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Sunday Morning Podcast | The Moody Church
In this sermon, we look at Naomi’s identity trap: looking for satisfaction through power. We meet Naomi in the Old Testament book of Ruth. Ruth is Naomi’s daughter-in-law. Usually, when we study this book, we’re focused in on the beautiful love story that takes place between Ruth and Boaz. And Naomi is sort of off on the sidelines like a supporting…
In this sermon, we turn the corner to our desire for satisfaction and how that too so often leads us into the trap of looking to people, power, or possessions instead of the ultimate satisfaction that is ours in Jesus. Our story is taking from John 4, where a find a pivotal conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman at a well. We’ll focus in …
In this sermon, we explore Naaman’s security trap—seeking security through possessions. As we follow along in 2 Kings 5, we’ll discover a new and better identity as a child of God. 1) Naaman’s Hardship Naaman’s story is somewhere in the middle 60 years of Elisha’s ministry. Naaman means “gracious.” He is the commander of the Syrian army, a war hero…
In this sermon, we look back over 3 millennia to the story of Gideon and his identity trap—seeking security through power. 1) Gideon’s Test Gideon was a tribal warrior leader-judge. His story takes place between 1179-1154 BC and is recorded in the Book of Judges chapter 6. The context of the story is clear in the opening: the people of Israel did w…
In this sermon, we go back 2,500 years to the Medo-Persian Empire to discover Esther’s identity trap—seeking security through people. Through the story, we’ll see how God loves her out of her orphan-hearted identity and into the true security of living as a child of God. Esther’s Secret: The story begins with King Xerxes casting his queen, Vashti, …
The Book of Ephesians is about God's plan for the fullness of time to unite all things throughout eternity. God’s plan is the biggest logistic undertaking of all time. Against that backdrop, we get a prayer report from Paul in Ephesians 3 about the way he prays for the church. Paul's primary point is this: To grasp the breadth of the love of Christ…
In this sermon, we look at Zacchaeus’ identity trap—seeking significance through power. 1) Zacchaeus: Lost Zacchaeus was one of the “bad guys” in the Bible because he was a chief tax collector and he was notoriously rich. Everyone knew him to be one of the wealthiest people in Jericho, and they hated him for it. And that really was the identity tra…
We often use Bible verses out of context to find rest for our weary souls. Can you relate to that? In this sermon, we look at a passage that has much to say about finding the spiritual rest we long for. How do we enter God’s promised rest from Hebrews 4? We React in Worship: Worship of the living God gives rest to our souls. We Rest in His Work: Th…
In this sermon, we look at Jacob’s identity trap: seeking significance through power. Jacob was the grandson of Abraham, and the father of Joseph. His story gives us a powerful look at the deep identity transformation God wants to bring into each one of our lives. We’ll look at three parts to Jacob’s story: Jacob’s Upbringing: Jacob’s identity is b…
Following Jesus is basically learning to live out our new identity in Christ. But it’s difficult because we’ve spent so much of our lives living from our orphan identities. To live from our new identity as children of God requires intention and practice. We must unlearn the heart-habits of orphanhood and embrace the heart-habits of childlikeness. T…
Who are you? How would you answer this question? In the coming weeks, we’ll explore the stories of nine different characters in the Bible, who each tried to build their identities in all the wrong places, and then discovered the kind of wholeness that only God can give. And in considering their lives, we’ll discover the identity traps we fall into,…
The Book of Joel was written to the people of Judah and Jerusalem as a warning, but its truths are just as applicable to us today as they were thousands of years ago. The historical context of the book is Judah's pattern of revival and decline, and in these passages Judah is falling into the same apostasy that plagued Israel. The prophet Joel cries…
Have you ever experienced a kind of whiplash after Christmas? All the wonder, joy, peace on earth, goodwill toward men, all is cheery and bright…and then January hits. Bills come due. Reality sets in. Christmas often seems like a feel-good season that’s disconnected from the troubles of the real life. A mass-marketed departure from reality. We pret…
Who has Jesus come for? The angel told Joseph: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” His name means “The Lord saves,” because He will save his people from their sins. But who are “his people?” Who is it that Jesus has come to save? Now, from our vantage point the answer seems obvious: Jesus came for all peopl…
There’s so much joy and merriment at Christmastime. After all, it’s the most wonderful time of the year!And yet, for many of us, Christmastime also carries a deep underlying ache. Empty chairs. Broken hearts. Dashed hopes. Because despite what the fairy tales told us, not all our dreams came true, and “happily ever after’s” seem cheaply foreign to …
Advent means “arrival” and it’s full of awaiting. In the Old Testament era, the people of God were awaiting the advent of their Messiah, the Anointed One, who would fulfill all of God’s covenant promises to His people. And two thousand years ago, a baby was born in Bethlehem, Jesus the Son of God, who is called the Christ, the Messiah, and the Hope…
Today we come to the fourth and final chapter in the Book of Jonah. It all began when God called Jonah to go preach to Nineveh, and Jonah flatly disobeyed, heading nearly 3,000 miles in the opposite direction aboard a ship to Tarshish. And just when he thought he’d gotten away, God hurled a great storm to stop him in his tracks. Jonah told the sail…
