Standing Strong in the Valley of Fear Imagine standing on the sun-scorched hillside of Elah. The air wavers with heat. Dust clings to the sandals of Israel’s trembling warriors. Across the ravine, stands Goliath of Gath, a human fortress armored in bronze. His voice bellows taunts across the valley, crashing like thunder against the hills... Continue Reading →
Three Strikes Against a King: Impatience, Pride, and Partial Obedience
I. Saul’s First Mistake: He Did Not Wait on God (1 Samuel 13:1-23) We all know how difficult it can be to wait on God. We probalby know how hard it is to wait on a job offer, a diagnosis, or direction in life. Waiting tests us like nothing else. 1 Samuel 13 is about... Continue Reading →
The Childhood of Jesus
I. Jesus’ Growth in Nazareth (Luke 2:39–40) There is a kind of mystery in the years that pass between Jesus' infancy and His public ministry. The Gospels give us snapshots of His birth, then again when He’s twelve, and then the curtain lifts in full in His thirties. We might be tempted to call those... Continue Reading →
Life In The Valley
Introduction: Many years ago, the great preacher Charles Spurgeon, often called the "Prince of Preachers," wrote these words: “I could say with Job, ‘My soul chooseth strangling rather than life.’ I could readily enough have laid violent hands upon myself to escape from my misery of spirit.” Now, this was not a man who lacked... Continue Reading →
The Beatitudes (Part 3)
Sermon Audio: LINK Welcome: This morning, as we continue our journey through the Sermon on the Mount, I want to invite you to pause for a moment and think about the most godly person you know. Picture someone whose love for God and for others is so genuine, so unmistakably real, that it has left... Continue Reading →