The Town

Peter, James, and John experience the incredible transfiguration of Jesus, seeing him in a way they had not seen before. This presentation of Christ terrifies them and moves them deeply. What is our response? Without Jesus, God's glory would destroy us because of our sin. But Jesus stands in the gap for us. So this should lead us to worship him.

Jesus has now been recognized as the long-awaited Messiah, the Savior, by his disciples. From this point forward Jesus begins pronouncing the suffering he must endure on the cross. He also teaches that any who would call themselves his disciple will also suffer for the sake of the Gospel.

Jesus defines Jesus. The Pharisees tried to manipulate Jesus and we still do today. We attempt to shape who he was, what he came to do, why it mattered, etc. But we must be careful, because adding to or changing the Gospel will ruin our faith.

The Gospel of Jesus is for all men everywhere to hear and to respond. Works of the Law will merit us nothing; salvation is through the grace of God alone. This means that everyone is welcome at the King's table, regardless of their past and in spite of their efforts to earn God's favor.

The stain of our depravity cannot be removed by anything other than the blood of Jesus. When we come to Jesus he takes our sin-stained rags and gives us his righteous robes. This happens at the Cross. The Gospel cleanses.

Jesus Christ is not like other kings. He doesn't simply pursue the creation of monuments to himself, built on the backs of his people. Rather, he shepherds them and gives them rest that cannot be experienced outside of him. He is a servant king.

Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins and died our death so that we could be acceptable to God.

Following Jesus will require much of you. But you also get to live out a life of purpose, on mission for the King! We too often look at Christianity as a miserable path that must be taken to avoid hell. On the contrary, we have been called to an urgent, God-glorifying existence.

Not even death could conquer Jesus, and he ensures that death will not have victory over his children either. While the timing of God will often not make sense to us, we can trust him, knowing that he has all the facts. He will always be faithful, even in the midst of tragedy.

Demons and spiritual battles are a reality, but so is the fact that Jesus is the King who rules over them. We err by not understanding Christ's power, but we also err by placing the responsibility for our sin on the devil.

Jesus is not a chump or a pansy. He is the Lord of all the earth and there is nothing beyond him. Storms are vicious, huge, intense, and scary, and Jesus can dismantle them with a word. We don't serve a king with a bigger bark than bite. Jesus is the real deal.

Jesus gives us a lot of insight on the nature of the kingdom of God. We are part of the kingdom, responsible to be ambassadors of the King. This means we must understand the context in which God is operating.

Jesus spoke in parables often. These stories are literary devices using hyperbole, metaphor, simile, and the like to impart various truths. The particular parable in this passage helps us understand how God works in the hearts of men, and our role in proclaiming the Gospel message.

No one has made a mark (no pun intended) on history like Jesus Christ. He is the most polarizing figure who has ever lived. Of all the things we think about him, know about him, or say about him, it comes down to three options: He is either a deceiver, a crazy-man, or the God of all creation. What say you??

Jesus was being heavily pursued by the masses of many regions because his fame had spread, but he only called some. There was no intrinsic reason why the apostles deserved to be so near to him. It was by grace alone that Jesus sought them and sent them.

This sermon was preached by Stone's Throw member Michael Shannon on 2 Corinthians 5.

Christmas makes certain promises certain.

This sermon was preached by Jim Weaver from Crossroads Presbyterian Church (http://www.crossroadsfamily.com ) on John 2.

God appears to shepherds in Luke 2 and tells them to "fear not". The peace that Jesus brings is the antonym of fear allowing us to experience true joy in the face of a world that identifies so readily with fear.

In Matthew 1, Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus has just heard the news that his future wife, Mary, is pregnant. Joseph is deciding how he can exit the scene quietly when an angel appears to him with a message. In this passage we find out exactly why the love of God casts out all fear--he is with us.

Sometimes we fear that God is not listening, involved, or cares.

God has graciously given us a time to rest, based on the pattern of his own work in creation. We are to seek full enjoyment of God and His people on the Sabbath, not use it as a rod to beat people with restrictions.

The Gospel is good news! Right?? Jesus has come to bring us freedom and new life, and he is working for us right now. We no longer have to keep the Law to earn the favor of God. He has sent the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom, comfort, and understanding. This is new stuff, and it's good stuff! Isn't it??

We cannot make the mistake of thinking the church is a collection of people who have been cleaned up and all think alike. The church is to be a place where grateful people come for healing and accept those who seek similar healing. We aren't as good as we think we are. That's where Jesus comes in.