Sermons

“We had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel.” Notice the tense—had hoped. Their faith was not entirely absent, but it had collapsed under the weight of what they had witnessed. They truly believed Jesus could be the Messiah. But the cross shattered their expectations. But what they did not realize yet was this: The very One they thought they had lost was already walking beside them, resurrected from the dead.

What is the gospel? It is reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Just as Apostle Paul described, it is that we who were once far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. How were we before meeting Jesus? We were foreigners of God’s Kingdom.

The Lord, being in very nature God, God’s one and only Son, chose not to remain in his exalted status. The humbleness of Christ is his obedience to the Father’s will. He knows and trusts the heart of the Father fully, and thus he is the true Son of God the Father.

Our help does not come from our own strength, wisdom, or ability. Our help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The one who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

Through his failure, his pain, and his restoration, Peter arrives at a new confession: “Lord, you know that I love you.” Before, he relied on his own confidence. Now, he removes all self-assurance. Standing once again before Jesus, Peter realizes that it is not his love that sustains the relationship. It is the Lord’s love for him.

The disciples asked, “Who sinned that he was born blind?” But the Lord answered in a way that opened a new reality. This was not simply a life defined by blame, but a life in which the works of God might be displayed.

Joseph’s path was marked by betrayal and deep personal suffering. Only in hindsight could the providence of God be clearly seen at work through these painful events. What others intended for harm, God intended for good.

Here, the Apostle Paul describes our journey of faith like so: we start like a child and reasoned like a child, but the day will come when we become mature, and the childhood ways will be behind us. What happens when we mature? Paul says it is that we shall see God face to face.

Everything has its time, and its moments. Like a painting that captures and freezes that one moment in time, God gives us a world where those moments and inspirations come alive for us to draw upon. The one who created this world has made everything beautiful in its time.

The compassion of Christ is not merely a feeling. It is the love of God moving toward people who are lost, weary, and in need of a shepherd. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

As my Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. This love transforms us so that we may bear fruit that lasts.