment.

Our urgent care opened at 8am that morning, so we rushed to go there and figure out what the hell was going on. We were both in a huge panic that day and I was emotionally distraught. I was so angry with God that we got our hopes up to be parents and then he ripped our child away before we could ever meet her.

Before we left to the hospital, I quickly typed up my handwritten notes so that Andrew the teaching pastor could preach using them to cover for me. I would’ve loved to preach this sermon since I had a large focus on my relationship with my Dad, but God’s will won out. Here’s the notes for the untaugt message:

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • My Dad is built different.
    • Knows deception, yet fell in love with truth.

Intro

  • The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
    • Latter-Day Saint summers meeting with missionaries.
    • Ministry verse = 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

Transition To Main Point

  • Like my Dad with me, Paul encourages Timothy in the same way.

Main Point

  • Avoid deception, embrace completion.
    • Let’s read how Paul does just that.
  • 2 Timothy 3:10-13 | Persecution vs Deception
    • Paul alludes to the past to remind Timothy.
      • See Acts 11:19-16:13 (reference only).
    • Persecution is a reality, not a fantasy.
      • Definition: Hostility towards a type of people.
    • Deception is easy to allow and hard to avoid.
      • We would rather be deceived by comfortable lies than confronted by unpleasant truths.
  • 2 Timothy 3:14-17 | The Sacred Scriptures
    • Paul encourages Timothy to pursue completion.
      • See Philippians 1:6 and Colossians 2:9-10 (read 1 passage aloud).
    • God and his scripture guides us to completion.
    • We need to trust Jesus through the spiritual journey into completion and escape the deception that we know better than God.
  • 2 Timothy 4:1-5 | Timothy’s Great Commission
    • Paul demands Timothy to stay committed.
      • See 1 Corinthians 15:58 (read passage aloud).
    • We love self-deception more than finding completion in God. We like to be fooled.
    • We need to avoid deception, embrace completion.

Why This Matters

  • Everyone wants a purpose in life, yet no one wants the painful path to get there.
    • See Matthew 7:13-14 (read passage aloud).
  • Following Jesus on the spiritual journey and finding life’s purpose is difficult.
  • Are you on the narrow road or the wide road? Where are you on the spiritual journey?

Final Thoughts

When we got to the hospital we were scrambling to get someone to see us. Glory and I really thought this was it. She had a miscarriage and we lost our baby, but God was doing a work in my heart that morning.

As we were waiting for results from tests for hours and I mean hours, I was wrestling in my heart with God. Hating him for taking our daughter, yet God pressed me and made me consider if I had made our unborn daughter an idol above him. Was she my god? Did I value her above everything else and the answer was yes I did.

It was a revelation that I needed and I apologized to God for elevating someone above him. I recentered and had to humble myself before God for my idolatry. Trusting that God will make all things good and that he is good, whether or not our daughter is born. My faith matured in a big way that day.

After nearly 7 hours at the hospital we were discharged and everything worked out, even though we never found out what happened to Glory. Our daughter was okay and healthy, Glory was healthy as well, along with me having a newfound trust in God’s goodness. Through life’s highs and lows, God is good and is the constant we can all completely rely on through it all. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

1 Timothy: Timothy’s Commission | 2-25-2024

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Updated: 11/7/2024

Sermon Prep

As you probably perceived from the picture, my wife and I’s life changed for the better forever. On February 12th, it was an early Monday morning before work. We were just getting started with the day and rolling out of bed. Within minutes of waking up, my wife took a pregnancy test and for the first time it was positive.

For context, we weren’t trying to have kids yet but also weren’t not trying either if you catch my drift. For several weeks now, Glory had been taking pregnancy tests to see if she was pregnant. She was understandably anxious since it would be our first and we didn’t even have a home. We were just living with her parents temporarily and of course she gets pregnant. Sometimes, God’s just funny that way in how he times things like this giant change in life for us.

