Calvary: the Hill Sermons

Like a good teacher, Paul in our text today, repeats himself with increasing clarity. He underscores a foundational truth that his readers should not move from, that this Jesus, who shed His blood on the cross, is fully God and fully human. In the language of John's gospel, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."

Paul, in a majestic hymn, turns our attention to the glorious person of Jesus Christ as both creator and redeemer.

There is always more to experience in the Gospel of Jesus. Paul paints a tapestry of prayer that the Colossians would experience the A-to-Z of the Gospel and the growth that comes with it.

Paul's got nothing but thanksgiving to God that the Gospel reached a city he had never been to. He spends time reflecting on how wonderful the Gospel really is, and the God made it possible.

A look at the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of the book of Colossians. Should a 21st century American church care what the Apostle Paul had to say to a 1st century church that he didn't start in an insignificant city that he never visited?

Right on the heels of the greatest command to love God is the second greatest - to love our neighbor as ourselves. In many ways this is more difficult practically speaking. So practically, how does our church do this? We'll take a glance at the ministries that emphasize neighbor love.

Our number one priority as the people of God is to love Him back. That's the first and greatest commandment, according to Christ. How do we do that as a church family? This week we take a look at the wide array of opportunities to do just that, together.

In spiritual direction circles, we often talk about the distance between the head and the heart as being the "longest journey". But this, the longest journey, is essential. If we want a relationship with Jesus, beyond our head-knowledge, we must go where he goes and speak the language he speaks. We have to go to our hearts.

Unique to the Mosaic Law, Israel’s legislature provides a glimpse at the heart of the God who wrote it. Embedded in that law is a social program called the Cities of Refuge—a program of grace, compassion, and mercy.

Our culture attempts to define the good life for us: wealth, family, service, happiness, and the list goes on. What does it mean to live a good life? What constitutes the good life? According to Proverbs, the only way to the good life is through the fear of God.

Proverbs is full of practical tips and tricks for living. But what is the overarching type of life that the Proverbs wants to cultivate? One of righteousness and justice, rooted in the character, actions, and fear of God.

Fear-of-God wisdom leads to wisdom in relationships. You need other people. Proverbs teaches us that isolation leads to death; community leads to life; and wisdom leads to active participation in the right community.

Proverbs makes clear that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," but what does it mean to fear the Lord? We see in the first few chapters of Proverbs what it looks like to "center" God in our navigation of life, and therefore acquire wisdom.

We often get much of our identity from where we're from, or where our home is. When asked the question, "Where are you from", some of us have a ready answer. As believers in Christ, as sons of the almighty God, one thing we can say for sure is that our true home is with Jesus. Over these two Sundays, we're going to dive in and explore what this might mean day to day for us now, and a bit of what w...

We often get much of our identity from where we're from, or where our home is. When asked the question, "Where are you from?", some of us have a ready answer. As believers in Christ, as sons of the almighty God, one thing we can say for sure is that our true home is with Jesus. Over these two Sundays, we're going to dive in and explore what this might mean day to day for us now, and a bit of what...

We arrive at the climax of the Servant Songs, and we are given a detailed description of the task that the Servant would accomplish.

We read a lot about what Jesus did for us. But we don't often get a window into his inner thoughts. Over 700 years before Christ, Isaiah provides us a view behind the curtain of the character and inner life of Jesus.

Isaiah has established that Jesus is going to bring a kingdom of justice, but who will make up the citizens of that kingdom? In the second Servant Song, we see God's sights set on "bringing his salvation to the ends of the earth," creating a kingdom of both Jews and representatives from every nation on earth.

In the first of four Servant Songs, the prophet Isaiah gives us our first glimpse at the future Servant of the Lord, who will bring a kingdom of total justice to bear on the earth.

Paul signs off to he Philippian church with his typical Jesus-saturated farewell, and in turn encourages us toward becoming a Gospel Family. We do that through unity, perseverance, joy, and intimacy, in Christ.

Paul finally arrives at the thank-you part of this thank-you letter. And in true Pauline fashion, he uses it as an opportunity to coach the church through what it means to be truly content, no matter the circumstances.

God is the God of peace. Jesus promised us peace. One of the fruits of the Spirit is peace. But how do we become people full of gospel peace? Paul walks us step by step in making God's peace a daily reality in our lives.

If the church is a family, then there's bound to be conflict. What is the Christian way to handle this? Paul gives us a robust exhortation that should help us navigate the complexities of life in our sometimes dysfunctional family.

How on earth are we to live in Seattle as citizens of Heaven? How are we to rightly balance our allegiance to Jesus with our allegiance to our neighbors? Paul expertly shows us how.

For Paul, all worldviews pale in comparison with simply knowing Jesus. It is this relationship that has caused Paul to forfeit all other allegiances and avenues. For Paul, the gospel is a person named Jesus.