Subscribe to our sermon podcast in iTunes or with another app here.
In this passage we see 1) the virgin conception & birth of Jesus, 2) the naming of Jesus, and 3) Joseph’s response to the angel’s news about Jesus. The virgin birth is necessary, because without it, Jesus would not be fully human and fully divine. If he had two human parents, he would be merely…
Matthew’s gospel begins the Christmas story with the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew is showing us who Jesus is, by telling us where he comes from: Jesus is King. In the genealogy Matthew shows us that Jesus is the eternal King, the universal King, and the King of grace.
Christians are people who bear the burdens of one another. Bearing burdens, by nature, is not easy or convenient, but love and humility enable us to move out of isolation and indifference into a place of readiness and willingness both to share our burdens and meet the burdens of others. The church is a place where not…
Up to this point, Galatians has focused on how we are not living “under the law”. Here, Paul shifts the focus: we now live “in the Spirit”. Life in the Spirit is 1) a life of love, 2) a life of conflict, and 3) a life of fruitfulness.
Paul describes the Christian life 1) as a race that must be finished and 2) as a race with obstacles and hindrances. One particular hindrance which Paul focuses on here is that of false teaching and false teachers. Teaching the truth is a responsibility of the church, and so learning & obeying the truth is our responsibility…
Paul warns the Galatians that if they let themselves be circumcised, they 1) make Christ of no value to them, 2) are obligated to obey the whole law, and 3) have been cut off from Christ and have fallen away from grace. In this context, circumcision wasn’t just about circumcision but was representative of another…
Paul compares two mothers, two sons, and two covenants to show that those who are in Christ are children of God, while those who are under the law are slaves with no place in the family and no share in the inheritance. If the gospel makes us sons and daughters of God; if in the…
The Gospel has brought us out of slavery and bondage to sin, and liberated us into the freedom of being children of God and having God as our Father. Why then would the Galatians consider leaving the freedom of the gospel, and turning back to the slavery of the law? Jesus, the Son of God, became a slave…
In this section of the letter to the Galatians, Paul continues his argument against the Galatian false teachers by showing 1) the priority of the promise and 2) the purpose of the law. Since the promise came first, it’s gracious nature could not be altered by the giving of the law, which was meant to…