Going back to that first Monday, we wanted to be super sure that this wasn’t a faulty test so I scrambled to Walgreens in my pajamas to buy a few more tests. When I got back, she immediately tested a second time and it was positive again. To be absolutely certain she even took one just a few days later too! It was undeniable. God had blessed us with a baby and we were incredibly excited.

The thought of becoming parents was something we also dreamed about and wanted, so to see it be a reality was surreal. With all that being said, we wanted to wait until after the week 12 appointment before telling people the great news. So in the meantime, we maneuvered a lot of awkward conversations trying not to spill the beans for a few weeks.

Outside of that gigantic life-change, this sermon prep was good. Wasn’t stressed trying to perfect it and actually it was a nice escape from the craziness of realizing I’m a dad now. Anyways, here’s the notes:

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • I love watching Caleb Hammer and Dave Ramsey.
    • Live like no one else, so that you can live and give like no one else.

Intro

  • This financial principle applies to your faith.

Transition To Main Point

  • Faith is an investment into life and eternity.

Main Point

  • Financial wealth impacts today, yet a faith rich in good works is a treasure that impacts eternity.
    • Let’s read about how faith in Jesus is truly life.
  • 1 Timothy 6:11-16 | To Timothy
    • Flee these things (1 Timothy 6:3-5, 9-10), then follow.
      • Obtain conduct, compassion; character.
    • Remain committed to the churches of Ephesus.
    • Our God is above all and over all gods.
      • See 1 Timothy 1:17.
  • 1 Timothy 6:17-19 | To Riches
    • Our hope is in the Messiah, not money.
      • Haughty = arrogant; disdainful
    • We as Americans are rich, so we need to:
      • Do good.
      • Be rich in good works.
      • Be generous.
      • Ready to share.
    • What is truly life?
      • To care, love, and provide for others just as God does the same for us.
  • 1 Timothy 6:20-21 | To End
    • Paul entrusted Timothy with the Gospel.
      • Discipleship is the investment deposit.
    • Avoid lies and nonsense of these bad ideas.
      • Paul is mocking the “knowledge” he’s heard.
    • People will get thrown off course.

Why This Matters

  • In the end, life is truly about relationships.
    • Both Jesus and people.
  • Read Matthew 25:14-30
    • There’s 2 types of people: savers and investors.
  • Will you save yourself out of fear or faithfully invest into people’s lives and impact eternity?

Final Thoughts

This was a run-of-the-mill sermon. Right in the middle I’d say quality-wise. Not terrible and not fantastic, but just a fine message.

I remember the audience interaction was super fun like when they finished my Dave Ramsey quote which was cool. For obvious reasons, I didn’t think too much about the reception afterwards. I was riding on cloud 9 filled with joy in February of 2024.

I’ll never forget how I felt the day we found out the news. Sharing this beautiful secret with my Glory was so special. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

1 Timothy: Sincere Faith | 1-14-2024

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Updated: 11/6/2024

Sermon Prep

2024 started with a bang. I was a month into the latest job and done hopping around. Finally found the company I was supposed to be at longterm and I couldn’t have been happier. What made it even better is that it aligned with my career goals of shifting into a new department down the road too. In the end, it’s as if God had it all under control and I should’ve trusted him from the start.

My wife and I also decided to buckle down to buy a house by moving in with her parents to save money. A year on now and ready to buy, that was the wise decision. But I was hesitant to do so on my end because I had known people who had terrible living experiences with their in-laws. For us, it was way better than expected.

With the new year came a new sermon series at church as well. That meant going through 1 and 2 Timothy with an emphasis on the life and doctrine theme that our teaching pastor uncovered. Before I get into my thoughts about this series, here’s the notes and recorded sermon:

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • Have you ever confronted someone before?
    • Ok, what about a mentor you admired?

Intro

  • Confronting former mentor in 2016.
    • Heard rumors about him that bothered me.
    • Never been the same since that day.

Transition To Main Point

  • Charismatic leaders have a fickle faith, while leaders with character have a sincere faith.

