Colossians 3 is all about getting the Kingdom into our lives while pushing out the corrupt culture. Paul has what appears to be minimal help for parents but it is…
Colossians 3 is all about heaven in and culture out, beginning with our minds and moving to marriage. We, believers, want marriages that are not based on culture’s roller coaster…
Colossians 3 is all about heaven in and culture out, beginning with our minds and moving to marriage. We, believers, want marriages that are not based on culture's roller coaster…
Colossians 3 contrasts the old way of living with its vices and sins and a Kingdom way. It commands the believer to put off that way of living and gives…
Believers are called to be morticians. We are to put to death that which destroys to give place and opportunity for virtue to grow. Colossians three uses the metaphor of…
Chapter 2 leaves us dead to the kingdom of darkness. Too often, believers stay in this state, missing out on the feasts of kingdom life. Chapter 3 resurrects us and…
The warning and guarding section of Colossians concludes with three religious traps: legalism, mysticism, and asceticism. Each trap is concluded with a truth to prevent a Christian from these three…
Pastors have two primary jobs: guarding and gardening. They are to heap on the fertilizer of God’s Word and guard against bad doctrine. In this section of Colossians, Pastor Paul…
Pastors have two primary jobs: guarding and gardening. They are to heap on the fertilizer of God’s Word and guard against bad doctrine. In this chapter of Colossians, Pastor Paul…
Colossians began with God the Father, focused on Jesus the King and now introduces ministry in the church. While Paul uses himself as the example, all who name Christ as…
For two millennia, people have questioned: Who is Jesus? Was He a prophet, teacher, sage, or the Son of God? Colossians dives deep into the nature and personhood of Jesus…
In a culture of shortcuts and life hacks, Scripture confronts us with a time tested slow path to maturity that offers no shortcuts but promises transformation. Colossians begins with two…
In a culture of shortcuts and life hacks, Scripture confronts us with a time tested slow path to maturity that offers no shortcuts but promises transformation. Colossians begins with two…
A City that was once prospering is in a slow decline because of a decision made by the far-off city of Rome. Into this desperation comes cults, spiritualism, syncretism, and…
We all have broken pieces in us that cause us to strive to fill the “glory vacuum” in our souls. Doing so is where so much of the conflict in…
After Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom, He then demonstrates He is both the King and the example of a citizen of the Kingdom. Chapter eight presents portraits to instruct and…
Jesus concludes His masterful sermon with a blue collar analogy. Two builders with similar blueprints, materials, methods and effort have drastically different endings because of their choice in foundation. Jesus’…
Jesus finishes the Sermon on the Mount with some twos: two paths: two types of leaders, two trees, two types of followers, and two builders. Each of them targets a…
Jesus begins the greatest sermon with the Beatitudes or blessings. Jesus ends with the bewares. We need both or we will simply be plump snacks for the wolves. Jesus has…
Jesus is concluding His sermon by summarizing and applying His message. He makes it clear that the Golden Rule, verse 12, takes care of all the Old Testament Law and…
Jesus tells his disciples to ask, seek, and knock; they will receive, find, and open doors. The statement is unconditional and extends to everyone. Does this mean we can demand…
Christians are often accused of being judgmental. A favorite retort is to quote Matthew 7:1, saying, “Don’t Judge me!” While there is a partial truth to this response, it must…
Scripture is full of wisdom and practical tools you could call anxiety's enemies. Even more than being the antidote to anxiety, these seven tools help all of us live out…
Jesus’ sermon is pointing believers toward a way of living that prioritizes being rather than looking and the beatitudes over being comfortable. His perspective produces a kind of life that…
Jesus’ sermon is pointing believers toward a way of living that prioritizes being over looking and the beatitudes over being comfortable. His perspective produces a kind of life that culminates…
Matthew 6 probes the motives of the human heart. Are its actions staged to be seen, or do they come from a genuine inner source? Jesus uses prayer, giving, and…
Prayer – what subject has more intrigue and difficulty? Jesus in Matthew 6 gives a model of prayer that a child understands and scholars can study. Before His model prayer,…
