The Trails Church

Through Psalms 58, 59, and 60, we discover a constant pattern that we've come to expect in these Psalms of David: Problems, Prayers, and Promises. Problems never seem to be far out of reach in David's life, leading him to prayerful dependence on God, where he rehearses the promises of God to him while standing in God's faithfulness and on His Word. David's life is a parable. It's a picture of the...

Romans 12:1–2 describes the Christian life as one of living worship. The Apostle Paul pleads with believers to see how the gospel provides everything we need: a secure position before God, the mercy to daily follow Jesus, and the power necessary to grow in Christ. Yet, this call to view all of life as an act of “Living Worship” is only possible as our lives are 1. Built on a Gospel Foundation, 2....

Psalm 57 is the song of a heart beating with passion for God’s glory. David packs a list of reasons he must sing to the Lord in his introduction, repeats more reasons in his chorus, and keeps giving reasons for songs to be sung all the way to the crescendo. Because of the countless ways God had shown and proven himself, David had “10,000 Reasons to Sing.” And because of Jesus Christ, so do we.

Psalm 56 provides a song to sing when we feel pulled between fear and faith. Though David is surrounded by enemies in hot pursuit of his life, he purposefully puts his trust in God. Here we learn not only how we might trust God in the face of fear but are also given reasons why we should. We will outline our passage with two great comforts drawn from this text that are meant to either calm your cu...

Psalm 55 is a prayer of David as the burdens of life pressed down hard upon him. While he honestly sings of the sting of being betrayed by a close friend, he also sings of the healing balm of his faithful God. As we explore this song where David describes a specific situation in his life, my prayer is that it would both instruct and equip each of us in many situations in our lives how to, “Cast Yo...

1 Peter 2:4-5 contains an inspiring description of the identity and purpose of the church. After anchoring us in the glorious gospel, the apostle builds a framework for the church to understand the role and responsibility we have been given. These verses construct a concise understanding of what it means for us to be God’s “Spiritual House.” We will organize our thoughts under three headings as we...

Here is David, once again, facing adversity not of his own making, and as a gift to us, we have a window into how David dealt with this adversity before God. Tim Keller said in an interview that the psalms can essentially be summed up in “Lord, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will but thine be done… except the psalms give you 150 versions of how you actually get your heart to be ab...

Guilty Hearts on Trial: Psalm 53 (1) An Accusation is Made – 53:1, (2) A Witness is Called – 53:2-3, and (3) A Verdict is Rendered (almost) – 53:4-5

Psalm 127:1-2 teaches us that God is the builder, protector, and sustainer of our lives and our life together as a church. It contrasts two ways of living, one overflowing with God’s grace and another that is plagued with anxious toil. We will shape the sermon by two prayers, benedictions to pray for each of us individually and for our church collectively. 1. May the Lord Build us and Bless Us, 2....

Psalm 52 is a song written by King David when all around seemed to be marked by suffering and sorrow. People he loved were killed, people who hated him prospered, and evil appeared to have won the day. In this moment, David reminds himself and us of the steadfast love of God, the perfect justice that one day will come, and confesses his desire to bear fruit in his life. I have titled this Psalm “L...

Acts 8:26–40 contains a God-ordained, Christ-exalting, Spirit-led gospel conversation between two people. The path of the Philip the Evangelist is crossed by an Ethiopian eunuch in a search to understand Scripture. The result is nothing less than remarkable as Philip shares “The Good News About Jesus.”

In Acts 8:4–25 contrasts two kinds of spiritual work: one in which the Spirit of God blesses the effort and the other which the Lord resists. These verses detail the beginning of the Gospel spreading into Samaria and the joy that it brought and reveal that those who desire to minister to others in the power of God must do “The Lord’s Work in the Lord’s Way.” We will outline our study by looking fi...

In Acts 7:54-8:3, Stephen becomes the first martyr of the Christian church. Enraged by his message, the religious leaders of Israel stone him and widespread persecution sweeps through the infant church. Yet, in the darkness of these moments, light breaks through clouds. This text shines the first light of Scripture on Saul (who later becomes Paul) and the church is said to scatter – taking with it...

