Well, last week in chapter 19 we were alarmed at the sins of Sodom and the sins of Lot. We were sobered by the judgment of God poured out on the wicked. And we were amazed at God’s mercy to Lot through the pleading of Abraham. Today we continue in Genesis and as we do…
Author: Adam Powers
Genesis 19 – Sin, Sin, and More Sin. Oh My!
I must confess the strangeness of the Sunday we’re having here. It’s Mother’s Day today and our text in view is Genesis 19, which is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. One would not be out of bounds to ask ‘What does Mother’s Day have to do with Sodom and Gomorrah?’ To which my answer…
Genesis 18:16-33 – God is Good
Last week we began the sermon with the well know meal time prayer, because it sets before us two of the most massive and soul sustaining truths there are. So, let’s begin again today with that same prayer, “God is great, God is good. Let us thank for Him for our food. By His hands…
Genesis 18:1-15 – God is Great
“God is great, God is good. Let us thank for Him for our food. By His hands we are fed. We thank you for our daily bread. Amen.” Many Christian families have uttered these words before dinner and many will utter these words, no doubt, in countless meals to come. Though this is a simple…
Genesis 17 – The Sign & The Son
Would it surprise you to know that the average attention span of adults today is 8.25 seconds? And yet, the average sermon here at SonRise is 40-45 minutes long? Are we doing this wrong? Should we adjust our preaching to more engage modern people with their shortened capacities? Or should our sermons look more social…
Genesis 15 – The Cutting of the Covenant
How can God be trusted? Will God come through on His promises? Whether young or old or somewhere in between, these two questions sit at the center of the soul. I’m glad you’ve come here today, not only because it’s Easter but because our text for the sermon today answers these two most pressing questions.…
Genesis 14: 17-25 – Abram Visited by Kings
We’ve been walking through these initial chapters of Genesis for several months now and today we find ourselves today in the end of Genesis 14. But before we get into our passage, recall the first part of chapter 14. There, in v1-16, we saw a battle of kings. The great king of Elam Chedorlaomer and…
Genesis 14:1-16 – Abram Rescues Lot
We’ve been walking with Abram and Sarai these past few weeks in Genesis and we’ve seen many things. We’ve seen God make great promises to Abram, and go off into a strange land God called him to. We’ve seen Abram make a fool of himself, act the coward, and endanger his wife in Egypt by…
Genesis 12:10-20 – Abram in Egypt
The children’s poem Casey at the Bat is no doubt a favorite of many. It begins like this. “The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville Nine that day, the score stood four to two with but one more inning to play…” fast-forwarding a bit… “Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell; it rumbled…
Genesis 12:1-9 – The Call of Abram
There is a popular opinion present in the Church today that too much knowledge of God, too much emphasis on theology, or too much love for doctrine will chill the soul once on fire for Christ. Of course, it’s never put as blatant as that, it usually sounds more like, ‘The gospel is enough, I…
Genesis 11:10-32 – Endings & Beginnings
Any of you had a totally life changing moment recently? Something which took place that completely changed how you live and how you view all of life? Maybe it was a conversation you had with someone. Maybe it was a decision you finally made. Or maybe it was something you saw or read that was…
Genesis 11:1-9 – The Tale of the Tower
We now come to a story most of you are familiar with. But are you really? Man tries to build a tower to heaven, God stops them, confuses their language, and spreads them out. Is that all we’re to learn here? Of course not. So let’s dive in together to see what God has for…
Genesis 9:18-29 – New World – Same Sin
We’ve certainly covered much ground in our time in Genesis so far. We’ve seen the beauty of the beginning in Genesis 1-2 as God made all things and called everything that is into existence by His mighty Word. At the start of Genesis 1 there is only God and by the end of Genesis 2…
Luke 19:1-10 – Seeking and Saving the Lost
Today we come to the end of our new year sermon series ‘Unprogrammed.’ Recall that during this series we’ve been aiming at the many habits, realities, disciplines, etc. at SonRise we expect from each other but do not program. We are largely an unprogrammed congregation that doesn’t seek to fill your schedules to the brim,…
1 Peter 1:13-16 – A Holy Life
We have spent the past three weeks focusing on the unprogrammed nature of the Church, hence the title of the short sermon series Unprogrammed. We’ve looked at the Bible, at prayer, and at the Church. Today we keep on by looking at the theme of holiness. Why? Because so much of holiness is unprogrammed in our…
Psalm 122:1 – The Dearest Place on Earth
Psalm 122:1, “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!” In context this verse is among the fourteen Psalms of Ascent, Psalm 120-134, which were a group of Psalms sung by Jews while traveling to Jerusalem to worship. For us in our context today these words…
Colossians 3:16 – Living Near the Word
Every year as Christmas ends and the new year begins we take time to remember, to remind, and to teach about the Church. About who the Church is, about how the Church is to live in the world, about what the Church believes, and about the God and Savior of the the Church who brought…
Ruth 2 – A Foreigner Finds Welcome
We left chapter 1 when Naomi’s life seemed to be pitch black. Famine in the land, a move to Moab, the death of her husband Elimelech, the death of her sons Mahlon and Chilion, Orpah returning home, Ruth clinging, and coming home to Bethlehem with no food, no shelter, no money, and no one to…
Ruth 1 – The Rough Road to the Messiah
Merry Christmas! Well as you can see it is now the season of advent, and for these four Sunday’s we’ll be walking through the book of Ruth…so if you have a Bible, go ahead and turn there. I love the book of Ruth, and I think it’s fitting for us to walk through for Advent…
