Sermons by Jeff Cottone (Page 36)
An Outsider’s Welcome – Ruth 2
Henri Nouwen wrote that loneliness is one of the most widespread diseases of our time. There are many who are looking for a home, a family, a place to belong, yet often this evades us in our world. In Ruth 2, Ruth enters onto the scene of Israelite society – in every way an outsider, yet Boaz notices her, welcomes her, meets her needs, and shows great kindness to her. The church should be a community of Boaz’s to a world of Ruth’s.…
Full to Empty – Ruth 1
In the opening verses of the book of Ruth, Naomi experiences great tragedy and loss. She is a sufferer, who is struggling to hold on to any hope. And, though she sees God’s hand in her tragedy, she has concluded that God is against her and that she has returned “empty” – even though Ruth returns with her in a great display of devotion and faithfulness. Suffering can have the effect of impairing our vision – just like Naomi, it can lead us to idealize the past…
Jonah’s Complaint…God’s Compassion – Jonah 4
In chapter 4 we see the height of Jonah’s self-righteousness and hypocrisy. Though he is glad for his own salvation, he is angry about Nineveh’s. Though he is angry about a plant’s perishing, he is unconcerned about a city’s perishing. Though he is concerned for the life of the plant, he charges God with wrongdoing for being concerned with a whole city of lost people. Jonah chapter 4 teaches us that God is a God of compassion, whose compassion is bestowed…
God Calls Again…Jonah Goes – Jonah 3
God’s second call to Jonah shows us that, despite Jonah’s resistance, God is still committed to reaching the lost. It also shows us that God’s patience and willingness to use failures. Nineveh’s genuine repentance is a surprising contrasts to Jonah’s – which only appears to be skin-deep.
Jonah Sinks…God Saves – Jonah 1:17 – 2:10
We sometimes think that salvation is about us doing what we can and God meeting us halfway. But Jonah’s rescue from the depths of the sea is a picture of how we are rescued from sin & death: Jonah’s contribution is to sink in utter helplessness with nothing of his own to offer … God’s contribution is to graciously and powerfully accomplish his salvation. Jonah’s prayer in chapter 2 expresses his thankfulness for God’s gracious salvation. But, read in light of…
God Calls … Jonah Flees – Jonah 1:1-16
When God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh, he tries to flee. Though God is full of compassion, even for his enemies, Jonah lacks compassion and so wants no part of God’s mission. But God graciously pursues rebels like Jonah and like us.
Outward Church – Genesis 1:26-28, Matthew 28:16-20
The introduction to our series on Jonah doesn’t start in Jonah, but looks at Jesus’ “Great Commission”, which shows us the radical call of discipleship, the outward direction of the Church, and the promise of Jesus’ personal presence with us.
Brotherly Love – Hebrews 13
These concluding remarks from the author of Hebrews remind the Church that they are to be 1) a loving community 2) in a hostile world 3) with a faithful God. Because God is faithful, we can give our lives for him, knowing that we won’t be forsaken or abandoned.
An Unshakeable Kingdom – Hebrews 12:18-29
What would you expect a meeting with God to look and feel like? It all depends on whether grace is present. Three contrasts occur in this passage: between the earthly meeting and the heavenly meeting (reminding us of how grace enables us to draw near to God), between the earthly warning and the heavenly warning (reminding us to not let God’s message pass us by), and between the earthly shaking and the heavenly remaining (reminding us to live for the right kingdom, the only kingdom which…
Sexual Purity – Hebrews 12:14-16, 13:4
This passage shows us the high standard of sexual purity for the believer, and the sad example of Esau, who exemplifies sexual immorality and ungodliness. In order to honor marriage and live lives of purity, we should not delay marriage unnecessarily, not demand that it be more than God intended it to be, not demean the alternative calling of singleness, and not despise the sexually broken, but rather hold out the grace of Jesus which we all need.
Relational Peace – Hebrews 12:14-15
In human relationships, conflict abounds because people are sinners. And so, peace doesn’t come easily but is something that we need to strive after. Relationships get messy, and confession and forgiveness are needed. The gospel enables us to own up to our own sin, and empowers us to extend forgiveness when we’ve been wronged. In fact, the gospel is all about peace: that when we were God’s enemies, he reconciled us to himself through Christ, to make us his beloved sons…
Finding God’s Strength and Seeing God’s Hand – Hebrews 12:1-17
This passage challenges us to find God’s strength in a long race, and to see God’s hand in hard times. The Christian life is described as a long race, in which we need to strive with endurance; which we can only do as we look to Jesus for empowerment and strength. Further, it encourages us that hard times for the believer is God’s loving discipline, the presence of which assures us that God is our Father and is working for our good.