Sermon Archive
June 2019
Don’t Pour Your Passions Into A Broken Pot
Imagine if your Father-In-Law had tried to murder you with a spear…twice. In 1 Samuel 17 David asked what would be done for the man who killed Goliath and the reward was, in part, that the daughter of Saul would be given to him in marriage. After some time passes Saul makes good on that pledge and David marries his youngest daughter, Michal. The name David is derived from a Hebrew word meaning “beloved” or “loved one” and it is a fitting name because everyone, but Saul, seems to love Davi…
May 2019
The Jealousy of Saul
In 1 Samuel 18:6-16 we will see that Saul becomes jealous of David. He’s jealous because the people think more highly of David than him, and he’s also jealous because the Lord was with David, but had departed from him.
Jealousy is an intoxicant that blurs one’s vision, clouds the mind, dulls judgment, and makes one behave strangely. It is a potent cocktail of empty-handed desire, possessiveness, and paranoid suspicion. Jealousy not only wants what others have, but it also doesn’t…
Souls Knit Together
Years ago, I knew an acquaintance who had recently moved to a new town and was attending a new church. I asked her how the transition was going, and she said, “Everybody’s friendly, but nobody’s a friend.” That phrase stuck with me. Of course, what she meant by that was that although everyone was nice enough she didn’t yet feel like she had connected in a deeper way with anyone. Her new relationships were pleasant but also superficial and therefore unsatisfying.
To one degr…
A Showdown Between Two Men of Faith
Even non-Christians know and understand the reference when you speak of a “David-versus-Goliath” scenario. Of course, that means two opponents who are wildly mismatched in size, skill, strength or some other competitive advantage. This Sunday, we will be studying 1 Samuel 17 together, which details for us the thrilling account of when David accepted the challenge of a freakishly large Philistine man named Goliath to fight as two representative champions of their respective armies. Winne…
David In the Service of Saul
I hope you can listen to this message as we worship God through the study of His Word. We’ll be continuing our study through the life of David by unpacking the second half of 1 Samuel 16 in which God will ironically use the unwitting King Saul to bring his replacement, David, into his service for some training in the ways of the court. I’m excited about what God will say to us through this portion of scripture as we study it together.
April 2019
The Boy Who Would Be King
I hope you can listen in to this message as we embark on a new sermon series through the life of Israel’s greatest King, David. His story spans multiple books, and his life story is rich with meaning and application for God’s people today. Like most people we encounter in God’s Word, David is a complicated figure. He defies simple labels. This coming Sunday we will be unpacking the first 13 verses of 1 Samuel 16. In those verses we will be introduced to David for the first time, and as he is anointed King by the prophet Samuel we will learn some important principles about Biblical leadership.
Enter By the Narrow Gate
On March 27, 1513, a squadron of three ships flying Spanish colors drew within sight of the Florida mainland for the first time. The leader of the expedition was an aging Conquistador named Juan Ponce De Leon. He came ashore at a site just south of where the St. John’s River flows out into the Atlantic, and there he planted a cross and raised the royal banner of Spain. Because he made this discovery at Easter time he called this new land that he’d discovered “Terra de Pascua Florida,” w…
Making Known the Unknown God
On January 8, 1815 a rag tag force of approximately 4,700 Americans under the command of General Andrew Jackson defeated 11,000 British Regulars in the Battle of New Orleans. However, as you may remember from history class, the great irony of that battle was that it came just fifteen days after the signing of the treaty of Ghent which officially ended the war. In those days news traveled at the rate of wind-powered boats and horses, and news didn’t reach forces in the field until after th…
A Jailer Set Free
In this message we will be studying the exciting account in Acts 16 of how a first century prison guard in the city of Philippi became a follower of Jesus. I have never worked as a prison guard exactly, but when I was a police officer my job was at times not so dissimilar. I’m not sure if this is also true in Maine, but in Vermont, where I worked in law enforcement, when I would arrest someone during court hours I had to take them over to the courthouse to see the judge that same day. Und…
March 2019
The Conversion of Lydia
The sixteenth chapter of Acts documents for us the moment when the Gospel first arrived onto the mainland of the European continent. In the centuries that followed Christianity would go on to become the prevailing worldview of nearly all European peoples. Christianity would serve as the muse that inspired painters, musicians, architects, and craftsmen of all sorts. From those countries Christianity would gain many of its most influential thought leaders. Today the European landscape is dott…