Genesis 6:9-7:24 – The Days of Un-Creation
We have now arrived at the account of the flood in Genesis 6-7. And as we come here it ought to be said that there is widespread discomfort today surrounding the flood event. Inside the Church, this might surprise you or it might not, but given our modern view of fairness it is now common…
Genesis 6:1-8 – Confusingly Clear
Today we come to Genesis 6:1-8. Perhaps you already know this, but these eight verses can be the most confusing verses in Genesis, and their easily the most debated verses in Genesis. And yet, almost everyone agrees with the main gist put forward here in these eight verses. Think of a forest with many trees.…
Genesis 5 – The Seed of the Woman
A few years ago, before covid, a few of us got the chance to go to Belfast, Northern Ireland and visit our good friend and church planter David Varney. It was a good visit to say the least. Foundation Church Belfast welcomed us eagerly, showed us around the city happily, and fed us abundantly. Pastor…
Genesis 3:16-24 – The Fall, part 3
Once again Church it is a joy to be opening the Word of God with you and once again we find ourselves in Genesis 3. Recall the path we’ve traveled so far. We began Genesis 3 looking at v1-7 where we saw the why…why Adam and Eve sinned and why we sin. We then looked…
Genesis 3:8-15 – The Fall, part 2
If Genesis 1-3 were a play, there would be four scenes to the plot.[1] First, there is creation where God the great Artist creates everything from nothing. Second, there is jubilation where God meets Adam’s need of a helper by making Eve for him and the first family exists happy and content in the garden. Third, there is temptation where we see…
Genesis 3:1-7 – The Fall, part 1
Many years ago Holly and I had the privilege of visiting northern India and trekking around to various villages in the foothills of the Himalayas. One village stands out to me. It was about a 45 minute hike away from town and once we got there we visited a small Christian school a few folks…
Genesis 2:18-25 – The First Wedding
A little more than two years ago, right in the middle of covid craziness, joy upon joy, Holly and I welcomed a new baby girl into the world. The moment still seems so vivid to me. We did not find out the gender of this baby like we did the other two, and so as…
Genesis 2:4-17 – The Garden Temple
I’d like to begin with a question today. Which blade on these scissors is most necessary? On the surface it might seem like a foolish question because, of course, both blades are equally necessary for these scissors to succeed at the job they were made for. I ask that question in order to highlight an…
Genesis 2:1-3 – The Days of Creation, part 3
Today marks one month since the beginning of our new sermon series in the book of Genesis and it speaks to the glory of this book that we still find ourselves working our way through the creation week. What a God we’ve seen in this wondrous work of creation! So many realities and foundational truth…
Genesis 1:14-31 – The Days of Creation, part 2
We find ourselves, once again, in the creation week of Genesis 1. I mentioned two things last week that are worth repeating again today. First, just as there will be varying views on eschatology within the same congregation so too there will be varying views on the creation week within the same congregation. These things…
Genesis 1:3-13 – The Days of Creation, part 1
There are many ways we define what a Christian is. One way we could do it is to say a Christian is a person who believes certain things about God, about ourselves, and about the world around us. One example of these beliefs is the doctrine of eschatology, or, beliefs about how the world will…
Genesis 1:2-3 – After Darkness Light
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was ‘tohu vabohu’…” without form and void. During seminary one requirement placed on us as students is that we had to work in a church. God opened doors and I was able to be one of many interns at a church in downtown…
Genesis 1:1 – The God Who Is
“Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim et va’haeretz.” “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Ten words in English, seven in the original Hebrew form the first verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:1. But these words are more than just the first verse of the Bible aren’t they? They not only begin the…
Psalm 143 – Crushed Yet Confident
Fall is upon us, school for many is drawing near, and vacations are coming to an end. What does this mean? Another summer has come and gone. For us here at SonRise this means another summer in the Psalms has come and gone. Recall where we’ve been. We spent the previous 8 weeks looking at…
Psalm 115 – This Is Our God
Holly and I got engaged in February 2007. We desired to run to the altar, so we scheduled the wedding to be that upcoming September. Therefore, planning began immediately. And as things were coming along and we had put down details on paper…we slowly realized we’d have a lot of guests at our wedding who…
Psalm 62 – My Soul Waits
We come now to Psalm 62 today. A Psalm whose main theme is something we simply hate doing. Waiting. I guess I should ask, does anyone like waiting? I thought so. Let’s ask a different question now, why do we so dislike waiting? Do we hate waiting because it simply annoys us and throws the…
Psalm 25 – The A-Z of the Soul
Having now finished our long study through Romans, summer is upon us! And just as we have spent many summers in the Psalms over the past years, we’ll do so again this year, looking at various Psalms for the next 9 weeks. Now, all of the Psalms are wonderful. All of them teach us much.…
Romans 16:25-27 – The Final Word
I have long wondered what I would say to you, Church, on the day we finish the greatest letter ever written, Paul’s letter to the Romans. Two years ago we stood before this letter, very eager to begin but a bit daunted, as 16 weighty chapters loomed over us, feeling as a “…mountain climber who,…
