Crosstown OKC Sermons

The biblical story begins by describing the creation of the world as the formation of a temple in which God would dwell in the midst of his creation. He entered into a covenant with human beings, made in his image, giving them dominion over his kingdom on earth. But when Adam broke the covenant, the effect on all creation was catastrophic. Still, God remained true to the covenant, promising salvat...

When Jacob left home, he encountered God at Bethel. Now, as he returns home, God urges him to return there and to set up a place for worship. Having arrived at Bethel under divine protection, Jacob is assured of his place in the patriarchal blessing. This assurance sustained him the rest of his life, a life that would continue to be a struggle as his children became responsible for carrying the pr...

After returning home to Canaan, Jacob and his family suffer a great tragedy when his daughter, Dinah, is raped by a young Canaanite man. How they respond to this tragedy takes the story to an even darker level. How will the family of God be a blessing to the world when they are justifiably outraged by the sinfulness of the world around them?

As Jacob returns home, he must face the terrifying prospect of a confrontation with his brother, Esau. Jacob hopes that he can appease his brother with his gifts. But on the eve of the brothers' encounter, Jacob finds himself in a far greater struggle. He emerges with his life, but now walks with a limp, and carries with him a new name which will offer not just to himself but to the whole world th...

After 20 years of trouble and success, now comes the call of God for Jacob to return to Canaan. Many similarities are apparent between this return and the call to Abraham; between this flight and the exodus from Egypt. The passage focuses on God keeping his part of the covenant, Jacob’s faith in God, and Laban’s foolishness. God shows himself faithful once more.

Jacob arrives in Haran confident of God's presence with him. The next two decades of his life are spent in this foreign land, and they are anything but easy. Jacob is tricked and cheated by his uncle. Although Jacob starts a family, there is plenty of turmoil within his family, too. Still, God does not abandon him, and only because of the faithful presence of God with Jacob does Jacob receive ever...

Rebekah and Jacob devised a scheme to trick Isaac into giving his deathbed blessing to Jacob rather than to Esau. The scheme succeeds, and Esau is furious, requiring Jacob to flee for his life. As Jacob is running away from Esau he unexpectedly encounters God for himself and is amazed at just how close God has been to him all along.

As Abraham's heir, Isaac is entrusted with the same promises that God had given to his father. But he, too, struggled to believe that God would bring those promises to pass. When he succumbed to the same fears his father had, his life brought conflict and tension to the world. But when he sowed seeds of peace, God made plenty of room for him to flourish and for those around him to enjoy the blessi...

Prayer may be a felt instinct, but it must be learned and taught. The Lord’s prayer is a model prayer that teaches us how to pray with a view of who he is, what his purposes are, how his kingdom is manifested, and we can corporately together adopt a life of prayer for God’s holiness and our sanctification.

The Genesis story moves on from Abraham to the life of his grandson, Jacob. It is Jacob who will become the ancestor of the family that God will choose to bring salvation to the world. This choice will result in a great struggle, a struggle realized even while Jacob was yet in his mother's womb, as the nations of the world refuse to submit to God's choice without a fight.

Ponderings on the Prodigal

At Jesus's dedication, Joseph and Mary met two individuals who had been waiting their whole lives for this encounter. Simeon and Anna both recognize Jesus as the one who is bringing Israel's long story to its promised end. But in spite of the hopes Jesus inspires, the reality is that those who believe in him will need to persevere in their faith through many challenges that Jesus will generate for...

When the shepherds came to see the newborn Jesus, their report of what they had been told about the child caused Mary to ponder the meaning of what was happening. Twelve years later, Jesus's words to her after they found him in the temple had the same effect. Because of Mary's reflections on her young son's life, she was the first to truly comprehend the message of Christmas.

In the second half of Mary's Song of Praise, she sings about the power of God unleashed on the world with the birth of her son, Jesus. In Jesus, God is subverting the oppressive powers of darkness as he establishes his kingdom in fulfillment of his covenant with his people. The kingdom of God is the inheritance of Christians today who are committed to live under its reality even as the kingdoms of...

We are blessing Mary when we are pondering the mercy of God that Christmas represents.

The first person to hear about Jesus was his mother, Mary. The angelic announcement of her miraculous pregnancy came with the call for her to not just hear this news but also to believe it. Without Mary's positive response, the story of salvation could not have reached its climactic moment.

The final scene in the life of Abraham is the story of how a wife was found for his son, Isaac. In his final words, Abraham reiterates his faith in the divine promise that had inspired the entirety of his life. As Abraham passes from the scene, the next generation takes their place in the great story of salvation, a further testimony to the faithfulness of God to bring every one of his promises to...

When God made his covenant with us, he swore an oath by his own self that he would guarantee it. His promise does not perish when people do. And here we see that Sarah’s death in fact leads to the firstfruit of inheriting the land, albeit through the purchase of a burial place.

Now that Abraham has seen God begin to fulfill his great promise to him, God puts Abraham's faith to the ultimate test. Will Abraham go on believing that God can do even greater things or will he find himself tempted to settle for less? On the other side of this test of his faith, Abraham's relationship with God deepens, and God's promise to Abraham does as well.

God's great promise to Abraham now begins to take shape with the birth of his son, Isaac. But the joy of the moment is tempered by the danger represented by his other son, Ishmael. Abraham would have to go on believing that the God who had entered into covenant with him would somehow bring resolution to the ongoing conflict between hope and despair.

For a second time, Abraham, in fear for his life, identifies Sarah as his sister rather than his wife. And for a second time, his deception puts everyone in jeopardy. Salvation comes only because of God's intervention, and the dangerous nature of Abraham's prophetic calling becomes clearer than ever.

The account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah warns of the judgment of God against all human wickedness. But in its context within the Abrahamic narratives, it also brings the Christian into the challenge of discerning what is just, of needing to learn the way of God more accurately. The reason for this is clear: God intends to bring his righteousness into the world through his people.

God's promise to bless Abram and also the world through Abram would be fulfilled through a very specific son of Abram and Sarai who had not yet been born. At his advanced age, it all seemed so impossible to Abram, but God gave him a sign to remind him of what he had been promised. Though believing the promise continued to be a challenge, Abram accepted the covenantal sign and continued to hope in...

After living for a decade in the promised land, Abram's wife became impatient with God and his promises to them. The resulting story is a tale of violence and oppression inflicted against a vulnerable Egyptian slave woman. But God intervenes to demonstrate that he will not let any injustice prevail against his mighty promises of freedom and redemption.