Category Archives: sermon podcasts

Reconciling God’s Sovereignty and Our Free Will

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From time to time, everyone misses the point. This happens in marriage, in the workplace, and even as we approach the Bible.

One place this happens is in the opening verses of the book of Ephesians. I would guess that more theological energy has been poured into this passage extolling or refuting concepts of free-will and predestination than energy poured into understanding what the text is intended to teach.

Unless we lay aside the consternation some have concerning the free-will / sovereignty debate we will miss the point regarding the blessings God has given those who’ve turned from their sins and placed their trust in Christ’s death to pay for their sins.

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Life as Art…

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In a message presented at Mosaic, Erwin McMannus spoke words like these to those assembled:

Life is a work of art.

The canvas you paint first is your life.

Then your life becomes the brush
from which you paint
the world you touch,
while you are on this planet.
(Erwin McMannus in Artisan: Soul — the Essence of Art 2/12/2012)

Is that true? Is your life a work of art?

The book of Ephesians says that we are God’s workmanship — his handiwork. In a sense, we are his artwork, and we are created for good works in Christ.

This podcast examines several truths about how to live your life as a work of art. It discusses how to live well.

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Transitions at the Cross: From Foe to Friend

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I looked in the cupboard this week and saw that our Easter Bunny had bought the Candy-coated Milk Chocolate Eggs. They are making their procession from Hershey to the grocery store to our cupboard to the Easter Basket. The Shields family is heading quickly toward Easter.

You and I are doing something similar. We’re not stocking up on chocolate bunnies here at church, but we are progressing from Sunday to Sunday on our way to Resurrection Sunday. And as we travel this road, we are giving thought to some transitions brought about by the Cross of Christ. We’ve talked about the transitions from…

  • Fear to Freedom.
  • Remembering to Rejoicing.
  • And Impossibilities to Realities.

In this podcast, I talk about the Transition from Foe to Friend. It’s the Cross of Christ that makes this transition possible.

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