the Cross Orlando

Continuing the series on the parables of Luke, this sermon examines Luke 18:1-8, the parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge, on praying without losing heart and how God grants justice to those who cry out to him.

Continuing the series on the parables of Luke, this sermon examines Luke 17:7-10, the parable of the unworthy (or unprofitable) servant, exploring how doing one's duty before God earns no special claim, since the servant is simply doing what was commanded.

Continuing the series on the parables of Luke, this sermon examines the parable of the great banquet in Luke 14, where those first invited make excuses and the poor, crippled, lame, and blind are brought in, pointing to the messianic feast of God's kingdom.

Continuing the series on the parables of Luke, this sermon turns to Luke 13, where Jesus responds to news of the Galileans Pilate killed with a call to repentance, leading into the parable of the barren fig tree and God's patience.

A guest preacher, filling in while Ben is at a sister church, continues the series on the parables of Luke with Luke 12:13-21, the parable of the rich fool, warning against greed and storing up possessions rather than being rich toward God.

Continuing the series on the parables of Luke, this sermon examines Luke 10:25-37, where a lawyer asks "Who is my neighbor?" and Jesus answers with the parable of the Good Samaritan, set against the command to love God and neighbor.

Continuing the series on the parables of Luke, this sermon examines Luke 9:57-62, the three would-be followers Jesus meets on the road, and his challenging calls about the cost of discipleship and not looking back once one's hand is to the plow.

Beginning a series on the parables of Luke (using Kenneth Bailey's "Through Peasant Eyes"), this sermon examines Luke 7:36-50, the sinful woman who anoints Jesus' feet at Simon the Pharisee's house, and the parable of the two debtors illustrating forgiveness and love.

Wrapping up the 1 Peter series on giving a defense for our hope, this sermon draws on Acts 2 and Peter's preaching to offer a final reason for hope: the redeeming power of the gospel to transform even those who seem most far gone.

Concluding the 1 Peter series on reasons for our living hope, this sermon finds hope in the existence and endurance of the church itself, drawing on 1 Peter 2:4-5, where believers are living stones built together into a spiritual temple with Christ as the cornerstone.

Continuing the 1 Peter series on reasons for our living hope, this sermon points to the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, patience, and the rest) as evidence of life lived in the Spirit and a defense for the hope of our inheritance.

Continuing the series in 1 Peter on reasons for our living hope, this sermon offers a counterintuitive one: that the judgment of God gives hope, examining how God's justice undergirds the believer's confidence amid suffering.

Continuing the 1 Peter series, Ben points to the forgiveness of sin as a reason for our living hope, drawing on 1 Peter 2:22-25, Psalm 103, and the woman caught in adultery in John 8 to show that the cross is big enough to cover all sin and that Jesus forgives so we can go and live free.

Continuing the 1 Peter series on reasons for our hope in Christ, Demetrius (filling in for Ben) walks through Deuteronomy 31, Joshua 1, Matthew 28, Hebrews 13, and Ephesians 1 to show that God promises to show up with his presence, provision, and protection, calling us to meditate on his word and sit at Jesus' feet.

Continuing the 1 Peter series on giving a defense for our hope, this sermon turns to the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, exploring how faith gives life significance through being entrusted with and faithfully using what God has given.

Continuing the series in 1 Peter, this sermon dwells on the call to give a defense for the hope within us (1 Peter 3:15), grounding that living, imperishable hope in Christ's resurrection and applying it to facing suffering and challenges to faith today.

After wrapping up Thomas Keating's "The Human Condition," this sermon begins a series on 1 Peter, focusing on 3:14-15 and Peter's call to persecuted believers in Rome to always be prepared to give a defense for the hope they have in Christ.

Continuing the study of Thomas Keating's "The Human Condition," this sermon moves from "Where are you?" to "Who are you?", warning how our coping systems for meeting needs of power, esteem, and security harden into false identity, and urging that we let God meet those needs instead.

Continuing the study of Thomas Keating's "The Human Condition," this sermon uses David's plea in Psalm 51 for a clean heart to illustrate Keating's diagnosis that humanity's universal needs for power/control, affection/esteem, and security/survival are ultimately answered only in Christ.

Continuing the study of Thomas Keating's "The Human Condition," this sermon explores the search for happiness in the wrong places, "first article" truths learned from creation and other disciplines, and Augustine's view that sin leaves us unable to find or pursue true happiness apart from God.

The first in a series studying Thomas Keating's book "The Human Condition," reflecting on God's question to Adam and Eve, "Where are you?", and the human tendency to hide from God, drawing on Keating's work on centering prayer.

Concluding the Pentecost series on the Holy Spirit, this sermon examines Luke 10:21, where Jesus, prompted by the Holy Spirit after the return of the seventy-two, rejoices and prays to the Father, exploring how the Spirit moves believers to pray.

Continuing the series on the Holy Spirit, this sermon examines Luke 4:16-22, where Jesus reads Isaiah 61 in the Nazareth synagogue and declares it fulfilled, showing how the Spirit anoints him to proclaim good news to the poor and liberty to the captives.

Beginning a post-Pentecost series on the Holy Spirit, this sermon examines Jesus' baptism in Mark 1:9 and the Spirit's anointing for ministry, exploring how the indwelling Spirit empowers believers to live in a new state free from sin.

A Pentecost sermon on Acts 2, recounting the disciples' wait in Jerusalem after Jesus' resurrection appearances and ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit with the sound of a mighty rushing wind.