Sometimes people get the impression that in the Old Testament God is full of wrath, whereas in the New Testament He is full of love, compassion, and mercy. It’s understandable why that impression could be formed. After all, the Old Testament contains major moments of judgment like the Flood, the Plagues, and the Exile, and the New Testament contain…
The most important question you can ask: Is certainty of salvation possible? In this sermon, Dr. Erwin Lutzer shares the great lessons from the heroes of the Reformation that continue to encourage us as believers today. The Story of the Goose: John Hus (1373-1415) Opposed abuses The authority of the Bible alone The priesthood of all believers His m…
Alan Redpath (former Senior Pastor of The Moody Church from ‘53-‘62) famously said: “When God wants to do an impossible task, he takes an impossible man and crushes him.” Pastor Redpath understood that certain kinds of traits that tend to get you ahead in life, like driven-ness, strength of will, self-confidence, and ambition. But, these things are…
When we run and hide from God, when we conceal our secret sins, God comes looking for us. Because God never gives up on those He loves. In this passage, Jonah tried to run from God. So, God sent a ferocious storm and a giant fish to bring Jonah back; because God loved Jonah. This sermon explores three things about the relentless pursuit of “The Lor…
If you've ever felt discouraged in sharing the Gospel with people who don't seem interested, Dr. Mitch Glaser's message from Romans offers three points of encouragement from Paul's letter to the Romans: Paul’s Broken Heart for the Salvation of the Jewish People (Romans 9:1-3) Paul’s Prayer for the Salvation of the Jewish People (Romans 10:1-2) Paul…
The story of Jonah is first and foremost about God. It’s a story that shows us God’s unrelenting grace for undeserving people. And, it’s a story for people like us, people who run from God and need second chances. The story of Jonah shows us a God whose love never stops and never quits, who is always and forever pursuing and redeeming us. In this s…
Everybody wants to change their world. And while there are lots of beneficial ways we can help make our world a better place, if you want to change your world in a way that matters for eternity, there’s no better way to change your world than to join Jesus in His mission of redeeming the entire world! How do we join Jesus on mission in our world? I…
How do we become a person of love? In this sermon, we’ll explore how Jesus is inviting us on a transformational journey to become people of love like Himself. On this transformational journey, there’s a pattern to follow, a power to change, and progress to be made. Pattern: Jesus is our model of self-giving love. To follow Jesus is to become like H…
Each of us is more than just a body; we're also a soul. And as our bodies need calories for nourishment, our souls need nourishment as well to live and thrive. What can satisfy our soul’s hunger? In this passage from John 15:4-13, we’ll explore Jesus’ invitation to feed our souls through community. The Soul’s Design: Our souls were made for an abid…
Abundant life! A life rich in meaning, full of purpose, thick with substance, durable and flourishing—that’s the kind of life we all want. It’s the kind of life that deep down we know we were made for. And it’s the kind of life Jesus is offering those who will follow Him. When Jesus says, “Come, follow me!”, He’s inviting you on the four-stage Jour…
The moment we are in does not pause the mission we are on. As we look back on where we’ve come from and consider the times we are living in, this passage from John 20:19-21 gives us four powerful reminders of how to live on mission for Jesus. Fear is always the opposite of faith. Peace is always the Christian response. The cross is always our hope …
How would you respond if you saw the risen Jesus face-to-face three days following the crucifixion? The disciples were notably disturbed, fearful, and shamed in this passage from John 20. Yet Jesus’ response to them was something that reverberates thousands of years later for believers today: "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am send…
How do we make peace with God when our sin has damaged that relationship? In this passage from Psalm 51, written by King David, we explore five steps to the spiritual practice of confession: The Review The Repercussions The Roots The Requests David asks God for a CLEAN heart. David asks God for a NEW heart. David asks God for a MISSIONAL heart. The…
What does it look like to return to the Lord with all your heart? In this passage from Joel 2:12-17, the context is that God had sent a great famine on the people of Israel, and they were in perilous conditions. And in that context, God, in His mercy, sends His prophet with one word: Repent! This passage teaches us what it looks like to repent and …
Life is learned, and we’re all learning how to live from someone. And at the end of the day, we will live our lives in one of three ways: by Default (replicating familial patterns), by Drift (doing what everyone else is doing), or by Design (building your life with intention). In this sermon, we explore two philosophies of life, one religious and o…
The Bible often uses an analogy comparing two ways, two paths that people can take in their spiritual journey. In the Garden of Eden, God presents Adam and Eve with two ways, and two trees, one that’s fruit is life and the other that’s death. At the end of Deuteronomy, Moses presents Israel with two ways, “See, I have set before you life and death,…