Romans 16:1-23 – People Matter
In his recent book Do You Believe? Paul Tripp says the following about God. “God’s glory is the greatness, beauty, and perfection of all that He is. In everything that He is, God is great beyond human description. Every attribute and action of God is completely beautiful in every way. God is totally perfect in all that…
Romans 15:22-33 – Kingdom Treasures
As we continue on tracking with Paul today, ending chapter 15 today, we’ll see not only more of his pastoral heart for these Romans, we’ll also see…guess what?! Paul’s travel plans! Don’t everyone stand up and start screaming amen at once. As mundane as this might appear to be at first, I’m hoping this text…
Romans 15:14-21 – The Heart of Paul
We have arrived at a bittersweet moment Church. It’s a bitter because the passage that we’ve now come to in Paul’s letter to the Romans is the beginning of the end. As he wrote a lengthy introduction in Romans 1, so now Paul brings Romans to an end with a lengthy conclusion. That we’ve come…
Romans 14:13-23 – The Weak & the Strong (Pt. 2)
A few weeks ago, we began looking into Romans 14. And we saw there that in the Church there are two kinds of Christians, the weak and the strong. This isn’t derogatory or condescending for Paul to say this or even make such a distinction. It’s an honest look at the family of God’s people.…
Ezekiel 37 – A Vision of Resurrection
“Death and darkness have now left packing, nothing to man is now lacking. Satan’s triumphs have ended, what Adam marred is now mended.”[1] The fall plunged man into death and pain, but now through Christ, life eternal, we gain! “Pluck the harp and sound the horn, do you not know, tis Easter morn! Crowded may His…
Romans 13:8-14 – What Christians ‘Owe’ Society
On June 25, 1967 the Beatles sang “All You Need is Love” in front of a worldwide audience. This broadcast was, in fact, the first worldwide satellite broadcast. With a multitude of nations singing along and a lengthy list of celebrities joining in, John Lennon and the Beatles desired to spread a very specific message.…
Romans 13:1-7 – Submission to Authorities (Pt. 2)
This past Monday I had the pleasure of having one of my teeth pulled. It was a most enjoyable experience. I cheerfully sat down in the chair, they numbed me up, and gently pulled my tooth right out. Wrong. I had to have a tooth pulled due to a failed attempt at a root canal…
Romans 13:1-7 – Submission to Authorities (Pt. 1)
We have come to the thirteenth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans. It is an understatement to say this is a chapter that provokes a response from many. Due to its overtly political nature, some of you have long been anticipating our arrival at this chapter while others of you have long been dreading…
Romans 12:1-2 – Life and the Will of God
This morning now marks the fourth Sunday we have been walking through Romans 12:1-2. It really is one whole unit meant to be seen together, that serves as an introduction to chapters 12-16. So why have we taken four weeks to look at it? Well, I’m convinced that if we see the glory of these…
Romans 12:1-2 – Life Transformed
We have these past few weeks been lingering over Romans 12:1-2 together. This is the great turn in Paul’s letter to the Romans. We began just looking at the word “therefore” and saw the beauty of how Paul laid out his whole argument, going from doctrinal explanation in chapters 1-11 to practical application in chapters…
Romans 12:1-2 – Life as a Living Sacrifice
Fire has always intrigued me. I don’t know when fire began to be intriguing to me, it just always has. Maybe it was my older sister’s fault. I remember one time, I think it was Christmas Eve dinner, when my sisters and I were all very young, our mother got all the nice dishes out…
Romans 12:1-2 – Built on the Mercies of God
Having begun 2022 in a sermon series looking at the issues we’ve dealt with in the Church over this past pandemic season, we now return to our main sermon series, Paul’s letter to the Romans. If you’re new to SonRise Community Church this is by and large the pattern of our preaching. We have a…
Matthew 6:25-34 – Anxiety
Today we’re finishing our series ‘We’ve Got Issues.’ So far we’ve covered identity issues, relational issues, financial issues, and anger issues. Today we turn our attention to an issue, that I think is the most widespread issue of our time, both in and out of the Church. What is the issue? Anxiety. Is it wrong…
Matthew 5:21-26 – Anger
Today we’re continuing on in our series ‘We’ve Got Issues.’ So far we’ve covered identity issues, relational issues, and financial issues. Today we turn our attention to an issue, that I think is one of the biggest issues in the Church today. But ironically, while this issue is so widespread, I also think this issue…
Philippians 4:10-13 – Content in Christ
Well we’re now halfway through our new year sermon series on the Church, titled ‘We’ve Got Issues’, in which we’re examining what we think have been the biggest issues we here at SonRise and Christians in general have struggled with throughout the past few years. Today, we turn to relationships and the various issues we…
Acts 15:36-41 – We’ve Got Issues
Today we begin a new sermon series on the Church. We’ve done this many times over the years as Christmas has ended and the new year begins. We’ve looked at the God who creates and loves the Church, the people who makeup the Church, the doctrines we hold dear as the Church, and on and…
Advent: Matthew 2:13-23 – The Slaughter of the Innocents
“Ever just the same, ever a surprise. Ever as before, and ever just as sure, as the sun will rise. Tale as old as time, tune as old as song. Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong. Certain as the sun, rising in the east. Tale as old as time, song…
Advent: Matthew 2:1-12 – The Visit of the Wise Men
When the Roman Empire was conquering and spreading throughout the known world, they sought to spread what they called the “Pax Romana” or the Peace of Rome. Everywhere they were victorious they brought their own culture and ideas of peace to the region with the aim that Rome would extend throughout the whole world. I…
