Jesus at 2AM - A Humorous, Intelligent Look at the Bible, Church History & the Life of Faith

How far can we dream of a world set right? What can we imagine of creation on the other side of salvation? In this episode we continue our look at the vision of salvation that God provides through the prophet Isaiah. And what we see is a coming king of such justice can compassion that his reign leads to a complete transformation of creation. Enmities that we'd never dream could be healed will be r...

That God intends to save the world from the curse of sin has been clear from the very beginning of the biblical story. But it is through the 8th-century BC prophet Isaiah that God begins to reveal the specifics of how this salvation will unfold. What emerges is a vision of a coming messiah (anointed one) who will bring a radical transformation to history. And in this first of four sermons on Isaia...

What more appropriate end to a letter such as Romans than a prayer, particularly a prayer in praise of God's goodness and glory? In this episode we examine Paul's closing doxology in detail and in the process review all that we have learned from him about the saving work of God. If it has the effect Paul intends, our ultimate response will be one of thankful worship expressed in carrying on the wo...

As Paul approaches the conclusion of his letter, he extends personal greetings individuals in Rome. It's a list of mostly Greek names that we know little about, struggle to pronounce and are very much inclined to skip. BUT...if we take the time to examine the details, we discover a great deal about the structure of the Roman church (and the early church in general), not least the prominence of wom...

As he approaches the end of his letter, Paul turns his attention to immediate and personal matters, most particularly his plans for the future - plans for trips to Jerusalem (to deliver a financial offering) and to Spain (to proclaim the gospel). In doing so, Paul opens an important window into himself and the world of the 1st century church. But he also allows us to see - in retrospect - how God...

The followers of Jesus are tragically prone to argue with each other. We bicker about theology, about worship, about piety and morality, sometimes to the point of church schism (the undoing of the very community we are called to create). So it is now, and so it was for the first century Roman church. In this episode, we look at Paul's instruction to the Roman congregation regarding church unity am...

The call to love the other - the neighbor, the stranger, even the enemy - is foundational to the Christian life. But why are we to love them? And perhaps even more importantly, how? Where do we find the mean to love those with whom we have no natural bond or affection, or perhaps those who would do us harm? In this episode we examine Paul's instruction on the love of other and how it is to be achi...

The foundational confession of Christianity is that Jesus is Lord (and thus Caesar is not). So what are Christian to do with Caesar? What role has the civil government? In this episode Paul takes up the question of the relationship between the church and the state and arrives - as you might expect - at a very nuanced answer. Civil government is ordained by God, but that does not mean every governo...

Sometimes life hands us the worst case scenario. This is a sermon about those moments and where we can find hope. It is not a sermon of platitude or cheap advice, but a deep look at scripture's own articulation of hope as found in Psalm 46. It's a poem none of us wants to need. But when we need it, we are so grateful for its presence. If you'd like to read the poem, you can find it here:  Psalm 46...

It will come as no surprise that, as Paul turns his attention to daily Christian living, love once again takes center stage. Having allowed our minds to be shaped by the Holy Spirit, now we are to live out the love of God toward others in some very specific ways. In this episode Paul details the manner of love that befits the Christian life - a manner which turns out to mirror the very love of Chr...

Having revolutionized Hebrew theology, Paul now turns his attention to practice - how we are to live as the people of God for whom future salvation is breaking into the present, people who possess the Holy Spirit in our individual and collective center. And Paul's answer begins with nothing less than the very transformations of our minds. In this episode, guest preacher Joe Haley takes us through...

At last we arrive at the ultimate question: Who is saved? We know by now that the answer is "the elect" (those whom God chooses to save). But who are the elect? At last we arrive at one of the great questions of Christian theology: Who is saved? We know that salvation belongs to "the elect" — those whom God chooses to save — but who, exactly, are the elect? Does God choose some for salvation and l...

The last piece in the puzzle of the salvation of the world is answering the question of who constitutes "the saved." For most of biblical history, the assumed answer was: Israel. But now, on the other side of the resurrection, a strange thing is happening: Gentiles are coming to faith (Paul's surest sign of salvation) en masse, while most of Israel is not. What are we to make of it all? In this ep...