The flow of thought that begins in Acts 6:8 stretches all the way to 8:3. It describes a disciple named Steven, records the sermon he delivered to a hostile Jewish council, chronicles his martyrdom, and concludes with the mention of Saul of Tarsus. This epic contains all the characteristics of one remarkable story. That being the case, we will spend the next two weeks exploring, “A Servant, A Serm...

In Acts 6:1-7, we encounter a pivotal moment in the life of the church, where dissention and distraction threatened to disrupt its unity and mission. Our passage illustrates what happens when local churches are filled with people who understand the important part each person plays in order for the congregation to experience “Flourishing Gospel Ministry.” The three lessons we can learn from are 1....

There are 105 verses in First Peter, and we are going to look together at 3 of them this morning. We won't come close to capturing the breadth of what Peter has to say in this letter, but in this small window that we’re focusing in on, we will see the full picture of the gospel, how we are born again to a living hope.

The main theme of Ephesians 2:4–7 is bracketed off from the rest of our text drawing our eyes and our attention to one glorious truth: by grace you have been saved. This summary of the gospel message shows us that it is the grace of God, his unmerited favor, that has saved us from first to last. There are three brief truths I would like to call to your attention this morning: 1. The God of Grace 2...

Luke 24:1-12 proclaims the greatest news ever told. These verses bridge the darkest night in history to its brightest morning. On Good Friday, the disciples' hopes were buried in the tomb with the Lord himself, On Easter Sunday their hope sprang eternal with the good news of his resurrection. This Easter morning we will look not only at the reality of the resurrection of Jesus, but also what it me...

Acts 5:27–42 begins and ends with the apostles proclaiming the name of Jesus, yet the space between details the most severe persecution we have seen so far in our study. Despite their message being rejected, and their bodies beaten, the apostles rejoice in suffering and praise God that they were “Counted Worthy to Suffer.” With our bibles open and Judson’s letter ringing in our ears, let see how t...

In Acts 5:12-32 we read a report of how the Lord is at work in a local church planted in a city of vast lostness, and real threats, yet a steadfast commitment to proclaim Christ. Our verses cover a wide range of elements: days of church growth, a night in prison, a mini-sermon, and opposition. Through it all we find a thread of what might be described simply as, “Authentic Ministry.” Yet, in this...

In Acts 5:1-11, we are met with the first recorded sin in the New Testament church. After witnessing what seemed like ever-increasing unity and joy over the first four chapters of the book, from now on what we'll see is not only external persecution, but internal corruption. At the heart of this story, what we see most clearly is God's passion for, and His commitment to, the purity of the church....

The grace-filled description of the Jerusalem Church in Acts 4:32-37 contains a compelling picture of how the gospel recalibrates the very heart and soul of a local church. The picture we witness is one of authentic Christianity that moves us from living with self and our own agenda at the center, to a new way of living with Christ and his kingdom at the center. While this passage may seem foreign...

In Acts 4:23-31, we have the privilege of walking into a prayer meeting of the early church. As these believers experience their first taste of persecution, their reflex is to fly to God in prayer. In what may have been “Only A Prayer Meeting,” the description of this occasion contains helpful lessons on prayer itself and its role in the life of each local church. Here we learn something of: 1. Th...

In Acts 4:13-22, Peter and John stand before the most powerful people in Israel and boldly proclaim the name of Jesus. The miracles they had seen and the truths they had heard from Jesus turned their entire lives upside down and caused them to be bold gospel witnesses. Here we find a pattern of living not only meant for these apostles, but for each of us who follow Christ. Since “They Had Been Wit...

In Acts 4:1–12, Peter stands before the most powerful men in Israel and boldly proclaims that “No Other Name” can save except the name of Jesus Christ. There are four marvelous truths we learn about Jesus from this passage: 1. Jesus, the Name that Divides, 2. Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, 3. Jesus, the Cornerstone, 4. Jesus, the Only Name that Saves.