Our King's Coming: Apocalyptic to Prophetic

Click the Title to hear the audio message.

Have you ever asked the question, "What is the gospel according to Jesus?" It's a bizarre question with him being the gospel. But I was intrigued when I first saw Mark 1:15, "'The Time has come', [Jesus] said. 'The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.'" This 'good news' is the same word and meaning as gospel. Jesus' gospel is that the kingdom is near.

When thinking about the end times, my mind automatically drifts to movies like, I am Legend or Day After Tomorrow, or even 2012. My mind drifts towards apocalypse. The problem with that obsession is the focus it gives for life today. Christianity becomes about getting to heaven, instead of the richness of a life giving God who has come and is coming to save the world. There is an in-breaking reality of the kingdom that gives us hope. This is the prophetic view of the end.

We tend to have hope in a heaven that we will enter when we die, but if that is our only hope then why even live today. Our hope of heaven is not something far removed, but a very present in-breaking reality. His kingdom is here and coming. We see it whenever we see someone healed, someone saved, someone freed, someone restored from guilt, pain, or oppression.

Revelation 21 gives a great depiction of a new heaven and a new earth. When I read it, I begin to think this: I see glimpses of this today. I see glimpses of God dwelling with man. I see glimpses of him taking away tears and mourning. These are all proof that God's kingdom is near. This brings me hope to live in today. This gives me hope to be an ambassador for that Kingdom.

This was the topic of this weeks message. Take a listen if you so desire.

Our King's Command: Love One Another

Here is Last weeks Message that came from my blog.
Matt 22: 34-40 & John 13:31-38 are the texts to begin this message.

Click the title to check it out.

Below are the two blog posts that coincide with my message.

Part Two: Loving as Christ  http://pskip.blogspot.com/2011/08/loving-one-another-pt-2-love-as-christ.html
Part One: Loving Yourself http://pskip.blogspot.com/2011/08/love-one-another-loving-yourself.html

The Perfect Church

Here is my sermon on The Perfect Church where I analyze what it means to be the church. Ironically, as I was about to post this sermon I read a blog from a brother in Christ, Jon Coutts, that challenged me about the role of sermons online vs within a service. I advise you to read up on it: http://thissideofsunday.blogspot.com/2011/05/podcast-sermons-preaching-out-of-place.html

In light of all of that. Click the title to go to my latest sermon. haha.

Joining the King

Here is the sermon I preached from my last blog post. It is missing the first few minutes so I'll recap here to get you started.

We begin this Journey with Christmas and see how a little baby changes everything. We then journeyed through JEsus' life, seeing him reach out to the least and humble the greatest. Now we see Him at the beginning of a Journey, one that could cost Jesus, the Son of God, his very life. My question for this message is simple: Will we join him?

I then show how Chapter 20 of Matthew and the beginning of this "Triumphal" entry is actually weird and awkward at first glance. He's trying to predict his death and the Son's of Zebedee send their Mother to get them a place of honour with Jesus. Jesus then teaches about servanthood. This is where the message begins.

Journey to the Cross

Before I preach this on Sunday I need to think it out a bit more. As I read the accounts on Jesus' Triumphal entry into Jerusalem and prepare to preach on it this Sunday I can't find too much of a conclusion. But Then I had this thought: That's because its the beginning of Jesus' Journey.

Often, we, as preachers, find ourselves striving to find a major point to take from the text. And If we don't we feel as though we are failing the congregation. But, what about failing scripture. We fail scripture when we read INTO scripture. Sometimes there isn't a profound statement at all.

Maybe the profoundness in this Palm Sunday event is simple: Will we follow Jesus to Jerusalem? Weird right? Jesus is coming to the great city of Jerusalem and people are expecting him to take the throne to be King. Ironically, Jesus shows up on a foal of a donkey, not a powerful horse. The Jews were wrong, right? Well partly, maybe their timing was a bit off. I am still waiting for my coming King to take the throne!

This ironic story ends with no conclusion. In Luke we find Jesus weeping as he comes to Jerusalem for the people with no resolution. In Matthew the story ends abruptly by answering who this person is, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee." Mark ends it with "Hosanna." Clearly, this not the end of the story. It's the beginning of the climax of Jesus' purpose: The cross.

The simple, profound question for us is this: Will we take this life taking journey with him. Do we have what it takes to go into Jerusalem, be abandoned by our own people, beaten, and left to die? This is the journey, can we take up our crosses and follow him?

Do Love and Live

Check out this message on Luke 10:25-37: The testing expert and eternal life!

Brokenness in Communion with God

Here is my sermon from a few weeks ago. Just trying a podcast option so I can add my messages in audio form. Click on the Title and it will take you there.