Seven Mile Road

In this update, we hit on the essentials of how we are going about our mission in this unusual Holy Week.

In this sermon, we continue allowing the words of the Biblical book of Philippians to shape our souls as we live through the Coronavirus crisis. Although Paul was on lockdown, the gospel wasn't, as all kinds of folks filled his shoes and preached gospel. What's odd is that some did it from pure motives, and some not-so-pure . What's even more odd is Paul's response, which will...

In this sermon, we hear a most paradoxical and encouraging word from the Spirit. "What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel." This such an important axiom for us to pound into our souls: God is always at work accomplishing His gospel purposes ... even in apparent setbacks . Reference: Philippians 1:12-14

Paul begins his letter to the Philippians with a note of thankful joy. Wait, what? How can he be joyful while on lockdown? He remembers their partnership in the gospel from the first day he met them ... and he anticipates their partnership in the gospel to the last day. And this because he knows the faithfulness of God.

Yes, John Lennon was a spectacularly gifted artist. But the gospel he preached was false. And therefore bankrupt. Now that a mashup of Lennon's Imagine is trending on social media, we thought we'd make available our track of the same name, yet with a strikingly different vision. We wrote this in the early days of Seven Mile Road.  John Frederick on vocals. 

In our first-ever "over Zoom" sermon*, we walked through the first two verses of Jesus's Apostle Paul's letter to the Philippians, which was written during a time when he was "on lockdown" in a Roman jail cell. We are expecting Paul to be angry or depressed or paralyzed, but instead we see just the opposite! He is thankful and rejoicing and busy with whatever gospel w...

Marriage is meant to not only display the gospel but to advance it. This means it’s essential for a husband and wife to be aligned in their love for God and devotion to His mission. And so it’s no surprise that one of the 3 big commitments we see the people make as they begin their new life together is that they will not “intermarry” with outsiders. In this sermon, we think on why this was importa...

This Sunday we welcomed a whole new crew of Bostonians into the life, under the care, and onto the mission of Seven Mile Road. We began in Nehemiah 11, noting the courage displayed by those who willingly moved back into Jerusalem and connecting that with the commitment to invest our lives in the advance of the gospel through the local church. Then we heard (briefly!) from folks who are stepping in...

Nehemiah (in chapter 12) recounts what happened on Dedication Day: the city has been rebuilt and repopulated and now everyone gathers to celebrate. Two choirs of men encircle the city and lead everyone in such loud and raucous singing that their voices can be heard from miles away. In this sermon, we talk about how this scene - with godly men leading and everyone singing together - informs our son...

Nehemiah and the people have sorrowed over their sin and reveled in God’s grace, and now they covenant together on the 3 specific things, one of which is committing themselves to “funding the ministry” of Jerusalem. They knew that the only way right worship could be restored to the city was if they gave generously to it, so they went all in! In this sermon, we’ll see what drove their eagerness to...

In this sermon, we see that the people’s immediate response to hearing the words of God read and explained is to weep over their sin. This is a good response as those tears are a gift from God. And yet Nehemiah quickly instructs them to stop crying and start partying. Why the 180? Because the “joy of the Lord” is our strength.

The aim, the intent of God’s Word (once understood) is to move us to believe and live it. The Word of God is not an intellectual mind-teaser nor a fascinating story for engaged readers. No, God spoke so that we might believe Him and live for Him specifically in our time and in our place. As we continue on in Nehemiah 8, we are struck by a stark discovery of the people of God that changed the way t...

The walls and gates of the city have been re-formed! Now the really hard work comes: it’s time to re-form the people. Where does this work begin? The same place reformations and revivals always begin: with God’s words heralded, heard, understood, embraced. In this sermon, we work through Nehemiah 8:1-8 and catch a vision for a church being alive to the unpacking of Scripture.

As we jump back into Nehemiah’s memoir, we see that the city walls are up and gates are in, but the work is just beginning. Now it’s time to reform the people . But before that work can begin, Nehemiah needs to put someone in charge of “security.” Who does Nehemiah appoint? And, more importantly, why ? As we unpack those answers we’ll glean much-needed wisdom for calling leaders in the life and mi...

In this sermon, we cast vision for how those of us who struggle with porn use can experience freedom in 2020. If porn is an issue for you to one degree or another, this sermon is meant to infuse your soul with optimism and give you some tools for the fight.

In this sermon, we come across one of the most hilariously anticlimactic sentences in Scripture, as Nehemiah tells us flatly that “the wall was finished in 52 days.” They did it! And fast!! Wow!!! Nehemiah also notes that they did it “with the help of our God.” This thought provides us with an understanding that God - no, for real, God - is involved in our work.

Doing the right thing the right way is not easy, and the calls to turn us aside from the work takes many forms. This week in Nehemiah 6 we see natural inclinations can be the drive to ignore what God has said. This pressure could disqualify or nullify the work, so the risk is great.

In this sermon, we kick off Advent marveling how the gospel welcomes and unites people across all socioeconomic realities. As we see the birth of Christ heralded to both “shepherds” and “wise men,” we are reminded that God’s grace is for all the people, just as the angel said. We’ll reflect on this truth and think about how it must shape the culture of Seven Mile Road.

In this podcast, we walk through the thought process that went into preaching through the story of Nehemiah opening his table at his expense to bless others.

As we’ve preached through the book of Nehemiah, we have seen courage from the people of God as they join in on the work and face external opposition. This week, our story starts to take a turn and we see that the people of God are facing the internal threat of sin in the community. We get to see the difficulties and beauties with confronting sin and repentance. 

Several years ago we resolved at Seven Mile Road to “not play scared.” In this sermon, we finish our look at the fourth chapter of Nehemiah and see a beautiful example of what this looks like. Although surrounded by enemies and badgered by some of his countrymen to quit, Nehemiah won’t do it. Instead, he implores the people to trust God and stand strong.

Nehemiah wasn’t five minutes into his work before the haters started in on him, jeering, questioning, threatening, and attacking his good work. Opposition from the world is a sine qua non for anyone who is about the advance of the gospel. In this sermon, we learn how Nehemiah's responses to those who opposed his work of reform can shape ours. 1:31 PM

In this sermon, we see Nehemiah rally the people to the difficult and dangerous task of rebuilding the city … and (almost) everybody jumps in! Way outside their comfort level, they get to work, side-by-side. This is how the gospel advances, and it’s our vision for life at Seven Mile Road.

As we consider the powerful king that Nehemiah faced-off with in order to carry out the big burden that God had placed on his heart, we will see principles for all of us as we speak to and deal with Power. Whether doing everyday obedience or going for something big that God has called us to, we will encounter powerful individuals that will require us to know some truth deep in our bones about the...