Advent: Matthew 1:18-25 – The Genesis of Jesus Christ
Today Matthew 1:18-25 is before us. And unlike the other gospels, Matthew tells us of the birth of Christ as it’s experienced by Joseph. There are four headings today, see first… The Genesis (v18a) “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.” You might be wondering why I chose to title this…
Romans 11:33-36 – The Doxology
On the morning of May 29th, 1864 Charles Spurgeon began his sermon with the following words: “Such a tremendous weight of meaning is concentrated here, that an archangel’s eloquence would fail to convey its teaching in all its glory to any finite minds, even if seraphs were his hearers. I will affirm that there is…
Romans 11:25-32 – The Future of Israel (Pt. 3)
As I begin I’d like to mention one thing first. I want to say thank you. Thank you for being a church willing to take God’s Word as just that, God’s Word. These past months we’ve been slowly walking through Romans 9-11, and it’s true that this is not an easy section of Romans to…
Romans 11:11-24 – The Future of Israel (Pt. 2)
Last week we began Romans 11. And as we began I mentioned that of all the chapters in Romans, chapter 11 is by far the most difficult and perhaps even more controversial than chapter 9. This is the case because when we enter into chapter 11 we enter into the realm of eschatology, the study…
Romans 11:1-10 – The Future of Israel (Pt. 1)
In the study of systematic theology there are seven great doctrines or divisions to work through. It begins with the doctrine of God, where God’s existence, nature, being, and attributes are studied. Next is the doctrine of man, where we learn about ourselves; what we were made to be, what we were made to do,…
Romans 10:14-21 – Beauty & Blindness
Long ago, God spoke to Israel through the prophet Isaiah spoke when Israel was in trouble.[1] They were in trouble because the Egyptians and the Assyrians were oppressing them, this was the trouble outside and around them. But they were also in trouble because of what was going on within them. Idolatry was rampant among them.…
Romans 10:5-13 – Gospel Threads
It’s good to pause every now and then and explain why we do what we do in this thing we call the ‘sermon’ each week. During the preaching portion of our Sunday morning gathering we employ and enjoy a style of preaching called expositional preaching. Which means that the preacher doesn’t aim at saying anything new…
Romans 10:1-4 – Christ, the End of the Law
A few days ago I went to Publix on my way home from church to grab a few things. I’m not usually the one to do our grocery shopping and so I’m very unfamiliar with the layout of Publix and what is on what aisle. I am aware there are signs above each aisle to…
Romans 9:19-24 – Celebrating Sovereignty
In these past weeks I’ve labored, as I’m able, to lead you through Romans 9. To do this I’ve enlisted help. We’ve already heard Martin Luther’s advice on Romans 9, that it’s strong wine and we should be aware of that. And we’ve already heard John Calvin’s advice on Romans 9, that we should embrace…
Romans 9:14-18 – A Defense of God
In our first week in Romans 9 I began with many cautions to be aware of. In our second week in Romans 9 I began with a quote from Martin Luther, that this chapter is strong wine and to be ready for that when we study it. Today, our third week in Romans 9, I’d…
Romans 9:6-13 – God’s Free Sovereign Pleasure
Church we find ourselves once again in Romans 9 this morning. We began it last week seeing the door through which we enter into these things is a broken and burdened heart for those who reject the gospel. In that humility we must proceed. Martin Luther once said the same thing as he gave counsel…
Romans 9:1-5 – A Grieved Heart
If you recall a year ago when we began the book of Romans I mentioned there are two places within this great letter where churches seem to lose people. The first is the end of chapter 1, where it not only states what sin is, but says God’s wrath is coming and will come onto…
Romans 8:31-39 – What Then Shall We Say?
These past weeks we’ve spent together in Romans 8 have been nothing short of wonderful. We’ve learned much, we’ve seen much, been reminded of much, and been deeply comforted with the great assurance that is ours in Christ! As we come now to the close of this, the greatest chapter in the Bible, I’m feeling…
The LORD Is With Us
As I sit here writing this for you, the church I love, I am saddened we’re not meeting today. Our gathering is the centerpiece of our life together. I’m saddened that Covid has reached us and that many of us are feeling its effects. But I’m eager to have the Psalms at my fingertips. Why?…
Romans 8:29-30 – The Golden Chain
Last week we arrived at a passage many of us have been looking forward to, Romans 8:28. We lingered on it, and slowly turned like a gem to see it shine from many different angles. And we were encouraged to hear the great promise it contains. That God sovereignly and wisely rules over all things…
Romans 8:28 – A Great Promise
When I was a kid I did not enjoy going to the dentist. I don’t think I’m all that unique in this, it seems to be the experience of most young kids. There wasn’t anything really all that bad about the dentist or getting my teeth cleaned. It was just something I didn’t really find…
Romans 8:18-27 – Groaning for Glory
I know it’s been two months since we’ve been in Romans so allow me to briefly remind you where we left off. In Romans 8:1-17 Paul has been beautifully unfolding the great assurance we now enjoy in Christ. He begins this with the most famous verse in 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for…
Romans 8:14-17 – Led By the Spirit (Pt. 2)
As we come to our passage this morning, I almost feel like an attorney or the executor of a will after the death of someone very wealthy. Someone who before death carefully and clearly crafted a very gracious will. A will that now must be read to the family members. Family members who have no…
Romans 8:14-17 – Led By the Spirit (Pt. 1)
