Crosstown OKC Sermons

The people of God ought to be known by the blessing they bring to the world. Something is seriously wrong, then, when Christians engage in heated quarrels among themselves. God's grace is able to put out these fires, and is available to all through genuine repentance. It is also what will produce the radical love for others that God demands of us.

When the women came to the tomb where Jesus had been buried, they were surprised to find that his body was not there. Even more surprising was their discovery that Jesus had risen from the dead. From now on, all those who believe in Jesus would begin to proclaim the astonishing news of Easter and its hope for life in the world today.

Just as God has made himself known in the world through Jesus, so the people of God are to be known in the world as those who live by God's wisdom. Rejecting the wisdom that is ubiquitous in a fallen world, Christians receive from God a supernatural wisdom. And when that wisdom is lived out in their lives, peace begins to emerge, even in the most disordered places.

Everyone knows how destructive our words can be and how difficult it is to control what comes out of our mouths. Christians know how serious this issue is because the power of our words is a feature of our humanness. Failure to control our tongues is a symptom of an insincere faith, but only by real faith in Jesus can our hearts become pure and our words lifegiving.

No one can be saved apart from faith. But neither can anyone be saved by faith apart from works. Saving faith and righteous works belong together because the Christian religion is about believing God's promise to bring about a new creation of love through Jesus Christ.

Partiality is incompatible with faith. Favoritism means we doubt the faithfulness of Jesus. It is absurd to practice partiality among believers. God who is rich in mercy became poor for us so that we may receive mercy and become rich in Christ. Mercy and love in Christ are the remedy for partiality. They lead us to obey the laws of the kingdom of heaven.

The Christian faith is meant to be enacted. Christians who profess faith in Jesus but do not live out that faith are deceived and do not know the gospel. Whatever value such a faith may give to them, it is ultimately worthless and offers no hope to the world.

Christians face trials all the time, and James sets out to help his audience endure these “tests of faith.” The kingdom of God offers us a single-minded perspective that can quiet our hearts and give stability to our lives. The pursuit of kingdom values proclaims the counter-cultural life that resists and overcomes the worldly powers of death.

The book of James is loved by many Christians because of its practical teaching and vivid illustrations. But as with all the works of Scripture, we should pay attention to who wrote this book and to whom he wrote it. The practical teaching of James needs to be situated in the practical setting of James and the world-changing news of the resurrection of Jesus.

When God created human beings in his image, he purposefully made them male and female. Although we were made to be partners together, ruling and reigning together over God’s creation, sin has caused frequent division between men and women. The salvation that Jesus secured for us provides the answer to this division, and makes it possible not only for there to be peace between men and women but for...

Sin dehumanizes us. In taking away our sin, Jesus came to redeem us from the slavery of sin and restore our hope of glory once more. As we follow Jesus, putting away the old, sinful self, we begin to experience a new way of being human that transcends all the old distinctions by which we tend to identify ourselves.

The majesty of God is on display for all to see in his creation. But his creation is not a finished project. God intends for his majesty to continue to be revealed through his image bearers who are tasked with advancing God's creation project. Though human beings have radically failed in this task, in Jesus the creation project is put back on track.

The Christian faith tells a story about how the world is meant to be, and in the resurrection we find the power that will make it so. The Christian can now endure any challenge, knowing that the power we proclaim cannot be stopped by any opposition. Our hope in Jesus encourages us to live faithfully, but it is his faithfulness that guarantees the salvation of the world.

Jesus was a controversial figure in his own day. Today, there is probably more confusion about him than controversy. Just who was Jesus? You can know a lot about him when you consider where he was from.

In spite of his grace to them, God's people often rebel against him and turn to the vain promises of other gods. The results of such rebellion are the devastations that plague the world to this day. But those who will repent, trusting in God alone for salvation, will see light break through the darkness and God's marvelous works impacting the world once again.

As a true prophet of God, Micah was empowered to speak the hard truth to his people. The judgment of God could not be avoided; because of Israel's sins, Jerusalem would fall. But because of God's covenant with Israel, even this tragedy was meant for good. God was preparing the way for a new ruler who would bring to the world true and lasting peace.

Micah begins with a memorable description of Israel's God coming to judge his people for their sins. Those sins are summarized in the first two chapters as crimes against God as well as crimes against humanity, and, like an incurable wound, there seems to be no hope in the face of God's wrath. But a remnant of Israel survives and is led to safety by their king.

Jesus ends his Sermon on the Mount with a straightforward epilogue. The logic is simple; the result is complex: hearers must obey and do; the foundation must be solid. This will mean the difference between standing or falling; salvation or destruction; wisdom or foolishness; life or death.

The Sermon on the Mount concludes by urging everyone to respond to its message. Jesus invites us to enter into the kingdom of God where we can experience the life that God made us to enjoy. As we faithfully do the will of God, we must watch out for those who would steer us off the path of life.

The greater righteousness that is required to enter the kingdom of God is summarized by the so-called "Golden Rule," to treat others the way you want to be treated. And how do we all want to be treated? The Golden Rule as it appears in the Sermon on the Mount suggests that we consider empathy and benevolence as practical ways to love others.

The placement of the Lord's Prayer in the center of the Sermon on the Mount highlights its significance for the Christian's life. The Lord's Prayer teaches us who God is as well as what he has purposed to do in saving the world. As Christians learn to pray like this, they are shaped into the kinds of people who embody the saving purposes of God.

Those who wish to be citizens of the kingdom of God must learn to live by kingdom values, and these include religious duties such as giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. In such duties, the inherent danger is hypocrisy. Disciples of Jesus must guard against this danger, refusing to practice their faith for the praise of others instead of for the reward of their Father in heaven.