So, has God rejected his covenant people (thereby calling his faithfulness into question)??? Today we begin to see that the answer is no. And to explain what is happening with Israel's seeming rejecting of Jesus, Paul turns to the Hebrew scripture's theme of a "saved remnant." There is, says Paul, a subset of Israel set apart for faith. And through that remnant God is working out the salvation of...

For those of us who've spent years in Christianity, the connection between the promises of God to Israel, the visions of the prophets, the ministry of Jesus and the mission of the church may seem (somewhat) clear. But that is only because Paul has made them clear! In this episode we look at an example of biblical interpretation par excellence, as Paul weave together strands of the scriptures never...

As Paul continues his discussion of salvation by election, it seems there has come a tremendous reversal: Gentiles (non-Jews) are coming to faith (the sign of election) in Christ, while most of ethnic Israel (heirs of the covenant promise of salvation) is not. What explains this turn of events? What mistake (if any) is Israel making? And does it all boil down to the classical Protestant debate bet...

Paul now turns to the seeming contradiction between justice and election. If one is saved only by God's sovereign choice, where is the justice in divine condemnation? It is a debate as old as theology and pivotal in the development of Western Christianity. While reminding humans of the need for humility before the divine will, Paul develops the analogy of a potter and his clay: Does clay have a cl...

From soaring heights of hope, Paul plunges dramatically to near despair as he now turns his attention to Israel and her collective lack of faith. After all, if, as Paul has argued, faith is the ultimate sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit at one's center, and the Spirit the sign and seal of our inclusion in the community of God's salvation, what is to be made of Israel's rejection of Jesus? Ca...

If you are looking for hope, you have come to the right place! In this episode we arrive at Paul's unequivocal declaration that there is nothing, truly nothing, that can separate God's people from his love. Nothing in life, nothing in death, nothing of any earthly ruler or spiritual power...nothing. Indeed so sovereign the God of love, that he can make all things work together for our ultimate goo...

In this part 2 (of 2) on Rom. 8:12-27, we look at the future dimension of salvation - what will occur at the end of the age as a result of the cross. And in so doing, we discover that the future is breaking into the present. While the vestiges of the old age (the reign of sin) endure, the future age of salvation has also begun. And thus the Christian life is lived in an overlap of two ages (which...

This sermon is part 1 of 2 on Rom. 8:12-27, a critical passage in the letter, as Paul makes a transition from his discussion of how God has been active across history (including the cross) to accomplish our rescue, to how we are to live in the present age of the church. In particular, Paul discusses our new manner of life with the Holy Spirit at our center (where our Adam-ness once ruled). We know...

What is the way out of humanity's captivity to sin? And what assurance do we have that we, personally, are included in God's project of salvation? In this episode, we take up these two critical questions as Paul explains the manner in which we have truly died to sin, and been raised, already, with Christ to new life. It is Paul's first major discussion of the Holy Spirit in Romans and a dimension...

We humans place too much confidence in willpower, particularly where the spiritual life is concerned. We imagine that what stands between us and true shalom is a greater internal effort. If only we could try harder, be more devout...we could make grand strides towards righteousness. In this episode we look at Paul's critical insight that volition is no antidote to sin (as our inability to Torah ob...

So often we imagine that the road to holiness is marked out by the Law; that God's moral command is the key to reducing sin and increasing love in our lives. And thus our tendency to return to piety and legalism as strategies for intimacy with God. But, as Paul has already argued, the Law is powerless to accomplish this purpose! In this episode we examine Paul's exhortation for Christians to regar...

We humans have an incredible longing to return to Egypt. That is to say, to return to the land of our captivity, even after we have been set free. As harmful as it may have been, it was home...for a long time. And learning to manage freedom is harder than it looks. It was true for historical Israel, and it is true for us. Through Christ, we have been set free from our bondage to sin. And yet we ha...