“It is not by might or violence, therefore, that Christ rules in the kingdom given Him by the Father…His entire prophetic, priestly, and kingly activity He continues to carry on in a spiritual way from His place in heaven. He fights with only spiritual weapons. He is a king of grace and a king of…
Romans 8:12-13 – Putting Sin to Death
Violence. What comes to mind when you hear that word? Nothing too good comes to mind for most of us I’m sure. Perhaps it’s a person with a fierce strength coming against another with the intent to overpower or destroy that comes to mind. That’s violent. Or maybe it’s a group of people that comes…
Romans 8:5-11 – Flesh & Spirit
Last week as I concluded the sermon, I asked a question but didn’t answer it. The question was, what does it look like to walk according to the Holy Spirit? I asked at this question because our text last week, Romans 8:1-4, took us there. As that text ends we find Paul saying we are…
Romans 8:1-4 – The What, The How, The Why
Whether you’re brand new to SonRise or have been around SonRise for a while, let me briefly state what we seek to accomplish in this sermon moment each week. During the preaching portion of our Sunday morning gathering we employ and enjoy a style of preaching called expositional preaching. Which means that whoever is preaching,…
Romans 8:1 – A Most Important Verse
What an honor it has been for me to have led you these past many months through the first seven chapters of Paul’s letter to the Romans. We’ve seen much and rejoiced over much in these chapters. But today marks a very special day. Today we arrive at Romans chapter 8. Some have called this…
Romans 7:7-12 – The Needle and the Thread
As we approach our text today I do wonder whether or not you’ll think it’s relevant to you. Paul has spoken much about the Law of God in this letter to the Romans and now that it’s before us once again in 7:7-12 will you be tempted to check out? Perhaps grow frustrated thinking to…
Romans 7:1-6 – A Truth that Changes Everything
“Death and darkness have now left packing, nothing to man is now lacking. Satan’s triumphs have ended, what Adam marred is now mended.”[1] The fall plunged man into death and pain, but now through Christ, life eternal, we gain! “Pluck the harp and sound the horn, do you not know, tis Easter morn! Crowded may His…
Romans 6:15-23 – Remember Who You Are (Pt. 4)
I have a confession to make. When it comes to personality tests, I’m a skeptic. I’m skeptical about these tests because, to me, they don’t seem to tell you very much but instead only seem to affirm what you already believe yourself to be. For example, if you’re one who enjoys quiet and books and…
Romans 6:12-14 – Remember Who You Are (Pt. 3)
I’d like to…once again…begin today with the same quote from Charles Spurgeon that we began last week with, “This morning…we come again to the same noble theme. Christ Jesus is today to be set forth. You will not charge me as repeating myself, you will not look up to the pulpit and say, “Pulpits are…
Romans 6:5-11 – Remember Who You Are (Pt. 2)
I’d like to begin with a quote from Charles Spurgeon, “This morning…we come again to the same noble theme. Christ Jesus is today to be set forth. You will not charge me as repeating myself, you will not look up to the pulpit and say, “Pulpits are places of repetition.” You will not reply that…
Romans 6:1-4 – Remember Who You Are (Pt. 1)
During the Protestant Reformation Martin Luther was accused of many things, but one thing he was accused of perhaps the most was that he was an antinomian.[1] Have you heard this word before? The word antinomian literally means one who is against God’s law; ‘anti’ meaning against and ‘nomos’ meaning law. This was something the Roman Catholic…
Romans 5:12-19 – The Two Adams
I’ve got a book in my hands here, one my parents read to me as a child and one Holly and I have read to our kids. Harold and the Purple Crayon. Know it? This book is about a young boy who uses a crayon to create a world around him, to go on adventures like…
Romans 5:6-11 – A Tale Older than Time
“One of the world’s favorite types of stories is a good love story.”[1] Maybe that’s because of how captivating and gripping they are. Maybe that’s because every woman wants to be swept off her feet and every man wants to be the hero of a woman’s heart. I think it goes deeper than this. I think…
Romans 5:3-5 – Rejoicing in Suffering
We’ve been in Romans 5 for a couple of weeks now, moving slowly through the wonders of the first few verses. And even though we’ve just been lingering in the opening to this chapter I’m already beginning to feel this first section of Romans 5 is like the Christmas gift that keeps on giving.[1] You see,…
Romans 5:1-2 – The Blessings of Justification (Pt. 2)
Last week we jumped back into our main teaching series in Paul’s letter to the Romans. We retraced some of our steps of where we’d been so far in Romans 1-4 with Paul introducing himself, stating his main theme, going deep into man’s sinful rebel nature, and his careful defining and illustrating justification by faith…
Romans 5:1-2 – The Blessings of Justification (Pt. 1)
Well, you just heard it. After our break for Advent and after a small New Year series on the Church, we’re back in Romans, Paul’s magnum opus, the Mt. Everest of the New Testament. And as we come back into it, remember what we’ve learned in it. Paul begins this great letter by introducing himself…
Matthew 22:34-40 – Embracing the Great Commandment
So, how’s it going? Did you get enough sleep last night? You get out of the house on time? Did you find a good parking spot this morning? Were you welcomed as you came in? Was it clear where to go? Did you think the building was clean? Are the seats comfortable? Can you see…
Hebrews 4:14-16, Christmas Confidence
Over the past two weeks we’ve spent time in two passages in Hebrews which told us much of the glory of the Christmas moment. Specifically we’ve seen how the eternal Son of God ushered all creation into the final act of history by coming to dwell among us in flesh and blood to be our…
Hebrews 2:14-15, Christmas Champion
