In this little mini-series, we have been discussing the idea that all Christians are sent on mission by Jesus. In the last sermon, we began to explore what this looks like practically, using John Dickson's book "The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission" to look at 3 New Testament ways we can promote the Gospel. This week, we'll unpack 3 more chapters of that book, exploring 3 more New Testament ways we can get involved in the mission of God: we can behave beautifully, we can worship corporately, and we can reply "aptly" (as Dickson says).

May 12, 2024

In the previous sermon, we discussed the idea that all Christians are sent on mission by Jesus, but what does that mean for us practically? In his book, "The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission", author John Dickson works through 6 New Testament ways that Christians can promote the Gospel. In this sermon, we work through three chapters of Dickson's book and explore three ways we can get involved in the mission of God: we can pray, we can give, and we can do good works.

May 5, 2024

Author J.D. Greear writes that, "I find that a lot of Christians in churches...are just tired of sitting around. They feel like they are supposed to be doing something in the mission of God but don’t quite know what it is.” Does that describe you? Bored in church? Then Acts 1:8 might be a help, where Jesus calls his disciples to take the Gospel here, there, and everywhere.

April 28, 2024

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Gaining by Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches that Send by J.D. Greear. Seeds imagery from Greear.

Do you ever doubt if the resurrection of Jesus Christ really happened? The apostle Thomas did. In John 20:24-31, we follow Thomas' journey from skepticism through investigation into faith. Along the way, we see that Jesus doesn't tell him to turn off his brain and just believe, but rather invites him to explore his doubts. And then on the basis of the rational evidence, calls him to faith that he might experience true life.

March 31, 2024

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, Hope in Times of Fear by Tim Keller, The Reason for God by Tim Keller, Preaching the Word: John by Kent Hughes. Concept of Thomas mulling over the resurrection from Hughes.

At Christmas, we celebrate the arrival of Jesus into our world. But what did his coming, and eventual death, accomplish? In Romans 5, the apostle Paul lays out some of the benefits of what Jesus did for us, provided that we trust in Him. He made a way for us to have a new relationship with God and a new hope.

December 17, 2023

We all face suffering. And in many ways, it a real test. We're not always sure what to do with it. In 1 Peter 5:6-10, the apostle gives us something of a cheat sheet for facing suffering: he tells us to trust God, beware the Devil, and remember the big picture.

November 26, 2023

Why do churches baptize people? What is happening in baptism and what is not happening in baptism? And what is the point of baptism? What is it supposed to be picturing? In this sermon, we explore baptism in a Gospel, baptism in Acts, and baptism in an epistle to answer some of these questions and explain what we believe about baptism at Parkside Heights.

September 17, 2023

What do you think you need to make it through each and every day? In the second half of the Lord's prayer recorded in Luke 11:3-4, Jesus tells us what we should ask God for each and every day: we are to ask him for physical sustenance, relational forgiveness, and spiritual protection. These requests underscore the fact that we are physically needy, relationally guilty, and spiritually vulnerable people with a deep need for God.

September 3, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Prayer by Tim Keller, example of our lack of self-sufficiency adapted from Keller.

Do you struggle with prayer? Do you have a sense that it is unexplored territory in your Christian life? In Luke 11:1-2, we find that Jesus' earliest disciples struggled with prayer too, and thankfully, one of them was humble enough to say to Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1, ESV). In this sermon on the Lord's prayer, we examine our patterns of prayer and three principles for prayer that we can apply right away. Much content adapted from Tim Keller's book and a sermon of his on prayer.

August 27, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Prayer by Tim Keller, "Adoration: Hallowed be Thy Name" by Tim Keller.

One of the topics that we don't like to talk about in our society is death. We all know that we are mortal, but that doesn't make death any less scary. In Hebrews 2:14-18, the Bible speaks of our fear of death and tells us about how Jesus came to deliver us from that fear.

April 9, 2023

What makes a person wise? How do you know if someone is truly wise? In James 3:13-18, James addresses this question by giving us an equation, if you will, by which we can run a check on our lives to find our whether we are living by wisdom that comes from God or wisdom that comes from the world.

February 19, 2023

If you have a church background, perhaps you have encountered something called the Lord's Supper, or Communion, or the Eucharist. What is the basis of this practice? And why are we still doing it today? In this sermon, we'll see that the Lord's Supper is a call to look back to Jesus' death for us, to look forward to His return, and to look around at people with whom we share in Christ's blessings.

What do you see when you look in the mirror? This sermon on Romans 12:3-8 argues that we all have distorted views of ourselves: some of us think we are all-important while others of us think we are worthless. The Bible, however, challenges us to look at ourselves differently in light of the Gospel: that we are both deeply sinful and deeply loved at the same time. Only when we have this accurate view of ourselves can we move into healthy relationships with others in the church, understanding that we are not independent, but interdependent, and that we are not meant to be consumers only, but contributors as well.

August 14, 2022

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Romans by John Stott; Romans 9-16 For You by Tim Keller. Gospel identity shaping entry into community from Tim Keller on Galatians 6.

Do you know what it is like to have something in your life bring you constant pain and frustration? Perhaps it is a physical ailment, a psychological struggle, or a circumstance that is really difficult. The apostle Paul had something like this in his life, and in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, begs God to take it away. God answers Paul's prayer in a way that might be surprising to us, but opens up a new way to view weakness and suffering.

November 27, 2022