Sermon #616

A priest is one who intercedes on behalf of the people to God, to make sacrifices to atone for sin.  The high priest is one who makes atonement for the sins of all the people, in this case, the people of Israel.  But the high priest is himself a sinful person and so he must first make atonement for his own sins before making atonement ( Read more... )

Sermon #457

The episode of David's sin does not simply end with his repentance.  As is often the case, the wreckage of this single momentary lapse in judgment follows not only David but also his immediate and extended family for many years, and even affects the nation of Israel as it descends into civil war, led by David's third son Absalom.  We ( Read more... )

Sermon #615

God promises a rest for those who follow him in faith.  To the Israelites, he promised they would enter into his rest in the land that he promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Yet they refused and instead feared the people of the land, and God made them wander in the wilderness for forty years.  The rest that he promises to believers ( Read more... )

Sermon #456

This dark chapter in David's life brings in a new person to the story, Nathan the prophet.  Although David had hidden his sin from others, he had not hidden the sin from himself, and he certainly did not hide it from God.  When Nathan confronts David with the made-up story of a rich man who stole a poor man's lamb, David was enraged.   ( Read more... )

Sermon #614

After having asserted that Jesus, as Son of God, is greater than Moses (considered by the Jews to be the greatest prophet), the writer of Hebrews now looks at a particular event in the history of Israel, saying that even though God brought all of Israel out of Egypt, not all of them entered the promised land, but most perished in the ( Read more... )

Sermon #613

Without a doubt, the greatest figure in the history of Israel was Moses.  He was the one who led the people out of slavery.  He was the one to whom God gave the law.  He was the leader of the Hebrews in the wilderness for 40 years.  And yet, the writer of Hebrews insists that we ought to consider Jesus as greater than Moses.  After all ( Read more... )

Sermon #610 ( Read more... )

Sermon #609 ( Read more... )

Sermon #608 ( Read more... )

Sermon #607 ( Read more... )