Main Point

  • A sincere faith is fully dependent on God’s grace, not your granular greatness.
    • Let’s see what these two faiths look like.
  • 1 Timothy 1:1-2 | To Timothy
    • Ephesus adopted Hellenism and Stoicism for money.
    • Timothy was assigned and oversaw multiple, small churches in the Ephesus area.
  • 1 Timothy 1:3-7 | Strange Doctrine
    • Timothy wanted to leave Ephesus.
    • Charismatic leaders caused confusion.
      • Against eating meat and getting married.
    • They had lots of zeal, but lacked wisdom.
      • Zeal unchecked causes extremism (i.e. Answers in Genesis, cults, etc).
  • 1 Timothy 1:8-11 | Sinners Law
    • The law isn’t a gavel, but a mirror.
      • Revealing our true self and its imperfections.
    • No human is good or just before God.
  • 1 Timothy 1:12-17 | Foremost Sinner
    • Paul’s sin list is different and worse.
    • Calls himself the highest ranked sinner.
    • His response is to lower himself and lift God up.
      • Differentiates God from other gods.
  • 1 Timothy 1:18-20 | Entrusted Commission
    • Keep your sincere faith and avoid fickle faith.
    • Hymenaeus and Alexander taught strange doctrine.

Why This Matters

Final Thoughts

For quite obvious reasons, it pained me a little to share the intro story about my former mentor. To look up to someone and then find out not just that they’ve failed, but worse they don’t think they did anything wrong. Not an ounce of remorse and became puffed up when confronted by a former student who admired them.

As far as the message goes, I really enjoyed this one. I’m always down for preaching on a call for unity. How we the people of God can unite under the one, true triune God. The whole series at large I liked a lot and this message was probably my best of the few I taught in this season. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

Simple Grace: Humility and Faith | 12-17-2023

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Photo Cred: (1) | Updated: 11/5/2024

Sermon Prep

As I’ve written throughout my last several posts, I made 2023 more difficult than it needed to be for my family. For the last time and hopefully for awhile, I made my latest job change which writing this almost a year later is going great! This is where God wanted us the whole time and I just rushed the whole process.

In other aspects of life near the end of 2023, things were good there too just in time for the holiday season. The Simple Grace series at large was at its best this time around and we got to see both sides of the family for differing holidays as well. By the end of the year, everything worked out and thanks be to God alone for that result.

Since I was emotionally and spiritually in an awesome spot, this sermon tremendously benefitted from it. I also was excited to preach about one of my mentors, Mr. Freddy, who changed my life. Now here’s the notes I had for this message and the recording too:

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • Alright, who is the strongest person?
    • Now who is the smartest person here?
    • Last one: who is the most humble?

Intro

  • Mr. Freddy is one of the most humble.
    • Taught 3rd and 4th graders, plus was the Eaglecrest High School janitor.
    • Only taught about God’s plan vs my plan.

Transition To Main Point

  • Grace isn’t accessed by human achievements, but rather by the heart’s attitude to God.

Main Point

  • Humility and faith are the relational realities of a heart saved by God’s grace.
  • Humility is the way to wisdom.
    • Proverbs 22:4
  • Faith is expectation and evidence.
    • Hebrews 11:1-2
  • God sees the heart.
    • 1 Samuel 16:6-7
  • Jesus is humility and faith perfected.
    • Philippians 2:1-11
      • Philippians 2:1-4 | Collective humility and faith
      • Philippians 2:6 | Not concerned about social status
      • Philippians 2:7 | Not concerned about self-will
      • Philippians 2:7 | Not concerned about self-importance
      • Philippians 2:8 | Not concerned about self-preservation
      • Philippians 2:9-11 | Because Jesus, God the Son, is gentle and lowly, he’s exalted and glorified by God the Father

Why This Matters

  • Humility and faith must be relational realities for you if you want God’s grace.
    • 1 Peter 5:5-7
  • True humility and real faith is seen in every relationship.
  • Empowered by the Holy Spirit himself, humble and faithful peopel lift up others towards God.
    • Galatians 2:20
  • What is your heart’s attitude to God?