Last week as we began Advent in the first few verses of Hebrews we saw a grand truth: that the coming of the Son of God not only marked the first Christmas, it marked the beginning of the end, the beginning of the final act of history. For long ages, God spoke to His people…
Hebrews 1:1-4, Christmas Presence
As C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe begins, you find Narnia in a perpetual state of winter. This is because of the evil work of the White Witch that’s infected Narnia and all within it. So when the Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy meet Mr. and Mrs. Beaver (these are some of the main…
Morning = Romans 4:13-25, Faith Over All
Well, 2020 has been and continues to be quite something, right? Just think of all that’s gone on: January: we first hear of Covid19, Australia wildfires begin, Trump gets impeached, Kobe Bryant dies, and Brexit passes in the UK. February & March: Covid goes global, Trump’s impeachment fails, everything shuts down to flatten the curve…
Morning = Romans 4:1-8, By Faith
There once was a frog who fell into a jug of milk. And though the frog tried every way imaginable to jump out, he couldn’t. The sides of the jug were too high, the walls were too slippery, and because he was floating he couldn’t get good footing to jump anyway. So he did the…
Morning = Romans 3:21-26, The Heart of the Gospel
Over the past seven weeks Paul has led us on a treacherous descent down into the vile nature of sinful man. On this descent we learned at the center of every person there’s a thick deadness and darkness. That leads man not only to sin occasionally or even repeatedly, but man’s entire nature is so…
Morning = Romans 3:9-20, God’s Wrath Revealed (Pt. 7)
Well Church, we’ve now come to it. We’ve arrived at the final passage in Paul’s first large section of his letter to the Romans. Today marks 7 weeks that we have followed Paul downward into the depths of our sinful nature, and as we now come to 3:9-20 we finally reach the bottom. Paul began…
Morning = Romans 3:1-8, God’s Wrath Revealed (Pt. 6)
What makes a good teacher? Is a good teacher one who has mastered the content being taught? Or is a good teacher one who engages the students and keeps them eager and attentive? Or is a good teacher one who makes the learning process fun and enjoyable? Or is a good teacher all of these…
Morning = Romans 2:17-29, God’s Wrath Revealed (Pt. 5)
In 1787 Russia was at war. It was a costly war for Russia and they needed allies. So, the Russians invited ambassadors from France, Austria, and England to come on a tour, led by Catherine the Great, to see some of their newly conquered territories in hopes of swaying them to join the cause. The…
Morning = Romans 2:12-16, God’s Wrath Revealed (Pt. 4)
Anyone remember the children’s poem Casey at the Bat? It’s no doubt one of my childhood favorites. It begins like this. “The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville Nine that day, the score stood four to two with but one more inning to play…” fast-forwarding a bit… “Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a…
Morning = Romans 1:21-32, God’s Wrath Revealed (Pt. 2)
Last week we began our descent in Paul’s first large section of his letter to the Romans, looking at 1:18-21. There we saw that God’s wrath is being revealed from heaven. Why? Because His truth, truth about His eternal power and divine nature which is clearly seen in all creation is being suppressed. Who’s suppressing…
Morning = Romans 1:18-21, God’s Wrath Revealed (Pt. 1)
Right outside Nairobi, Kenya there is a park called Hell’s Gate National Park. I’ve had the privilege of visiting this park to do some hiking and climbing, and during my time there I asked one of our guides why it was named Hell’s Gate. He told me it’s named such because there is a hot…
Morning = Romans 1:16-17, The ‘Base Camp’ Thesis
If Paul’s letter to the Romans is indeed the Mt. Everest of the New Testament, it’s fitting to say Romans 1:16-17 should be likened to ‘Base Camp’ on Mt. Everest. If you’re unfamiliar with what a Base Camp on a mountain is, it’s the place where everything happens, it’s the HQ if you will. So,…
Morning = Romans 1:8-15, Gladly Obligated
In 1952 Amy Vanderbilt wrote a book called Etiquette: A Guide to Gracious Living. In it she covers all kinds of situations we could find ourselves in and then goes on to explain the proper way to act in each. The section on public speaking is of particular interest to us today. She says it will…
Morning = Romans 1:1-7, Paul: His Message & Mission
Who are you? At some point in life every single person arrives at this grand question, ‘Who am I?’ Think of this. When you describe yourself to a person you’re meeting for the first time, what do you most want to tell them about who you are? Or after the first five minutes of meeting…
Morning = Introducing Paul’s Letter to the Romans
Well Church, we finished 2 Samuel back in May, we’ve also finished our second Psalm summer, and beginning today we launch into our new sermon series, Paul’s letter to the Romans. For today, as we begin, I’d like to give you an overview of the whole letter. But first, I’d like to begin by taking…
Morning = Psalm 63, My Soul Thirsts
I have a recurring nightmare, and it’s on my mind today because I had it again last night. It’s not too scary or frightening, but it is very alarming. I’m usually here with you guys and the time has come for me to preach. So I walk to the pulpit thinking I’m ready to go,…
Morning = Psalm 62, My Soul Waits
As of this morning we’re now more than halfway through our Psalm summer for this year, so I’d like to do a brief check up on how you’re doing with them. As I look back over the Psalms we’ve covered this summer two large themes seem to be presenting themselves again and again to us.…
Evening = Revelation 20:11-15, The Great White Throne
After having covered the millennium the two past Sunday evenings, we now only have a few evenings left in our trek through the book of Revelation. Here is the plan for these remaining weeks. Tonight we’ll finish chapter 20, and Lord willing the next two Sunday evenings we’ll cover the wonders of the New Heavens…
Morning = Psalm 34, An Invitation to Feast!
