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There are moments, sometimes years, where a Christian comes under great anguish. More than merely an external hardship, these are those moments in our lives when all appears to be dark and growing darker! What are we to do? We feel alone and that no one understands our situation. Helpful people give us advice that smacks of criticism or crass assumption. Others simply seem to avoid us, leaving us even more despairing. It is here that David brings us much instruction in this psalm. Here is a passionate song that describes the ebb and flow of one man’s struggle in the face of great difficulty. We witness the fulness of the human experience when it takes faith in God and puts it up against the darkness of this fallen world.

Amos delivers yet another death blow to the Israelites as he unfolds the reality of their impending judgment from God. In all of it, the prophet is calling Israel to repentance. The sad reality is that the nation is woefully deceived. They believe they are in God's good graces. They do not see themselves as they truly are. They are stubbornly hypocritical. Yet worst of all, they are completely blindsided by the fact that they will have to stand before their Maker and give an account.

Jesus is unimpressed with words. He is unimpressed with those who merely come and listen. Rather, the mark of a fully devoted follower is one who comes, hears, but also does. Obedience is key. As Jesus finishes His famous Sermon on the Mount, He gives one final call for self-examination. He wants us to wrestle with the question of whether we are mere hearers, or also doers. For that is the distinguishing mark of a true disciple.

The excitement of the coming of the Holy Spirit has come but not the gospel. Now, in this incredibly important passage we see the God-given means to saving sinners, the preaching of the Word of God. What is preaching? And what are the impediments to hearing and believing the Word of God? In this sermon we see again the wisdom of God which confounds the wise of this world who see His ways as weak and foolish. We see the centrality and necessity of preaching.

Jesus gives three external measurements to determine who we should follow in spiritual matters. Jesus is contrasting Himself with the self-deceived leadership of Israel, but there is much application in this passage for any in a position of spiritual leadership. There are devastating consequences to following the wrong teacher, and Jesus warns all true disciples to take heed as to whom they choose to follow.

The excitement of the coming of the Holy Spirit has come but not the gospel. Now, in this incredibly important passage we see the God-given means to saving sinners, the preaching of the Word of God. But this seems so weak and foolish, so why not try other methods of reason and emotion? Today we are introduced to the means of salvation, the preaching of the Word of God, specifically a full-orbed gospel. But what are the impediments to hearing and believing the Word of God? In this sermon we see the horrible backdrop to what faces us as we bring the gospel to an unbeliever.

Jesus continues on in His great teaching on love. In this passage we see the greatness, the gain, and the goal of kingdom love. Christ teaches on the nature of all true Christian love, which are tangible acts, characterized by grace. In order for true grace to be shown, it requires the Christian willingly put themselves into a position to be wronged, but so that they might display true grace. It is a radical passage. It is easy to understand, but difficult to practice. Yet, the hope of the passage is that Jesus reveals all true sons and daughters of the kingdom desire to do this. For it is through visible acts of gracious love that the Gospel becomes believable to a dying world.

The shepherd-turned-prophet delivers a harrowing message of God's judgment: a lion's roar goes forth before He seizes His kill—and the message is that this "consuming roar" shall not be turned back. Eight nations will be consumed. One by one, the consuming Lion picks off His prey. His hunger never seems to be satisfied and they are left to watch in horror as He circles closer and closer. First go the enemies of Israel, then the blood-relatives, then Judah, and finally that nation Israel—the one whom the deafening roar was meant for all along.

Jesus gives four illustrations of what true love looks like. In all four of them we see the characteristic of true love, which is grace. For love to be effective, it cannot demand justice. Rather, true love must give grace, and at great cost to self. For when we do this, the Christian displays love, making the Gospel believable.

In one of the most exciting, world-tilting events in the bible we also have a place where confusion can easily come into play. In our passage we see the birth of the Church, an entirely new entity never before known or seen. And with this we have very unique events that come about which are unique in their own right. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the speaking in what are known as tongues are just three examples of these unique events. Today we will examine the nature of tongues as this is the first time it is seen in the New Testament.

No notes for this special sermon. More information about our church can be found at our website: MissioDeiFellowship.org You can listen to our Pastors' podcast to learn more: FaithFable.com

We come to the birth of the Church and in it we see some powerful and exciting events take place. But in this passage there are several ways we can go off into error because we are not careful to study and note what actually is occurring. In this multi-part series on the dawning of the Church, we will seek to let the passage say what is actually there. And in the process we will also be able to explore some doctrines that tend to create tension or confusion in churches.

Jesus enters into the main substance of the Sermon on the Mount. He gives the first recorded command in the Gospel, and it's the command to love. This passage reveals the preeminent mark of any true disciple, namely, love. It is not enough to withhold vengeance from our enemies, rather, we must also seek their good in practical ways. Jesus begins His great teaching with four commands to love, summarizing the essence of all He is about to teach.

In the final chapter of the book of Habakkuk, the prophet has a face-to-face encounter with the living God that changes his entire perspective of the coming judgment through Babylon. Whereas before, the problem of evil left the prophet indignant toward God, he now sees God as He is: worthy of all praise. Yet this heart change does not simply produce recognition of the fact that God is worthy of praise. Habakkuk rejoices for the evil days ahead, namely, because He rejoices in the God of His salvation.

There are three clear divisions within Psalm 46 showing that God is a stability to His people in the midst of a broken and chaotic world. Verses 1-3 display God as a refuge and strength during natural disaster. Verses 4-7 speak of God as a refuge and strength during political and social disaster. Verses 8-11 then reveal God as a refuge and strength in the midst of all disaster, but specifically in light of the fact that at the end of all days, God will make an end to all disaster. At the same time this provides ample hope for those in Christ, it serves as a dire warning to those who are not under the shadow of His wings.