Final Thoughts

Although love this sermon, I did make one glaring mistake. Near the end when I talked about Mr. Freddy’s whiteboard chart of God’s plan and your plan, I described it as a series of circles with an upward trajectory. He didn’t do that.

That’s actually what I believe a mapped out view of faith looks like in an upcoming book I’m (still) working on publishing one day and I misspoke. On the other hand, Mr. Freddy would just draw a bunch of jagged lines dramatically instead to show the adventure God has for us. Just wanted to clear that up off the top.

In my opinion, this is one of my best sermons. Everything just lined up perfectly here. Honestly immensely proud of how this one turned out. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

Footnotes

  1. Reunion Church

Simple Grace: The Law’s Message | 10-22-2023

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Updated: 11/4/2024

Sermon Prep

Life as always kept changing in 2023. My wife Glory sold her Dad’s car to make ends meet, but we enjoyed our new family car for if and when we have kids. Little did we know we would have a kid just over a year from this sermon, but we’ll get there.

At this point in life, we were celebrating others and their mountaintop moments. For instance, our friends Taylor and Emma who took this photo of us right before Taylor proposed to Emma in the mountains of Breckinridge. It was beautiful and an honor to be apart of their special moment.

This next new job was still incredibly stressful. Wasn’t hitting quota and wasn’t getting any commissions. I was applying for roles, but had no bites. It was just a tough year of dealing with the consequences of my impatience and pride. Instead of waiting for God’s timing, I rushed the process.

In regards to this message, it’s actually an adaptation of a chapter from Pastor Shawn Reinsel’s book, Simple Grace. Our church has made it a tradition to go through his book on Sundays at least once every other year, if not more often. It’s just one of those foundational teaching series for us.

For me when it comes to adapting a sermon versus an original message, I usually just prefer original messages produced by me. I don’t like being too reliant on just one person’s message. Adaptation can often feel like copying and not adding anything new to the conversation.

With Shawn’s book it’s actually great! I honestly don’t mind preaching from it at all and look forward to it when the series comes around again. With that, here’s the notes for this adapted sermon:

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • Watching Mean Streets at Colorado Film School.
    • Learn the rules of film, then break them.
  • Kobe Bryant studied referee book, then fouled and got away with it.

Intro

  • It’s the same for the law of God and his grace.

Transition To Main Point

  • You need to know the message of the law before you know the message of grace.

Main Point

  • The law’s message is perfect performance.
    • Be holy.
      • Leviticus 19:1-2
    • Be loving.
      • Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 6:5
    • Be perfect.
      • Matthew 5:48
  • The law is God’s standard of perfect obedience. It measures shortcomings, not success.
  • What is the law unable to do?
    • Makes nothing perfect.
      • Hebrews 7:18-19
    • Makes nothing justified.
      • Galatians 2:16
    • Makes nothing sanctified.
      • Galatians 3:2-3
  • The law damns you, but is unable to save you.
  • What is the law able to do?
    • Romans 3:19-20
      • Able to silence speech.
      • Able to cause guilt.
      • Able to understand sin.

Why This Matters

  • The law teaches that you are depraved and need to be saved.
    • Galatians 3:24
  • Only by humility and faith in Jesus can someone depraved like you be saved.
    • Ephesians 2:8-9

Final Thoughts

To mix things up and garner more audience participation, I intentionally planned 2 different stories to start my message. There were some kids in the front row and they chose the Kobe Bryant story, so I rolled with that one. I don’t think I’ve tried this again, but I do like to test new ways to communicate to our congregation and improve what we do.

