June 2018

Angels Long To Look

1 Peter 1:10-12   It’s not about us.   In these opening verses of his letter, Peter has been dwelling on the gift of grace that we understand to be the gospel.  He has looked at it from the perspective of the Father who has caused to be born and who is keeping guard over […]



The Outcome Of Faith

1 Peter 1:6-9   Keep your eyes on the prize.   The Lord is honest about the life into which he has called his children, it is riddled with trials.  The trials of our lives are the crucibles in which we are refined and molded for our good and for God’s glory.  Peter reminds us […]



Grace And Peace

1 Peter 1:1-2   Remember whose you are.   What will happen when we truly LIVE SENT?  If we take the mission of Jesus Christ seriously, then God’s word promises that people will be changed by the power of the gospel.  But there is a warning as well.  The world loves darkness more than light.  […]



May 2018

The Spirit’s Power, Part 2

Text: Acts 1:8   What is it that the Spirit empowers us for?  To save kittens from trees?  To leap tall buildings in a single bound?  To reshape our lives by claiming health, wealth, and prosperity?  No!  The mission of the Holy Spirit is to bear witness to all that he has seen and all that […]



The Spirit’s Power, Part 1

Text: Acts 1:6-8   Christ has given us his mission, to make disciples.  Jesus has left the building of his church, his kingdom on our hands.  The disciples understood that they were not up to the task and they were anxious to know where the power for such a mission was going to come.  Jesus taught them […]



The Son’s Presence, Part 2

Text: Matthew 28:16-20   Wedged between Jesus’ promises of his authority and his presence we find his blueprint for the expansion of his church.  The Great Commission shapes the mission and the ministries of the Church.  Our sole directive from the resurrected Jesus Christ is to “make disciples.”  We are called to make, shape, and send […]



The Son’s Presence, Part 1

Text: Matthew 28:16-20   What is it that should motivate us to LIVE SENT?  Isaiah 6 taught us that the holiness and the perfection of the Father compel us out into the world.  Jesus also commands us to go into the world as his representatives.  Nevertheless, we are hesitant to go.  Jesus overcomes our fear by […]



April 2018

The Father’s Perfection, Part 4

Text: Isaiah 6:8-13   We love to quote Isaiah 6:8, “Here I am. Send me.”  It is such a motivating and climactic passage of Scripture, but we must remember that it is not the end of this passage.  God has only drawn Isaiah in to send him back out.  God sends Isaiah to the people of […]



The Father’s Perfection, Part 3

Text: Isaiah 6:6-8a   Last week we asked, why are we not motivated to LIVE SENT?  What is it that is holding us back from lives sold out for the Lord and for his work?  We learned that we cannot give what we do not have.  In these verses, Isaiah recounts the work of the Lord […]



The Father’s Perfection, Part 2

Text: Isaiah 6:5   Why are we not motivated to LIVE SENT?  What is it that is holding us back from lives sold out for the Lord and for his work?  For many in our churches today, I fear it is because we have never had a genuine encounter with the Lord.  No one would believe […]