Jesus has taught there are six evils that interfere with the kingdom (anger, lust, divorce, lying, vengeance, and hatred). Now, Jesus goes inside the believer to demonstrate that good works…
In Matthew 5, Jesus makes six statements clarifying the Kingdom. In this week's teaching, He makes the hardest of all requests; He tells His followers to love their neighbors and their…
There are many times in our lives—and we never know when they will strike—when suddenly the wind gets up and the sea becomes rough. But if we listen, through the…
Basic human nature responds to aggression by fight or flight. Neither of these responses build community or have positive results. Jesus gives a third way to respond to aggressive behavior…
Words in Scripture have power to create. Truthful words create reality and trust. Lies create ruin and broken relationships and are from the evil one himself. Jesus’ mandate for believers…
First, it was anger, then lust, and now Jesus talks about divorce. We probably wouldn't have divorced if we had dealt with anger and lust. Divorce, however, is a reality…
Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father. Humanity has taken these good gifts; instead of enjoying them, we have abused them. Sex is one such gift that we…
Jesus begins one of the longest sections in His sermon. He looks at the Law and gives us our Creator’s intention for that law. Jesus begins with murder and dissects…
What is this book we call the Bible? The average person may view the Bible as “the good book”, professors see it as a myth, critics see it as a…
In the context of the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us what we are and what we should be doing. We are salt and light. We don’t try to be these two;…
Jesus opens His first recorded sermon with an attention getter. He declares to all who would listen that the path to blessedness is a road less traveled. In stark contrast…
If we want to rebuild, there will be a battle. It doesn’t matter if we are closing our personal gates to evil or helping a community recover their protection from…
In this passage, Jesus shows us that forgiveness is more than just a nice gesture. It is an essential part of being a follower of Christ. We have all been…
We are living in a time where faith, family and community have been eroded. In order for any town to be changed there needs to be miraculous reviving of these…
Life is fullest when we take the right risks. We will watch Nehemiah put it all on the line for the vision God had refined through four months of prayer…
We struggle making decisions. We struggle to know the wise right path. We struggle knowing what mission God has called us to partner with Him in this broken world. Nehemiah…
The book of Nehemiah opens with a report about a desperate situation in the city of Jerusalem. The people are in great trouble and shame and the wall and gates…
The fuel for the Christian life is Scripture. We are to be people of the book. The Bible is to be read, studied, meditated upon, and memorized. Each of these…
A way our enemy caricatures Christianity is to paint us as fun haters. By no means is this a new tactic but stretches back to the origins of our Faith.…
Motives mold us and the practice of secrecy can refine our motives and prevent us from becoming modern Pharisees who only care about appearing whitewashed. Jesus in the Sermon on…
We all feel the increase in the pace of life. With that pace we have the ability to be informed or entertained 24/7. Today there are less margins for waiting…
Americans have a love hate relationship with rest. The protestant work ethic is weaved into the DNA of our country and while it is a good servant it can become…
We realize our lives are perfectly designed for the results we are getting and so each New Year we make resolutions for different results. Edgewater’s duty is to teach a…
Philippians concludes with a brilliant understanding of the place for riches. Paul says the goal isn’t to be rich or poor but to learn to be content. He goes on…
It can be argued that we are the most anxious and stressed generation in history. Philippians 4:1-9 is the divine cure for our problems. We must remember the good, choose…
Scripture would agree with the idea that life is a journey not a destination. Often we get robbed of joy on the journey because we are focused on a mirage…
Jesus is invited to dine with the “in crowd” of religious rulers. It is an attempt to set Him up, discredit Him and bring Him down. Instead Jesus uses the…
Happiness is a treasure that people will try to steal. Philippians 3 warns us to look out for three types of thieves. Even better, Philippians 3 arms us with truth…
A picture is worth a thousand words. Paul, after two chapters, holds up Timothy and Epaphroditus as examples of what he has been preaching. He uses these two as models,…