The one problem and feedback I received here was that I read too many different passages of Scripture aloud. For the audience, it was extremely hard to track where I was and register what was being communicated. Also, I stayed too conservative and relied strictly on the book whereas on the next one I truly made that my own. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

Luke: Closer Than a Brother | 9-10-2023

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Updated: 11/4/2024

Sermon Prep

Like I alluded to in the previous post, my fluctuating job changes put a lot of pressure on my wife Glory and I financially. We had to make budget cuts and figure things out because I quickly went from earning over 6 figures to then barely half that with this new role. The commission structure was set in such a way that I just couldn’t hit any of my numbers, along with the vast majority of the sales organization.

To make ends meet, we sold my brand new Honda Accord to get rid of car payments and bought a much more affordable car in cash. Also, cancelled my personal training with Nikki who is just the best. That was a tough pill to swallow because my training had never been better than with her directly coaching me for Strongman.

As far as this sermon goes, I did a lot of prep and research here because I was covering almost 80 verses which was a new high for me. Never had to cover so many dense verses up until this point. With that, here’s the notes and the recording:

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • Read Proverbs 18:24.
  • Who is closer than a brother to you?

Intro

  • Andrew and Daniel are closer than brothers.

Transition To Main Point

  • There are those closer than a brother and brothers who will never be close.

Main Point

  • Peter was closer than a brother to Jesus, but Judas was a traitor and kind of sus.
  • Luke 22:1-2 | Setting the Scene
    • Define the feast, Passover; Seder.
    • Lazarus was last straw; Caiaphas prophecy.
    • Feared the people ready for revolution.
  • Luke 22:3-6 | Operation Kill Jesus
    • Judas was demon-possessed because he wasn’t a believer and was outside God’s grace.
    • They wanted secrecy to avoid a revolt.
  • Luke 22:7-13 | Mission: Impossible – Passover
    • Seder prep usually took all day.
    • What’s missing here? -> Observing without family.
  • Luke 22:14-23 | Communion and Covenant
    • A meal with those close preceded communion.
    • Introduces the new covenant, while the kingdom of God is nearly here.
    • Judas snuck away before communion unsuspected.
  • Luke 22: 24-30 | Who is Greatest
    • The previous questioning leads to dispute.
    • Jesus washed their feet before meal.
    • The world uses people, but we serve people.
  • Luke 22:31-34 | Peter’s Denial Foretold
    • Did Satan want to possess Peter, not Jesus?
    • Peter believed he was steadfast and committed.
    • Jesus knew Peter was overconfident.
  • Luke 22:35-38 | Swords and Sandals
    • Jesus is referring to Isaiah 53:12.
    • The disciples thought Jesus would overthrow Rome.
  • Luke 22:39-46 | Temptation Before Trial
    • Small oil press surrounded by olive trees.
    • Desert temptation prepared Jesus for this night.
    • Disciples gave into temptation to give up hope.
  • Luke 22:47-53 | Betrayal and Arrest
    • The kiss was an act of greeting and honor.
    • Peter thought this was the violent overthrow.
  • Luke 22:54-62 | Peter Denies Jesus
    • Only Peter followed, while the others fled.
    • Peter was closer than a brother, yet denies it.
  • Luke 22:63-71 | Better Call Paul
    • By twilight, Jesus had friends and a sacred dinner.
    • By day Jesus was alone, betrayed, and broken.

Why This Matters

  • Sometimes those closest to us can hurt us the most.
  • Jesus expected Judas to betray him, yet Peter’s denial probably hurt more.
  • There’s a difference between a distant acquaintance and those closer than brothers.
  • That intimate level of belonging opens you up to the greatest helps and hurts to the soul.
  • Read John 15:12-13
    • Love is sacrificial.
    • Now go and love in spite of the cost.

Final Thoughts

I had a lot of passion going into this one. The topic of Peter and Jesus in general is endlessly fascinating. But I do think we as a team tried to rush our study in Luke and crammed too much material into the last final messages. There’s just too much to cover near the end of the book. Either way, I still really liked this message, but it was too long and just too much to follow. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

Luke: Entering Eternity | 7-30-2023

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Updated: 11/3/2024

Sermon Prep

In-between this sermon and the last one, a lot of exciting things happened for my wife and I. For starters, we got to go camping with her cousin and see him as he flew in for a week to visit. Great way to disconnect and enjoy God’s sacred space.

