Atlanta Westside Presbyterian Church

Jesus draws a contrast between the intoxicating agony of ministry and the helpless wonder of salvation. It's not wrong to rejoice that Jesus is pleased to channel his power through us, but it is infinitely more awesome that he saves us at all. Ironically, those who rejoice in their salvation above all become more effective channels of his power. Walter preached this sermon for the opening worship...

Joy is possible despite our circumstances because we know Christ and have an identity not based on our efforts but based on all that Christ has done. It is tempting to put our confidence in the value system of the world around us, but what Christ offers us is far superior than anything else we could ever possess. Our achievements or accolades cannot be the basis for our identity because ultimately...

In this passage, we meet a man in crisis: His life has come apart, and he comes to Jesus for rescue. But he is afraid: even if Jesus can help him, would Jesus even want to? This story reveals Jesus as more than simply a miraculous healer, but also a compassionate God, who knows us better than we might suspect. 

The old covenant sacrificial system viscerally illustrated the truth that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus perfects this principle, presenting his own blood “once for all” in the true tent, the actual presence of God. This new and better covenant doesn’t just purify our bodies, but even our consciences—assuring us that we belong with him forever...

What kind of story are Christians living in? Hebrews 8 reveals a sharp contrast between the default story of human progress and the Gospel story of grace.

Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones is a dramatic picture of the hope of the Gospel. Not only will all who trust in Jesus be physically resurrected, as Jesus was, but his Holy Spirit both dwells in us and fills up in us. As a result, we like Ezekiel can preach to the dry bones in our lives, and pray to the Breath to give them Life.

A meditation for Good Friday.

Everyone needs "priests" to give us authorized external confirmation that we are good enough, but all of our earthly priests will fail us, consigning us to a life of perpetual struggle. Jesus, however, is better than every priest who ever lived, even the mysterious priest-king Melchizedek, because his offering for us was final, and his prayers for us are perpetual. His once-for-all sacrifice on th...

Why should we trust the promises of God? Hebrews 6 gives us three reasons: a compelling example, a proven principle, and a satisfying metaphor. The compelling example is Abraham, patiently (and sometimes impatiently) waited for God to fulfill his promises. The proven principle is God swearing by his own self. Though oaths like this are less relied on today, they expose the personal acts of trust a...

It can be hard to tell the difference between an immature Christian and an inauthentic one. According to the author of Hebrews, the main difference is growth. While it is possible for people with significant spiritual experiences to "fall away," those who receive the gift of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus cannot lose it. At the same time, God wants us to keep growing into this salvation...

Many of us wake up each morning weighed down by the stress of life’s difficulties, pains, miseries, and so on. The world is constantly looking for solutions, but so far every man-made effort has failed. However, Jesus met every qualification to be that better solution. He became human, with limitations, who suffered and endured weakness, just as we do. And because of this, he understands us.

Christians who believe the Good News of Jesus can be confident that they will one day enter eternal rest with God in the new heavens and new earth. Until then, we can also rest in God’s peace, regardless of our circumstances. But this, too, requires strenuous believing, starting with the promise that Jesus has achieved our rest for us—so we don’t have to! It also involves practicing sabbath in com...

When believing gets painful, Christians have a choice: Either let your heart get hardened, which is easy, or hold fast to your hope, which is hard. Thankfully, your heavenly calling was already secured for you by the Father, earned for you by the Son, and sustained for you by the Holy Spirit. This means you only have to “take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of you” (Philippians 3:12...

Jesus was made like us so that we could be made like him. The author of Hebrews reminds us, citing Psalm 8, that we were made to be kings and queens, ruling God’s world on his behalf. At present, however,  sin has made us slaves to the fear of death instead. To remedy this situation, Jesus had to become like us in every respect, forging bonds of shared understanding that help us to trust him. And...

God is speaking to you. Are you listening?  If Jesus is not supreme to you, something else will be. And you’re not paying close attention, the current will carry you away from him. But if Jesus is supreme to you, and if you are paying closer attention to what he has said, you can become an agent of his divine speech.

Elijah was considered the greatest of all the prophets. But despite all his victories, he still runs in fear into the wilderness to escape death, falling into a state of depression, and asking the LORD to take his life. Instead, God sent an angel to comfort and provide for him. This experience taught Elijah that God does not always show up in powerful events. Sometimes, it's in the small whispers.

The Old Testament law of tithing does not carry over neatly into tithing our income today—but it does illustrate that the heart of God is to include us in his generous feast of grace. The more we grasp his heart, the more we give away with more freedom and more joy. God's priorities for our giving start with ministries that support the worship of God's people, especially local churches, and also t...

To live ”not by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” includes obeying God’s moral laws, but it never stops there. It also means trusting his commitment to bless us abundantly with literal food and every other material thing we need. Scripture is a feast that orients us to all of life: Who God is, who we are, why we are here, and where it’s all going. Above all, it...

Joseph's dramatic meal with his brothers illustrates the complex currents flowing around all of our tables. In different relationships, we find ourselves in the Guarded role like Joseph, the Guilty role like his older brothers, or the Graced role like Benjamin. Only the sovereign hand of God can steer these stories toward redemption, and that's exactly what God does. Jesus is the true and better J...

The only story about Jesus' childhood in the Bible is bookended by two summary statements which cover about 90% of Jesus' life—from infancy to age 30. Together they remind us that Jesus' entire life was one of physical, spiritual and relational growth. He shared the secret of this growth when his parents found him in the temple after the Passover: "I must be in my Father's house" (v. 49) — or more...

.

Isaiah's prophecy of the Suffering Servant suggests that Jesus was not physically attractive, and nothing in the Gospel accounts suggests otherwise. Why? Why wouldn't he be the most beautiful human who ever lived? The answer, Isaiah suggests, lies in his mission to rescue humanity from our dead-end quest to trust in our own beauty. Jesus challenges us to fight to find beauty in the ugly places of...

During Advent, we look back at the birth of Christ and ahead to his return. 

In this passage today, we see that Martha is a lot like us. She is driven and has goals and a plan for the evening; she has an idea of how the night will go. She also knows that she has to take charge because Mary isn’t doing it. Martha is also restless and anxious. What we find, though, is that Martha and Mary have different postures around Jesus, the King of kings. Yet, one has chosen something...

God's call of Abram sets the mold for the entire Bible: One man is chosen in order to bless the whole world. This blessing doesn't just save individuals; it builds a flourishing society. And Abram's participation in the blessing is entirely free, yet it costs him everything.