Sermon Video: "the work of Christ" Philippians 2:19-30

Paul's letter to the church of Philippi now deals with the personal plans of Timothy, Epaphroditus, and the Apostle Paul himself.  Here we learn that Timothy is a rare type of worker, one who cares more about those he is helping than he does about himself.  Such people are a treasure, worthy of honor, but sadly lacking at times among those who represent the Church.  Likewise, Epaphroditus put his own life on the line to care for Paul's needs, a reminder that serving God is not a free pass against the trials and tribulations of this life; indeed, many who serve God do so in dangerous places, doing work that is itself hazardous.  Lastly, Paul's confidence that he will soon be released from prison to journey in person to Philippi reminds us that our plans are not God's plans.  If Paul, who had toiled for the sake of the Gospel for years, can have his own prayer answered with "no", then certainly we too must understand that God doesn't work for us, we work for him.  The will of God remains largely unknowable, we may get glimpses from time to time and think that we understand what God is doing, but ultimately our task is simple: trust and obey. 

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sermon Video: "work out your salvation" Philippians 2:12-13

Paul's asks the people of the church of Philippi to "continue to work out your salvation with fear and treambling".  This isn't an indictment of the Bible's clear teaching of salvation by faith through grace apart from works, rather it is a call to action to those who have ALREADY been saved by grace.  Once we accept what only God could do for us (forgive our sins), our obligation to join in and work for the cause requires us to bear fruit.  As it usually does, the NT speaks here to "your" in the plural; it is our salvation as a local church that needs to be worked on, not my own; we're in this together.  The task is incredible, to spread the Gospel to the ends of the Earth, hence our fear and trembling at such a responsibility.  In the end, Paul assures us that God's power will work through us to make our success possible.

Due to a technical glitch, the portion of the video between the introduction and the 2nd half of verse twelve is unavailable; my hope is that this message of the importance of our purpose and mission will speak to God's people even so...
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sermon Video, "As a father has compassion on his children" Psalm 103

When searching for a sermon text for Father's Day, it becomes painfully clear that there are few fathers in the Bible who are known for being good fathers.  This lack of proper fathers is the single greatest need in American society, affecting millions of homes and countless children growing up without a godly father's influence.  In Psalm 103, David highlights the action, heart, and mind of an amazing father, our heavenly father.  God, because of his love and compassion, is an example of the type of father each of us would want as our own.  Throughout the psalm, the example of God resonates with father's as a how-to guide to parenting.  Not only biological fathers, but father figures and anyone and everyone trying to fill the void of a missing father, all would benefit from copying the attitude of God toward the wayward children of humanity.  In the end, God earns the praise directed to him, and so will earthly fathers if they too learn from his love, compassion, and wisdom.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

The Stream Internet TV/ radio interview about Mustard Seed Missions

It's not everyday that you get the chance to do a tv/radio interview, so I was happy for the chance to speak to The Stream about Mustard Seed Missions.  The show is 2 hours long, the segment about MSM begins at 1:34:45 and last about fifteen minutes.  (You can skip ahead without having to buffer the whole thing)
To watch the interview, click on the link below:
Mustard Seed Missions interview

Where are the fathers?

When special Sundays roll around it's always an option to take a break in whatever sermon series I'm doing and write something appropriate to that day.  With Christmas and Easter, it isn't an option, the message always reflect the holiday (they are after all, holy days).  With Mother's Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Thanksgiving, the option is always there when I decide to take it.

This year for Mother's Day I didn't break from the messages I've been preaching in Philippians.  This upcoming Sunday is Father's Day.  Having preached eight messages in a row out of Philippians (from 1:1 to 2:11), I thought it was time for a break.  So where do I turn for a message that will speak to God's people on Father's Day?

If it had been Mother's Day, there would be no shortage of stellar mothers whose stories I could use to illustrate a moral or theme.  I could have used Jochebed, Hannah, Naomi, or Mary (to name some of the easiest choices).  But what fathers can I use who distinguished themselves in the Bible as a father?  Suddenly, the list seems short.  Let's see, how about Abraham?  Ishmael votes no.  How about Isaac?  Esau says try again.  How about Jacob?  Joseph isn't too keen on that one.  What about Eli?  Yikes, both of his sons were notorious sinners.  Then certainly we could use Samuel, his mother was on the list for ideal mothers; nope, both of his sons "did not walk in his ways".  I'm getting worried here; this doesn't look promising.  Then certainly we could use David, isn't he a man chosen by God?  Sadly, Absalom thinks we ought to avoid talking about his relationship with his father.  We could use Joseph, after all he was a man of character in the birth narrative, but we don't know anything about his relationship with Jesus.

Do you see the pattern?  To find a good mother one need simply look around in the Bible, there's plenty of them.  To find a good father, you need the scour the Scriptures or avoid the unpleasant sides of the stories of men like David.

Are you surprised?  If you've spent any time looking at and analyzing our society you shouldn't be.  The single greatest flaw in modern American culture and society is a lack of fathers.  We have plenty of boys willing to create children, but precious few men willing to be fathers.  Men, this indictment falls squarely on our shoulders.  You or I may have fulfilled our obligations, but literally millions of men have miserably failed their children.  Single moms raising their children may be awesome, but they're not meant to carry that burden alone.  Some kids may turn out OK without a father, but the education, social welfare, and criminal justice systems are full to the brim of kids who haven't been so lucky.  We, as American men, have failed.  It doesn't matter which statistic of social ills you look at, they're all made worse by absent or lackluster fathers.  Can anybody honestly not see the connection between teen pregnancy/abortion and absent fathers?  Is it hard at all to see the connection that gang activity, gun violence, and drugs have with fathers who are MIA?

Father's Day is a tough one.  I'm just glad that I can preach about our Heavenly Father; at least then I'll know that everyone in the congregation has a good one.