Just days before this message, I found out I got a new job and that really excited me. My wife Glory was a bit frustrated because I had only been at this last job 8 months, so switching again was emotionally exhausting for her. The constant flux of things really tested her and it’s honestly understandable because I was acting out of pride the majority of 2023 in regards to my career.

At first in January, I looked for the highest paying job at a company that made me look good. Then I left that job in August of 2023 because of bad leadership and wanting to do something different. Next at this newest company, I was only there 4 months because they had insane metrics that meant I couldn’t afford to pay rent for my family. If I had just been patient and trusted Jesus, it all would’ve worked out.

Instead, I hid my job hunting from 3 different companies and job-hopped around all of last year until I ended up eventually where I was supposed to be in the first place. Pride is amazing thing in that you feel so right in your mind in the moment, but upon reflection you see how wrong it was to do what you did. Because of this mess that was my career in 2023, this sermon lacked because of it.

I barely got the prep done on time because of my double-minded nature focused on other things. I think I finished the prep during worship and that’s not fair to our congregation and especially to God who allows me to teach in the first place. Here’s the notes I had for this sermon:

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • What places mean something to you?

Intro

  • Every place you enter has meaning.
    • Movie theaters, Westminster; Reunion Coffee House

Transition To Main Point

  • Entering eternity with Jesus has meaning.
    • The physical place where your relationship with Jesus started or the state of life then.

Main Point

  • When you entered faith in Jesus matters.
  • Luke 18:15-17 | Be Child-Like
    • Touch them = Bless with laying hands on head and prayer.
    • Disciples scolded children and their parents.
    • Can only enter the kingdom as a child.
  • Luke 18:18-30 | The Rich Ruler
    • He assumed entering eternity was based on Jewish birthright and good works.
    • Jesus questions goodness, then the rich ruler’s motives.
    • You have to give all, in order to receive all.
  • Luke 18:31-34 | Jesus’ Death Foretold
    • Told this only to the twelve -> personal belonging.
    • Jerusalem = city of peace; God abides.
    • Disciples expected a conquerer, not crucifixion.
  • Luke 18:35-43 | Blind Beggar Healed
    • Jericho has multiple disputed meanings.
      • City of the moon.
      • Place of fragrance.
      • To travel or wander.
    • Blind beggar affirmed who Jesus was, not where he was from.
    • By humility and faith in Jesus, he was healed.
  • Luke 19:1-10 | Jesus and Zacchaeus
    • Everyone hated Zacchaeus in Jericho.
    • Zacchaeus did what the rich ruler couldn’t.
    • A home known for theft became known for gifts.

Why This Matters

  • God’s grace can change the meaning of a place.
    • Not just the place, but the people too.
  • When you enter into eternal relationship with Jesus, places change.

Final Thoughts

This sermon all things considered was fine. With the death of Avant that I mentioned last time, I think his passing still effected me here too. It’s sad when someone you admire goes, whether or not they’re a Christian. All death is sad. I know some Christians accept the view that a death should be a celebration of life, but I strongly disagree.

A death is a time of mourning and an acknowledgement that things are off in this world. Yes, death isn’t the end but on Earth we need to allow our souls to express every emotion. When we enter eternity, that’s when the celebration starts. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

Luke: Humility and Faith | 7-16-2023

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Photo Cred: (1) | Updated: 11/1/2024

Sermon Prep

The summer months of 2023 were defined by greats highs and lows for me. To start, at my job I began looking for new opportunities about mid-May. Gave it a chance at my role and realized I just couldn’t longterm deal with the leadership above me (i.e. 2 people specifically). By mid-July, I booked what would now be my second job change in 2023 and had the first initial recruiter meeting set for that Friday before I shared this message. It took 3 months to find a new role and yet this wouldn’t be the last of my job hunting in 2023, but we’ll get to that down the road.