Psalm 34 is an invitation to feast.[1] A happy and exuberant invitation from David to us. You see, he was rescued by God in the past and now he wants us to look, to taste, to see, to enjoy, to fear, and to know this God who rescues too. David wrote many Psalms, but in…
Evening = Revelation 20:1-10, The Millennium (Pt. 2)
Last Sunday evening I began by saying: we’ve been going through Revelation for some time now in the evenings, and we have arrived at the famous chapter where we find the description of the millennium. On one hand, some of you have long anticipated this chapter and are very eager to discuss it, to lean…
Morning = Psalm 27, The God of Our Confidence
Who would’ve thought 2020 would be such a year? The rise of a virus and it spreading to around the whole planet, our President almost gets impeached, Kim Jong Un disappears for a time and is thought to be dead, the ridiculously strange TV show Tiger King soars in popularity, Murder Hornets, Monkeys steal Covid-19…
Evening = Revelation 20:1-10, The Millennium (Pt. 1)
Revelation 20:1-10 says, “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut…
Morning = Psalm 19, Words and the Wonder of God
We’ve all heard from many voices in these past weeks. From communities, to movements, to protesters peaceful and violent, to politicians, talk radio, news, various podcasts, even sport stars and celebrities are chiming in. Who would’ve thought? There is no doubt in the midst of all the voices out there today there is one voice…
Morning = Psalm 1, Two Ways to Live
Having now finished our long study through 2 Samuel, summer is upon us! And just as we spent last summer in the Psalms, we’ll do the same this summer. Now, don’t hear me wrong. All of the Psalms are wonderful. All of them teach us much, all of them carry us along various melodies, all…
A Shepherding Moment: On George Floyd
Hey Church, During this past Sunday's worship gathering (John group) we were able to speak to those who were gathered about the events of this past week. In an effort to shepherd and encourage the rest of you as well, we’d like to share what was said. We’re appalled and angered over the brutal, senseless murder…
Morning = 2 Samuel 24, A Three Day Plague
This morning we come to the final chapter in the story of the Samuels, and as we come to the end I’d remind you of the beginning. On Sunday morning, August 4, 2019 I said the following to you, “Today we begin 2 Samuel. While we saw David struggling in 1 Samuel because of the…
Evening = Revelation 19:6-10, The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
Last week we began chapter 19 looking at v1-5 where three hallelujahs flow forth from the vast multitude as they gladly give praise to God because God poured out His judgment on the wicked. It not only sobered us but comforted us. Why? Because this world often dupes into thinking it is always making great progress…
Morning = 2 Samuel 23:8-39, Valiant Warriors, (Pt. 2)
If you walked into my office and looked around what would you see? I thought you might say ‘books.’ But while you’re right in one sense you’re wrong in another. As you look around my office you see books yes, but if you look deeper you see a collection of mighty men and women of…
Evening = Revelation 19:1-5, Hallelujah’s To Our God
The most well-known and recognizable piece within the musical masterpiece Handel’s Messiah is the “Hallelujah Chorus.”[1] Even if you’ve never heard this chorus or any of the composition before, or have just heard parts of it, it’s highly likely you’ve heard the famous chorus before in a movie or on TV. Within the chorus itself the word ‘hallelujah’…
Evening = Revelation 17, The Mystery Woman (Part 1)
In the 1960’s the British Pop band Manfred Mann had many hits. One of my favorites they did is called The Mighty Quinn, but they might be more well-known for another song they covered in 1964. This song would eventually hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 of that year. It’s called Doo Wah Diddy and the lyrics are…
Morning = 2 Samuel 22, David’s Songs (Pt.1)
Remember as we first entered this final section of the Samuels I mentioned chapters 21-24 is an appendix, a poetic conclusion to the entire 1-2 Samuel story. We’ve spoken of the poetic structure of a chiasm before, often used to highlight a central point, and here we find another one: A1 – A Three year…
Morning = 2 Samuel 21:15-22, Valiant Warriors (Pt. 1)
Remember last week as we first entered into this final section of the Samuels I mentioned chapters 21-24 is an appendix, intended to be a poetic conclusion to the entire 1-2 Samuel story. We’ve spoken of the poetic structure of a chiasm before, often used to highlight a central point, and here we find another…
Evening = Revelation 16:17-21, The Seventh Bowl
What would you say are the most famous words in the Bible? Perhaps many passages come to mind. Starting from the very beginning of Scripture some might say God’s initial creation statement “Let there be light” is most famous. Maybe some would say it’s Moses’ words to Pharaoh “Let my people go!” Or Job’s words…
Morning = 2 Samuel 21:1-14, A Three Year Famine
Before we get to this text, allow me to briefly discuss the nature of these closing chapters in 2 Samuel to orient us to where we’ve arrived. When one enters chapters 21-24 one enters into a theological battlefield. Here’s the issue. Older scholars and theologians, like the Puritans for example, believe these chapters don’t skip…
Morning = 2 Samuel 20, More of the Same?
David was once a holy man, utterly committed to God’s ways and God’s Word, and when he became king his kingdom was righteous and secure. But it’s been quite some time since we’ve seen that hasn’t it? Sadly, over these past months walking through the concluding chapters of 2 Samuel I speak for many when…
Easter Morning = Matthew 28, Great Things
In our world today religious belief is seen as a matter of preference and opinion. Some people believe all religions, though varying in minutiae, are generally all teaching the same thing. Some believe religion is a crutch for those who can’t get through life on their own, or a crutch for those who are scared…
Good Friday = Matthew 27, The Crucifixion
All throughout this holy week our elders have been leading us in brief devotionals through the end of Matthew’s gospel. On Monday Pastor Andrew led us through the moment Jesus turned over the tables after the triumphal entry. On Tuesday Sam Knox taught us about Jesus’ rebuke to the Pharisees and chief priests. On Wednesday…
Evening = Revelation 14:14-20, The Final Harvest
It has been said many times throughout the history of the Church that the mission of the Church is twofold: worship and witness. Worship is clear is it not? We’re to publicly and privately, corporately and personally be engaged in worshipping our God for who He is and what He has done. I think it…
Morning = 2 Samuel 19:8b-43, The Return of the King
Today is a special day for Christians all around the world, it’s Palm Sunday, the day we remember when Christ the King came into Jerusalem humbly and lowly riding on a donkey. As Jesus made His triumphal entry the people lined the streets to shout “Hosanna, hosanna (meaning ‘Our God Saves’)…blessed is He who comes…
Morning = 2 Samuel 18:19-19:8a, A Grief Observed
The author C.S. Lewis is well-known for writing books such as Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, or The Chronicles of Narnia. Those are wonderful reads in themselves but one of his most powerful books is a bit lesser known and came from one of his most painful moments. In 1960 his wife Joy died. And Lewis already believing…
Corona Lockdown Update: 3.31.20
Good Afternoon Church Family, In accordance with our President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America we will be cancelling our Lord’s Day worship services and other gatherings at least through April 26th. Sadly, this includes cancelling our joint Good Friday service with Riverside and Cornerstone as well as limiting Easter Sunday to online. This decision has not been made reluctantly…
Morning = 2 Samuel 17, Rejoice – The Lord is King!
