preach-itSermon Archive

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July 2023

Mephibosheth v. Ziba

It’s kind of a murky tale that leaves a lot of readers wondering who to believe. It’s the case of Mephibosheth v. Ziba. For the full context you can read 2 Samuel 4:4, 2 Samuel 9, 2 Samuel 16:1-4 and 2 Samuel 19:24-30. The principal players of this confusing story are King David, Mephibosheth (a crippled man and the sole surviving member of Jonathan’s household) and a servant of Mephibosheth’s named Ziba. Mephibosheth says one thing and Ziba another. Somebody’s lying. You decide.

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A Woman Named Rahab

As we worship God through the study of His Word, we’ll be learning about a woman named Rahab. You can find her story in Joshua 2. It’s an interesting story filled with spies, danger, double agents, and narrow escapes. Rahab was a resident of the doomed city of Jericho and her life took an unexpected turn when she welcomed two strange men into her home. She would go non to become the great, great grandmother of King David and also an ancestor of Jesus Himself. I’m looking forward to seeing what God will say to us through the life of this unlikely heroine as we study Joshua 2 together.



A Worshipful Response

In Luke 7:36-50 we find an account of 1st Century party crashing. A woman who was known around town for her sinful lifestyle entered the home of a pharisee named Simon who was hosting a dinner party in Jesus’ honor. She was uninvited and unwelcome in Simon’s house but she came anyway. I imagine it was all very awkward for Simon, and probably for the woman as well, but apparently not for Jesus. This unexpected coming together of an infamous sinner and a famous law-keeper, both seeking time with Jesus, prompts Jesus to tell a parable about a man who forgave two debtors. The parable itself is just three sentences long. What do you think Jesus was saying through this parable?



June 2023

True Sonship

This Sunday is Father’s Day and what could be more appropriate than to continue our study through the parables of Jesus by studying that of the prodigal son. You’ll find this parable in Luke 15. That chapter begins, “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” In response to their grumbling, Jesus tells three parables designed to confront and reorient the sin-clo



Maybe Today

Jesus is coming back. Maybe soon. Maybe even today. Perhaps last Sunday was my last chance to preach the Gospel from the pulpit and maybe, just maybe, it was the last chance for somebody to respond to it. The date of the promised day when Jesus returns has been set and is even now fast approaching. Although no one knows the day or the hour of His appearing the Bible has told us that the day is coming like a thief in the night, at a moment we do not expect. In Matthew 24 and 25 Jesus instruc



The Unforgiving Servant

If someone asked us to explain what it is that we believe as Christians I doubt that we could go much beyond a sentence or two without speaking of forgiveness. It goes almost without saying, but forgiveness is an idea that is so central to what we celebrate as Christians that there is no virtually no way of explaining the Gospel without explaining it. We worship a forgiver of sins, and we look upon ourselves as a forgiven people. Nevertheless, many Christians struggle to believe that they h



May 2023

Christian Growth

Pastor David hails from Cento Christiano Cultural de Guatemala (CCCG). Over the years a number of people from State Road have gotten to know Pastor David through Neighbors First projects in Guatemala or by sponsoring a child through the ministry of CCCG. Additionally, he is the brother of Roberto Alvarez whom we support through Provee International. Pastor David provides oversight to an extensive ministry designed to meet the needs of young people in various Guatemalan communities while seeking to impact them for the Gospel. For more information about that ministry check out cccguatemala.com.



The Dishonest Manager

The parable of the dishonest manager is found in Luke 16:1-9. R.C. Sproul once said about this passage that it is “universally considered by biblical scholars to be the most difficult of Jesus’ parables to understand.” William Barclay said that “this is the most puzzling parable that Jesus ever spoke.” James Montgomery Boice begins his commentary on this passage by stating flatly, “This parable has been a problem for many readers.” And John MacArthur says that “this is one of the most ast



Mother’s Day

You’ve heard of Mary the mother of Jesus, and Sarah the mother of Isaac, and maybe you’ve even heard of Hannah the mother of Samuel or Elizabeth the Mother of John the Baptist. Each represents an inspiring example for us of faith and Motherhood, but have you ever heard of the wife of Manoah? Her story is overshadowed a bit by that of her famous son, Samson, who was kind of a colorful character. However, she is definitely someone worthy of studying. We are introduced to her in Judges 13. On this Mother’s Day lets  study the life of this remarkable mother.



The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37 contains the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is certainly one of Jesus’ most famous and well-known parables. Even those who are not very familiar with the Bible will know something about what it is to be a good Samaritan, but they often miss the full depth of meaning that Jesus intended when He first told this powerfully convicting parable.





 
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