As far as good things go, it was a fun season in the summer. We had a wedding that we got to attend, I placed 2nd at the Celtic Bison Strongman Show and I performed okay, along with us becoming a 2 car family too. During the summer, I was reading Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund which informed a lot of my thinking at this time. I think there’s hints of his work throughout the sermons I shared in this season.

But for me looking back, there were 2 moments that defined these summer months: the Oregon vacation and the passing of Pastor Avant Ramsey. In fact, both things happened simultaneously in the first half of June. It truly was an emotional tension between one of the greatest vacations of my life and one of the saddest funerals I’ve ever attended thus far.

As far as that vacation in Oregon goes, it really was an amazing way to celebrate my birthday. It’s one of my favorite places ever right along the coast where the mountains meet the seashore. Glory and I loved it so much in fact, that we hope one day to live on the coast of Oregon. It was on the second day of that trip where I got the message from my friend Andrew that Pastor Avant Ramsey passed away.

I’m not going to claim that he was one of the mentors that made me a man like I have for others on here, but he did mean a lot to me and my family. Heck, our whole community loved Avant! He just was one of those guys that lived a good, godly life. A quiet giant and friendly leader at my family’s old church. I’ll always remember him as gentle and lowly. It’s with these various changes in life that I preached this message below:

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • Life with Jesus is humility, then faith.

Intro

  • John teaching me how to catch a football.
    • Problem (Humility) = Couldn’t catch football.
    • Bridge (Faith) = Trust John’s help.
    • Solution (Grace) = John teaches me.

Transition To Main Point

  • Responding to God’s grace requires humility, then faith. It’s the transformative 1-2 punch.

Main Point

  • The kingdom life is humility and faith.
  • Luke 17:1-4 | Temptation and Forgiveness
    • Gives warning to temptors, then command to victims of sin. This applies to both.
    • Matthew 18:1-6 shows children there too.
    • A Christian has child-like humility and faith.
      • Talking about children and Christians.
    • Only the humble can protect, correct, and forgive other sinners like themself.
  • Luke 17:5-6 | Increasing Our Faith
    • Add to our trust because we’re not able to be humble and obey you.
    • Mulberry Tree = wild, untamed flower that grows in arid and dry climates.
    • A little faith goes a long way to forgive.
  • Luke 17:7-10 | The Unworthy Servants
    • We are the unworthy servants. Not great.
    • There’s no reward for doing the bare minimum of what’s expected of you.
    • Our efforts and works of human holiness are nothing compared to our perfect God.
  • Luke 17:11-19 | Jesus Cleanses Lepers
    • Story of division and exile.
      • Physical, racial, regional; social exile.
    • The lepers were Jewish and Samaritan.
    • The 9 got mercy, but the 1 got grace.
    • He humbled himself and trusted Jesus.

Why This Matters

  • A life in the kingdom of God is defined by a consistent state of humility and faith in Jesus.
  • All Christians have a child-like heart to be gentle and lowly like Jesus.
    • Matthew 11:28-29 and Philippians 2:3-5

Final Thoughts

The analogy at the beginning was a little clunky. The final section about the 10 lepers was my favorite story to share, so I was more enthusiastic for that ending. Beyond that, the feedback I received was that it went really well and I personally thought the execution was excellent. I loved our series in Luke and this was one of those messages where that passion poured through into the prep and preaching.

To be obedient and teach God’s word doesn’t require passion to be faithful, but it certainly doesn’t hurt either. I think this message paints that picture clearly. Like every season there’s “a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance” (2) as King Solomon succinctly put it. It’s just that in some seasons like this one, the spectrum of emotions is a lot more evident. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

Footnotes

  1. https://calvarychapelmagazine.org/articles/avant-testimony
  2. Ecclesiastes 3:4 (NRSVue)