Stonebrook Church, Ames, Iowa, Sermons

“THIS IS HARD TO UNDERSTAND” – COMPLEXITY IN THE BIBLE. A warning from the Apostle Peter: 2 Peter 3: 15-17  “And count the patience of the Lord as salvation, just as your beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and un...

Does anyone enjoy bad news? Well, most of you must find some satisfaction in it, for we read it and listen to it every day. Shooting in Oregon. Monsoon rains in South Carolina. Political bickering. ISIS rampaging in the Middle East.   There is bad news every day.   The Bible has bad news. And we just read some of it in Romans 2.   But the bad news is what makes the good news good.     We are in […...

INTRO AND RECAP – picking up Paul’s argument Today we’re picking up our series from the book of Romans in chapter 2, so if you’d all turn there with me, we’ll be working our way through the whole chapter, but with special focus on verses 1 through 16.  As you are turning, I just wanted to comment on the difficulty of a series like this.  Romans is one of the longest letters in the New Testament, a...

We call this book the Bible.  Interestingly, the word “Bible” mean “book.” But this is not actually one book but 66 books or 66 writings written by 40 different authors over a 1,500 year time period.   We are beginning a study of one of those writings, the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Romans. But it might be even a bit misleading to call it a letter.  Because it is unlike a typical letter tha...

Romans:  Intro and 1:1-7  Astonishing Salvation   If you were the CEO of a large corporation, and you were choosing someone to be the FACE of your company, what kind of person would you want? Someone with a good reputation. Kind Honest. Full of integrity Believable.  Loved   Sometimes the corporations have to FIRE someone as their spokesman, for though they may have started out good, bad things ha...

Forgotten OT Books:  Malachi—The Unchanging God   Have you ever said—or do you know someone who has said—that the Bible is out of date?  Old-fashioned?   We can criticize it for being out of touch with our advanced, sophisticated culture.   Yet when I read the Bible, I find it is incredibly relevant and up-to-date. Why? Because human nature hasn’t changed. The externals have changed.  Technology,...

Forgotten OT Books:  Esther—The Unseen God     Has anyone here actually ever seen God? Has anyone actually seen heaven, like the Apostle Paul may have in 2 Corinthians 11? Has anyone actually seen a miracle? Like someone rising from the dead? Like a man with a shriveled arm made whole?   We cannot see or touch God, yet we believe that he is there. This is what FAITH really is. Hebrews 11:1 ESV  “N...

Today we’re continuing our series on “The Forgotten Books” with everyone’s favorite devotional read: Lamentations. I don’t know about you but I haven’t typically considered Lamentations a “go-to” book when I’m looking for some encouragement from the scriptures. In my bible reading plans, Lamentations is one of those that I tend to just kinda coast through without much engagement because frankly I...

  Forgotten OT Books:  Song of Songs   We’re going to start with a quiz to the married men, and those men who want to be married.   We are going to read three Bible verses. And in each case, you tell me if is a good thing to say to your wife.   Song of Solomon 1:9 ESV  “I compare you, my love, to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.”  Husbands, is this a loving thing to say to your […]

  Forgotten OT Books:  Leviticus:  Holy God, Holy People   Introduction   I would wager the most JOKED-about-book of the Bible is Leviticus. I know I have.  I’ve joked how BORING and DRY it can seem.   Here’s a notice:  I have repented of my disrespect toward God’s word.   You should, too.   This morning, I am going to teach about Leviticus.   Admittedly, parts of it seem rather dry.  Unrelateable...

Introductory thoughts. Today we are beginning an 8-week series overviewing often neglected books of the Bible, the ones we don’t typically get around to when we’re thinking through sermon series.  I get to kick us off with a single sermon on 42 chapters of the book of Job. A large task, and one that I’ve really enjoyed digging into in the last couple of months.  Of course 40 minutes on this book i...

Easter is that time in the Christian calendar when we set our sights on the very foundation, roots, essence, and core message of our faith: the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Messiah, from the dead. It is very easy, with all the cultural and religious trappings of the holiday, to turn Jesus and his resurrection from the dead into another mere myth. I want to say emphatically th...

  Introduction Suffering. Who wants it? Who likes it? When faced with suffering, our normal human response is to escape it. Whatever it takes to get out of pain, we will do. That’s normal, and even an appropriate response, because pain is…well….pain. It hurts. We would advise ourselves and other sufferers to do whatever it takes to escape from the pain. Today we are finishing a series on a letter...

  Introduction There are many apocalyptic movies that have come out in the last few decades, and even in the last few years. Interstellar. The Maze Runner. Oblivion. Planet of the Apes. And lots of ZOMBIE movies With some variation, such movies point to the destruction of the world. The end of life as we know it. We are fascinated by the END of TIME. And I am fascinated by our fascination. Why are...

  Introduction How is marriage doing today? In general, how do you think the institution of marriage is doing in our society today? I suspect the vast majority of you, even the most optimistic, would say that marriage in general and many or most marriages specifically are not doing well. I would say that it goes badly with marriage today. Why? Well, that is a long conversation. Multi-faceted. A si...

Why Should We Obey God’s Commands? Have you ever wondered why we should obey God’s commands? “Well that’s a silly question, Matt! God is God, therefore we should obey Him!”  Yes, yes, of course. But really though, have you wondered why? Christians believe that we are not saved by what we do. Rather we are saved by faith in the free grace of God, through the work of His son Jesus, alone. We do not...

  Introduction   How many of you were annoying 5-year olds who constantly asked, “Why?” This teaching is for you. How many of you took a class in school— maybe Physics or Math—and you said, “I don’t really want to understand the theory and how it all works. I just want to figure out the answers on the test and move on.”  This teaching is also for you. Some of us approach the Scriptures with a thir...

  Introduction Today and over the next 8 weeks, we will be studying the book of 1 Peter. It’s a book that talks a lot about suffering. The word “suffer” is used 11 times. Today Christians who are suffering are in the news. This is the the 14th letter of the Arabic alphabet, a noon. It’s the equivalent to the Roman letter N. The ن stands for Nasara or Nazarenes, a pejorative Arabic word for Christi...

  Introduction This man in the photo is Denethor from Lord of the Rings. What was his title? Steward of Gondor. Steward. What is a steward? He is a manager of someone’s property. In Denethor’s case, the King of Gondor was absent, so he was charged with leading the people of Gondor. As Steward, he was to lead, guide, and protect until when?? Until the King returned.  We are stewards like Denethor. ...

Don’t you love to watch people who are good at what they do? It doesn’t matter what it is, when you come across someone who is great at what they do, it is awe inspiring. It’s fun to watch. I’d like to show you a news clip that features my father-in-law. George used to tell the story of how he made a bet with someone. This fellow was skeptical that he could do what you just saw him do. George […]

  Introduction The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most beautiful, life-giving message in the world. Through the suffering and resurrection of Christ 2000 years ago, eternal life is now available to everyone who calls on his name. But in spite of this beauty and love and glory found in Christ, that same message provokes hatred and animosity. And since the Apostles, believers throughout history have...

  INTRODUCTION What is God like?  How involved is he in our lives and in this world? Does he have a “hands-off” attitude towards this world? “I made this world, but now you’re on your own unless things get really bad.” We could call this Deism. God might be interested in the happenings of this world, but he doesn’t really intervene. Deism is impossible to find in the Bible. In fact, the coming of...