A rich young ruler asks Jesus what he must do to obtain eternal life. Knowing that the man’s god is his wealth, Jesus challenges him to give his wealth away and follow him. But because the man loves his wealth too much to do as Jesus asks, he goes away sad. This Sunday we talk about the root of this man’s problem, about his false assumptions about Jesus, his wealth, and the route to eternal life.
In this message we will see that being religious and having a changed heart are not the same thing. We will learn this lesson by contrasting Naaman life with that of Elisha’s servant, a man named Gehazi. In Naaman we see the marks of a person who has met God, whereas with Gehazi we see the marks of someone who, despite being religious, has missed God.
SERMON SUMMARY Last week we laid the foundation for this series by talking about the perspective of grace. I offered two opposing views of grace: either a reward or a gift from God, and looked at how each of those views could shape our views on God, self, and neighbor. If grace is truly a…
SERMON SUMMARY October 31st, just a few weeks away, marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, the event that sparked a “reboot” of Christianity. The first, most foundational of those truths is “Sola Scriptura”—Scripture alone is our source of truth. The second question the Reformers addressed was, “What does God reveal in his Word…
Sermon Summary Spirituality is flourishing in 21st century America. One Raleigh resident said that raising chickens “is a spiritual endeavor, a powerful daily devotional that has brought me to my knees.” A famous scientist calls thinking about atheistic evolution “a spiritual endeavor, a powerful daily devotional that brings her to her knees”, adding “Science is,…
