The Trails Church

Psalm 76 proclaims the victory of God over His enemies, the rescue of His people, and the praise that is rightly due His name. The psalm is marked by two Selahs, natural pauses that shape its movement.

This morning we’ll be in Acts 11:19-30. This is the founding of the church. This is where Antioch was born . This sermon is titled “Elements of Missions DNA”, because we see here, in the first year of the church’s life, 4 very simple things, that will later produce the missions maturity that Antioch is so well-known for. And my prayer for us, Church, is that our time in God’s Word today would summ...

Psalm 75 echoes much of Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2. There, Hannah rejoices over the birth of her son, Samuel. She praises the God who hears the cries of the humble and rules with perfect justice, themes that are all over this psalm. The difference, however, is that in 1 Samuel 2, Hannah is singing because God had already answered her prayers. She had just given her son to serve with Eli. In Psalm...

Psalm 74 is a corporate lament, sung and prayed by Israel in the midst of an unspeakable tragedy that has occurred at the hands of their enemies. And what I want us to see today is that these words were not just meant for a people 2,500 years ago. But that this psalm is just as useful and necessary for God’s people today, especially as we face suffering and hardship from the enemy. The solution th...

There’s an implicit question that first rolls off of the forked tongue of the serpent in Eden. And it was Adam and Eve’s response to this question that plunged all of humanity into a world filled with sin and death in Genesis 3. It is a question facing the people of God in every age: is God good? Psalm 73 explores this question by considering a particular struggle in the life of a believer: the te...

In Romans 1:18, we read that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness. In the final movement of the chapter (vv. 24-32), Paul unfolds what this wrath looks like in practice, in the hearts, minds, and lives of those who have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and, as a result, find every part of life disordered.

Proclaiming the good news of God. Preaching that the Kingdom of God has come near. Calling all to repent and believe the gospel. Mark articulated the mission statement of Jesus in just those two verses. So, fully aware of the threats of mission drift, we are going to look at a big chunk of narrative text that helps us understand the mission of Jesus Christ. And, in so doing, we will hopefully be d...

Romans 1:18-23 begins an extended and difficult diagnosis of the human condition. This presentation of the sinfulness of man begins right here in Romans 1:18.

Romans 1:17 continues to unfold why the Apostle Paul is not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The good news is not only the power of God for salvation, it is also the revelation of the righteousness of God, a righteousness received by faith. These verses serve as a summary for the letter, outlining primary themes that follow: the gospel, God, righteousness, and faith. Each of these are doctri...

Galatians 2:20 holds one of the most beloved statements in the New Testament and for good reason. This verse teaches us not only how the Apostle Paul viewed himself but also shows how every true believer is to understand their life: in light of the grace of God given in Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:16 has been called one of the greatest verses in Scripture. Here we see that Paul is “Not Ashamed” of the gospel, rather he glories in the good news of Jesus Christ more than anything else in his life. These truths have sunk into his heart, and into the marrow of his bones. Now, he longs for others to share in the joys of the gospel, both in this life and in the life to come.

Our passage this morning takes us back to the very beginning of Christ’s official ministry on earth. Just to recap briefly, since it has been a minute since we have been in Mark, the story in Mark picks up in chapter 1, verse 1, with John the Baptist’s ministry, and then it quickly progresses through Jesus’s baptism and his temptation in the wilderness, and then today into the beginning of his min...

In Romans 1:8-15 we find a window into the “Great Gospel Expectations” that Paul has planned for the church in Rome. He is thankful yet not satisfied. He is prayerful, yet not idle. These verses call us to think, pray, and labor for the strengthening of Christ’s body, so that the church may become all the Lord has called her to be.

The Apostle Paul repeats the word peace eleven times in the letter to the Roman church, and never once is it used in a random or tertiary way. Rather, there is a logical flow to how he wants us to understand the comprehensive peace that is meant to mark the life of every believer, and the order of how it is used is vital.

Romans 1:7 greets us and blesses us. It rings out truth and assures us of things that we are meant to deeply know. Specifically, we learn here that the grace and peace of God are given through Jesus Christ and fill the life of each believer.

The emphasis of the part of Romans 1:7 we are studying is seen first in who is it that has called us to be saints, namely God himself. But second, it is a summons for God’s people to live different from the world they live in.

In Romans 1:6-7 we find a trio of beautiful truths that help us understand who we are and whose we are as the people of God. Following his personal introduction and familiarizing his readers to the substance of his letter, Paul now turns to addresses his audience. He writes to all those in Rome, but more specifically to, “A People Called and Loved.”

Romans 1:2-4 includes a brief introduction to “The Glorious Gospel of God.” The good news that reached Paul is the good news he now longs to share, so that the gospel might gladden our hearts and set us singing, dancing, and leaping for joy. We will organize our thoughts under four headings: the source of the gospel, the promise of the gospel, the message of the gospel, and the heart of the gospel...

Romans 1:1 opens with the greeting of its author, the apostle Paul. Yet even in this brief introduction, we are given more than a name. Paul tells us how he understands himself and how he sees his Savior. From this opening verse, we are invited to look a little way down what has often been called “The Romans Road,” catching a glimpse of what lies ahead in the letter and why it was written in the f...