* Note that these are sermon notes that didn't make it into the final form of the sermon, not an organized essay.2 Kings 5:1 (ESV)1Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.We are told here that it was by the hand of God that Syria was gi...  Read More

One of the things we learn from the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal is the power of waiting on God’s timing.Elijah waited on God.Elijah had pronounced a divinely ordained curse upon the people, and then the Lord sent him into hiding.He waited in hiding for three years.  Then the word of the Lord came.It’s safe to assume that Elijah was burdened and broken over the ruin of his nation and t...  Read More

***These are simply  notes and thought processes that didn't make it into the final form of the sermon, not a fully formed essay / sermon.Another way we can sin like Rehoboam is through presumption.“Presumption is acting as though you know something or have a right to something when you do not.”Proverbs 12:15"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice."Rehoboam is...  Read More

We don’t need a wise king to rule us, we need a perfect king to save usIn his request for wisdom, Solomon teaches us what it looks like to make a right request of God.Unfortunately, Solomon’s story does not end with his right request and God’s gracious reply.He, like all the other prominent old testament figures before Him, proves that he is not the promised son of Genesis 3.He is not the one who ...  Read More

The Bible doesn’t apologize for God’s wrath.  The Bible rejoices in God’s wrath.I know that in our day and age, the discussion of God’s anger or wrath can cause many of us to be apologetic rather than to do apologetics.Apologetics refers to the defense of the faith.  The word apologetics comes from the Greek word apologia which means “defense.”That’s very different from a related word which we use...  Read More

“A plane just flew into the World Trade Center.”“Charlie Kirk was shot.”These are announcements of bad news that affected us all in some way, on a national level.But maybe some of you can’t remember 9/11.  And maybe some of you weren’t super familiar with Charlie Kirk.  Still, you’ve still received your share of bad news.“Your mother was rushed to the hospital.  They don’t know if she’ll make it.”...  Read More

Dedicate the first part of the day to scripture and prayer. Keep it simple - Pick a book of the Bible.  Read one portion at a time (your bible probably has helpful subdivisions).  Ask yourself - What does this say about God? How does this point to the grace of God in Christ? How should I respond?  Pray for God’s help to respond, pray for those closest to you, confess sin, and thank God for His ble...  Read More

Hope City Church,I felt it would be helpful and right, with so much attention given to the issue, for me to personally address you all with some thoughts concerning the recent annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention.First, some clarifications, as I know many of you may not have grown up familiar with the SBC or its various entities.Let me summarize some general information regarding the ...  Read More

Trust God in the ordinary, let Him worry about the extraordinarySaul tells David he’s too young and inexperienced to fight Goliath, since Goliath has been a trained warrior from his youth.David responds by pointing to his past as a shepherd: when lions or bears attacked his flock, he pursued them, killed them, and rescued the sheep.He argues that the same God who helped him defeat those predators ...  Read More