One of the foundational questions of moral philosophy down through the ages is: “What is a virtuous life?” When Jesus speaks about what a life of virtue looks like in the Sermon on the Mount, He’s not doing so in a vacuum. He’s joining an ongoing conversation in His Greco-Roman and Jewish milieu. And the clearest example of this dialogue is in Jesu…
What does God want from us? It’s a confusing and frustrating question, but we can find a helpful answer in Micah 6:1-8 where God gives Israel a clear answer. Three things the Lord requires: do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God. So, what does this answer mean? Do Justice: In the original Hebrew, the term is “misphat”, meaning jus…
The passage from Matthew 7:1-12 is notoriously difficult to understand due to its complex thematic interconnections. What seems like a random collection of Jesus’ wisdom is actually a message about how we are to treat others. Jesus is identifying two radically different ways of treating others, which flows through two radically different hearts: a …
Jesus hates worry and what it does to people. Worry is like a venom, stealing our life. The antidote is to remember that we exist in a God-created, God-sustained, God-filled, God-watched, God-loved, and God-kept universe. For those of us who worry, Jesus is inviting us into the abundant life of the Kingdom of Heaven that is “at hand” in His presenc…
In Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven is breaking into reality, establishing a beachhead of the new creation. And Jesus is inviting us to follow Him into this cosmic disruption. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, to get in on the ground floor of the greatest Kingdom the world will ever know. Here's our choice: Will we keep on investing our time and ener…
In some ways, The Lord’s Prayer is a bit of an aside to the main point Jesus is making. If you will recall, Jesus has been calling out the Scribes and Pharisees for their religious hypocrisy. To drive the point home, Jesus gives three examples of spiritual practices: giving, praying, and fasting. These practices are supposed to be all about loving …
People feel a longing for Jesus to come again. But since we don’t know the time and date of that return, what should we do in the meantime? As we wait for the return of Christ, we are to be the people of God, empowered by the spirit of God, to testify to the son of God, carrying on the mission of God. Are you living that way? Acts 1:1-11…
The final phrase, or benediction, of The Lord’s Prayer is a grand crescendo in what has been a rather sobering prayer for mercy amidst a dark and battered world. It feels like all of a sudden light pierces the darkness as the speaker proclaims the forever kingdom, power, and glory of God. It’s a phrase that reminds us of what is true, good, real, a…
All of us prefer to avoid tests in life, because these are moments of accountability when we’re exposed for who we really are. The danger of tests is that we’ll come to realize we’re not all that we ought to be, that we’re frail and faltering beings. In this sermon, we explore the phrase in the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliv…
Have you ever questioned God’s intentions for your life? Do you wish that God was doing something different through the course of events that you experience? God can seem to answer our prayers in ways that are unexpected and complex. In this sermon, we’ll be reminded of three important truths that we can hold on to when we question God’s intentions…
“Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive.” – C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity It’s not hard to see that our world needs to be a more forgiving place. Our families need to be more forgiving places. Our churches need to be more forgiving places. And, of course, it’s easy to spot unforgiveness in others. It’s much …
Far too often we treat prayer like a cosmic 911 service. Some emergency happens, and suddenly, we become praying people. On a daily basis, we try not to bother God with the little stuff, thinking that we can handle most circumstances on our own. Most of the time, life feels manageable. We rationalize that we are smart, industrious, hard-working; an…
Jesus knows what it’s like to live within this broken world, and He knows how to pray His way through it. In this passage from the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus is going to teach us how to pray our way through the brokenness of this life. This sermon focuses on Matthew 6:10: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We explore fou…
For many of us, prayer raises more questions than answers. Does it even work? Am I doing it right? Am I using the right words? How can I know God is even listening? Jesus’ early followers had similar questions about prayer, but they saw something different in Jesus. Jesus prayed with a confidence, closeness, and comfort that His disciples found mes…
He is Risen! He is Risen! He is Risen! Easter Sunday marks the turning of the tide. The power of sin is shattered; the chains of Satan are broken; the dominion of death is conquered, for the Son of God has risen with power and is alive forevermore! In this sermon, we go back to that very resurrection morning and discover how Jesus’ resurrection cha…
Each of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – allocate approximately 1/3rd of their biographies to the final week of Jesus’ life. It’s as if everything shifts into slow motion, every definitive moment captured, each dialogue carefully conveyed, every detail meticulously preserved. Because this is the week t…
No one wants to be on the wrong side of history. As it was in the days of Jesus, so it is today. Our passage for this sermon takes place at a time when it seemed to some that the right side of history was about to be revealed. The people of Jesus’ day believed that Jesus was about to ride into Jerusalem on a white horse and overturn the existing ru…