Well, the Coronavirus has gone from a local reality in China to a global pandemic according to the World Health Organization. Because of this nations have closed themselves off, travel bans have begun, universities have sent students home, sports leagues abroad have suspended seasons, and all over the world people have grown concerned. Watching and…
Coronavirus Sunday Worship Update – Please Read
Hey Church, After careful consideration, we believe that it is prudent for us not to gather corporately for worship this Sunday, March 15 as well as next Sunday, March 22. This has been a difficult decision for us to make as we will miss being together very much. In light of the ever-changing status of…
Evening = Revelation 13:11-18, The Second Beast
Last week Andrew covered the first half of Revelation 13 and the first beast that rises out of the sea. The second half of the chapter before us now shows us that this first beast is not alone.[1] No, he is joined by a second beast who rises out of the earth. Taking these two beasts…
Morning = 2 Samuel 16, Meekness & Weakness
Do some of you wonder why we’ve taken so long in this series to walk through 2 Samuel? I mean, ‘Aren’t we New Covenant Christians?’ This is a very understandable question about the present-day application of the Old Testament that eventually every Christian asks themselves. Perhaps I can settle this for some of you. In…
Morning = 2 Samuel 15:13-37, Absalom’s Rebellion, part 2
At the end of C.S. Lewis’ adventurous Narnian tale The Horse and His Boy a king tells his son what it means to be king saying this, “For this is what it means to be a king: to be first in every desperate attack and last in every desperate retreat, and when there's hunger in the land (as must be now…
Evening = Historic Faith: Anselm – Scholasticism – Aquinas
Thus far in our overview of the middle ages we’ve covered a lot of ground. We began in the Byzantine Empire, moved onto the expansion of holy Roman Empire, and how these things culminated in the great schism between the East and the West. We then turned to examine the dawn and growth of Islam,…
Morning = 2 Samuel 15:1-12, Absalom’s Rebellion, part 1
As the events of 2 Samuel 11-14 unfold readers might very easily sympathize with Absalom. He had grown up watching his father as king of Israel. He heard stories of his father’s youth, how he bravely fought Goliath, how he won many victories, how he righteously fled from Saul, and how God had given him…
Morning = 2 Samuel 14:1-33, Back Into the King’s Presence
Throughout this chapter we see a lot of scheming. Joab schemes in v1-20, David schemes in v21-24, and Absalom schemes in v25-33. Joab’s Activity (v1-20) Let’s begin in v1-3, where the scene is set up for us. “Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart went out to Absalom. And Joab sent…
Morning = 2 Samuel 13:22-39, The Foul Aftermath
In 1971 the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was filmed. I’m of the opinion that it’s much better than the modern remake, but anywho…do you remember the boat ride scene? As they wind their way through the factory they all get on a boat and two Oompa Loompa’s begin rowing them down stream. As they…
Morning = Colossians 3:12-17, Putting On the New
Over the past two weeks in Colossians 3 we’ve emphasized that by believing in Christ God has done a wonderful thing and united us to Christ. Spiritually speaking then, in Christ’s death we died - in Christ’s resurrection we rose - and in Christ’s ascension we have truly and already been seated with Him in…
Morning = Colossians 3:5-11, Putting Off the Old
If you have not already done so I invite you to turn in your Bibles to Paul’s letter to the Colossians, where today we’re continuing in our beginning of the year sermon series on the Church titled ‘3 Marks.’ As we did last week, let’s once again pray the words on the screen above together,…
Morning = Colossians 3:1-4, The Life Above Lived Below
Pastor Allan Babcock, the previous pastor of SonRise and the man whose shoes I’m now filling, told me many things as I arrived to take up his place and carry on the work. One of those things was this, “As a year ends and a new year begins I need, and my people need, a…
Morning = Psalm 22, From Trouble to Triumph
Sometimes a single line in a movie is so well crafted and so well delivered that to hear it is to experience the whole of that movie all over again.[1] “Go ahead, make my day.” “You can’t handle the truth!” “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” “Bond, James Bond.” And who could forget, “Life is like…
Morning = Psalm 16, Pleasures Forevermore
“God promises terrible things if you will not be happy in Him!”[1] Perhaps you didn’t hear that clearly, let me tell you that again. “God promises terrible things if you will not be happy in Him!” What’s your reaction to that quote? Do you agree? Do you disagree? Does it confuse you? Let’s explore this a…
Evening = Revelation 12:7-17, Conquering By the Blood
“You will be eaten by cannibals!” These words came out of the mouths of Christians and pastors who were seeking to dissuade a young man named John Paton from taking the gospel to the New Hebrides Islands. These islands were long known as a center of violent barbarism and yes, rumors of cannibalism abounded. Yet,…
Morning = Psalm 2, The Son of God
Advent is upon us! Of the many places we could go these few weeks to rejoice over the birth of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, we’ll be turning to the Psalms. Now, there are many genres of Psalms throughout the 150 we have: wisdom Psalms, lament Psalms, Psalms of confidence, Zion Psalms, penitential…
Morning = 2 Samuel 12, David Repentant
Today’s text is about repentance. Repentance has been defined as “…a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, does, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.”[1] But when it comes down…
Evening = Revelation 10, The Mighty Angel & The Little Scroll
As we begin chapter 10 this evening we come to another repetition in the book of Revelation. In the seals we saw earlier the first four were grouped together, then the fifth and sixth were grouped together, then there was a minor break or intermission, culminating in the moment when the seventh and final seal…
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