As Zechariah’s Benedictus begins, he blesses God for who he is and what he has done. Instead of focusing on the miraculous birth of his own son, which pointed to the Messiah’s advent, he rejoices instead that the Lord has visited and redeemed his people. Now, in the second half of this song, Zechariah mentions […]
After realizing that God was going to spare the Ninevites in response to their faith and repentance, Jonah loses his will to live. He is so committed to the destruction of Israel’s enemies that he would rather die than see God acting according to his own character. So, as the book of Jonah comes to […]
After being spit back out onto the land by the fish, Jonah is recommissioned and sent to Nineveh. When he arrives in Nineveh, he delivers God’s message, and the Ninevites, led by their king, respond with repentance and God spares them from judgment. In this sermon, pastor Mitch reminds us of the profound truth this […]
After being hurled into the raging sea, God mercifully preserves Jonah’s life by sovereingly appointing a great sea creature to swallow him. From the belly of the fish, Jonah offers a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord from the belly of the fish, acknowledging that he had been spared from a death he deserved. In […]
In this sermon, pastor Joel shows us the absolute sovereignty of God over all things and the futility of our attempts to outrun, outwit, or ignore him. But we not only see God’s sovereignty over nature in the story of Jonah but also unstoppable mercy. Despite Jonah’s disobedience and attempts to frustrate God’s plan, God’s […]
The story of Jonah is a story that shows us the radical mercy of God, the striking disobedience of Jonah and his resentment for God’s compassion for sinner. In this sermon, pastor Joel introduces us to the main characters in the story of Jonah and the historical setting of the book. As we consider Jonah’s […]
Paul’s point in Romans 11 is that God is not done with Israel. If they do not continue in their unbelief, they will certainly be grafted back into their own olive tree, “for God has the power to graft them in again” (Rom. 11:23). But Paul is convinced not only that they can be grafted […]
In Romans 11 Paul is ramping up to the climax of his discussion of Israel and the gospel. He lays out the future salvation of Israel and how God is even using their unbelief to accomplish his plans for the world. In this sermon, pastor Mitch reminds us that Israel’s hardening and rejection is neither […]
Having considered Israel’s past and God’s sovereign purpose in Romans 9, and then Israel’s present situation and God’s continued patience in chapter 10, one crucial question remains: Is God done with Israel? Has he rejected his people for good? This is what Paul begins to address in chapter 11 as he focuses on Israel’s future […]
