Hold Up The Book

In this third installment of our series on elders/pastors/shepherds, we talk about three more responsibilities of those who lead a congregation, and we talk about one responsibility that all saints have toward the elders who lead them.

This message, part of a series about the grand story of the Bible, talks about the final chapter of the Hebrew Bible: 2 Chronicles 36. It seems like the end of the story of Israel, and there are some heavy lessons to learn from it. And yet, even the writer who penned this chapter knew that, because of the grace of God, this  wasn't the end of their story. And that's where we see the good...

Job is often held up as a great example of patience & endurance through times of great suffering, as well he should be. But in the final chapter of his story, Job's experience turns much more messianic — showing a shadow of things to come in Christ as he intercedes for his friends and God forgives them based on his actions. This communion meditation brings all of that to light, reminding...

This message simply puts together some Biblical traits of a great group of Christians. Some of them are transcendent ideals about our relationship with God in Christ, and some of them are just very practical ways that we can live out the implications of that grand relationship.

During the Triumphal Entry, the Jews told Christ to rebuke his disciples for the way they praised him ("Hosanna to him who comes in the name of the Lord!"). Jesus' answer was: "If these were silent, the very stones would cry out!" And, as it turns out... sometimes throughout the Bible, the stones  did  cry out as a mighty act of God was being done!

There are several distorted models of leadership that simply don't work as metaphors or models for elders/pastors of a church. This message highlights some of them and the downfalls of each, plus points us to the importance of shepherds who  feed the sheep .

The final commandment is longer than it is often given credit for. More than a generic warning against greed, it's a specific command not to desire things which do not righteously belong to us. It often seems out of place among such lofty ideals as some of the other Commandments, but we attempt to show its powerful place among them with this message.

A church of the living God is his people — both in the universal, eternal sense and in their smaller, congregational identities. One of the hallmarks of congregations is that they are led by elders—a role that is often also called "shepherds" or "pastors." This is a crucial role in a congregation, so this is the first of three messages of teaching on this role and those who fil...

The meaning of the ninth commandment is typically flattened from "You shall not bear false witness"—which is an issue that pertains to the courts and their ability prosecute evil among the nation—to a general piece of advice that all people should tell the truth. But flattening it like that causes us to miss some of the power that this commandment has for shaping a whole nation of people...

Hannah—the mother of Samuel—serves a great example of faithful, devoted parenting. Hannah's ultimate decision to give her son to God teaches a lessson that all parents should understand: the our kids ultimately belong to God and are to be given to him.

Sexual fidelity in marriage is a matter of crucial importance throughout the pages of the Bible, and so it's important that God's people in all of time learn to value the good of righteous marriage and see the dangers of giving in to the temptations of adultery.

Romans 6 describes how salvation releases us from the slavery to sin and our own destructive desires... and gives us the grace to volunteer as slaves of God. This is a challenging thought for modern, Western readers, but it is a wonderful promise when seen through a Biblical worldview.

While it might sound like another simple commandment that hardly deserves an exposition, "Do not steal" has powerful life implications and applications for those who would truly serve God.

The hymn, "On Zion's Glorious Summit," offers a paradigm shift for those who are willing to see it. Because that hymn doesn't just celebrate some of the elements of Heaven; it gets to the heart of the issue. It reminds us that Heaven is not just about what we will get and experience and receive  — it's all about God himself.

The King James Version of the Bible translated Exodus 20:13 as "Thou shalt not kill." But that really doesn't capture the  truest meaning of the commandment, which is more accurately rendered in virtually every modern translation: "You shall not  murder ." And while that might sound like a commandment that's so obvious as to be unnecessary, it teaches us SO MUCH about...

Cultures throughout human history have gone up and down in their levels of appreciation for parents and the whole concept of parental authority. This lesson reminds us of the concept's importance among the people of God—whether they lived under the covenant of Moses or of Christ.

This message, based out of a single verse in the last chapter of Acts, helps us to have a powerful, realistic, and HOPEFUL perspective on evangelism and what it will be like when we share the gospel with the world around us.

A case could be made that the Sabbath commandment is the one that set the Israelites apart from their neighbors the most. It reminded them of the importance of  rest , of  trusting God , and of equality among all people , because all are made in the image of God.

All throughout the book of Acts, God's people spoke about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And far from being celebrated by the world around them, that message was what got them imprisoned, beaten, and persecuted over and over again. The question we all have to ask and answer for ourselves: Are we as convicted about the resurrection as they were? Will we stand for that truth while the world...

The command says "you shall not take the name of the Lord in vain." Surely, that means that we must not speak it in vain, and it means much more than that. This message explains and applies the command for all of time. *One thing that you need to know for this this audio-only recording to fully make sense: toward the end of this message, Dan held up a cardboard cut-out of Jesus as an ill...

When Christ opened people's eyes to God's unique brand of forgiveness, there were some naysayers and skeptics. And today, there are still naysayers and skeptics, even among believers. On some level, we all struggle to understand the depths of the forgiveness that we've received and the depths of the forgiveness that we should offer. This message helps us to see them both more clearl...

The second word in the Ten, like the first, has some major theological value as it teaches us about God and gods. This message looks at the commandment in its ancient context, pagan context, and Christian context.

In this message, we work our way through what I'm calling the 2nd movement of Romans — from 3:27 thru the end of chapter 5. There are four big ideas that we're taught about righteousness and salvation: Not By Moses’ Law, But By Faith (3:27–4:25) Not Just For Now, But For Eternity (5:1–5) Not By Our Power, But By Christ’s (5:6–21) Not Only For “Us,” But For All  (a theme throughout these...

The Ten Commandments are ubiquitous. To this day, they are the foundation to the greatest moral national law ever laid down for any earthly nation. And the first one makes it plain why they are so great: because they are from YHWH God. For the next 10 weeks, the TBT sermons will be a whole series on the Ten Commandments.

The 23rd Psalm reminds us that we shouldn't picture God as an eternally dissatisfied parent who is always frustrated with everyone all the time—even with his faithful ones. This psalm helps us see the joy and comfort and peace that we can have when we know the Good Shepherd. He gives what we need, and he fulfills our longings that we can say truthfully, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall...