Heritage Sermons

Romans 8:18-25 | Giving Faith Something to See | Dan Cruver Have you ever wondered what it will be like when your faith becomes sight? What will you experience when you finally see what you have long hoped for? Dan Cruver concludes our four-part series, Giving Faith Something to See, by exploring the glory that awaits us in Romans 8:18–25.

Galatians 4:4-9 | Giving Faith Something to See | Dan Cruver The great Puritan theologian Richard Sibbes wrote: “This is the wisdom of a Christian, to have sights of faith, that is, to present several things that faith may work upon to strengthen itself, as for faith to have a sight of God in Christ, a gracious Father.” Listen as Dan Cruver explores Galatians 4:4–9 to help us see by faith our loving Father in Christ.

Galatians 3:23-26 | Giving Faith Something to See | Dan Cruver How you relate to God daily largely determines whether you will enjoy and commune with Him throughout the day. Someone might say, "Well, I relate to God by faith." That's good as far as it goes, but what does that actually mean? Listen as Dan Cruver continues our four-part series, Giving Faith Something to See, by looking at "Faith for the Gap" from Galatians 3:23–26.

Galatians 5:1-5 | Giving Faith Something to See | Dan Cruver For every Christian, there is a gap between who we are in practice right now and who we will be when we are glorified. Navigating that gap is not easy because the terrain of life in this fallen world is full of dangers. This Sunday Dan Cruver will begin a four-part series titled, Giving Faith Something to See, based on Paul’s letter to the Galatians. We will begin in Galatians 5:1–5 to strengthen our faith “in the gap.”

Luke 4:1-13 | Luke: Good News of Great Reversals | Jim Knauss Martin Luther said in his classic hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” that on the earth there is not an equal to our ancient foe. Luther was correct in asserting his "craft and power are great” and that our battles with him sometimes end in utter defeat. Ever since the garden, man has battled with our ancient foe and proven “not his equal.” You are not alone in your battle. Everything is therefore riding on the passage when Christ does battle with the evil one in a winner take all match. In Luke 4:1-13 we will see the true and faithful Son conquer where every other son has failed.

Luke 3:21-38 | Luke: Good News of Great Reversals | Jason Read It’s time. John has prepared the people for the coming Messiah, and now he is here. As the people dry off from John’s baptism, they look back and see Jesus knee deep in the river, dripping wet. Then the most extraordinary thing occurs. The heavens open, the Spirit descends, and the Father speaks. He calls Jesus his beloved Son. This singular truth, that Jesus is the beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased, will carry our Lord through all that is to come. He knows exactly who he is and exactly what the Father thinks of him. But do you know who you are? Do you know what the Father thinks about you?

Luke 3:1-20 | Luke: Good News of Great Reversals | Matt Jackson We can all identify with the need to adequately prepare for a coming event—whether that be a final exam in school, a big presentation at work, or a camping trip. Luke 3:1-20 focuses on the ministry of John the Baptist, where we will clearly see how John’s ministry fulfilled the prophetic expectation of preparing the way for God’s Messiah. But even more, we will see in John’s teaching the preparation that all people must make to be able to personally see Jesus and his salvation.

Luke 2:39-52 | Luke: Good News of Great Reversals | Matt Jackson Luke records the only account of Jesus’ childhood years—his remaining behind in the temple after the annual Passover feast—in the passage we will look at on Sunday. It is during this account that the first words of Jesus are recorded. What does Jesus say in this moment? That God is his Father, a statement packed with life-changing significance. But Luke also tells us that Jesus grew and increased in wisdom and stature as a human. Young Jesus proclaims himself as the God-man, fully divine and fully human. As we will see throughout the study of Luke 2:39-52, Jesus’ life, ministry, and work hinges on the reality of his Sonship to the Father. Even more, Jesus’ first recorded words about himself can make all the difference in the world to you and me.

Luke 2:22-38 | Luke: Good News of Great Reversals | Jason Read The angel’s good news of great joy in the birth of our Lord is perhaps one of the most well-known passages in all of Scripture. It graces our refrigerators in the form of greeting cards, decorates social media walls (and sometimes. . .actual walls), and has even made it into animated cartoon shows as early as 1965! But have we ever considered what the good news is that the angel of Luke 2 is proclaiming? Have we ever thought about why it should drive us to great joy? In Sunday’s sermon from Luke 2:1-21 we will consider these things and look to God’s word and wisdom for the answers.

Acts 16:1-15 | Guest Gospel advance requires extreme diligence: intentionality, hard work, discipline, investing ourselves, taking risk. But equally important is extreme reliance: understanding that it is not my hard work, but God’s Word—shared and applied—that will bring lasting change. It’s Paul saying on one side, “I worked harder than them all!” Yet that wasn’t his identity, because in the next breath he says, “yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). And when we see Christ—fully accepting you, fully in control, completely satisfying to your every heart need—you’re going to joyfully say, “I’m going to give it all, as I wholly rest on Him.” Extreme diligence. Extreme reliance.

Luke 2:1-21 | Luke: Good News of Great Reversals | Jim Knauss The angel’s good news of great joy in the birth of our Lord is perhaps one of the most well-known passages in all of Scripture. It graces our refrigerators in the form of greeting cards, decorates social media walls (and sometimes. . .actual walls), and has even made it into animated cartoon shows as early as 1965! But have we ever considered what the good news is that the angel of Luke 2 is proclaiming? Have we ever thought about why it should drive us to great joy? In Sunday’s sermon from Luke 2:1-21 we will consider these things and look to God’s word and wisdom for the answers.

Luke 1:57-80 | Luke: Good News of Great Reversals | Jim Knauss Scripture paints a view of God's blessing in terms of providing for, helping, and strengthening us. But what does it mean for us to bless God? Are we providing for, helping, or strengthening him in some way? Is there something he needs from us? Looking at Luke 1:57-80, we turn our focus to one of the greatest examples of blessing God in the form of Zechariah’s Benedictus. This sermon will examine the circumstances surrounding this great song of praise to God and the motivation behind it.

Luke 1:39-56 | Luke: Good News of Great Reversals | Jason Read The Lord sent Gabriel to tell two women their lives were about to be turned upside down—both will be surprisingly pregnant. These two separate stories are about to come together as one and erupt in joy. Joy in what God is doing for these women. Joy in what God will do through their children. Joy in what God will do in his world. Through Mary’s child, the promised Messiah, the whole world is about to be turned upside down. The story of great reversals comes to light as the exalted Lord humbles himself in order to exalt the humble.

Luke 1:5-38 | Luke: Good News of Great Reversals | Trent Hunter Luke begins his story of the gospel in 1:5–38 with the stories of four characters and their visits by an angel named Gabriel. We've become familair with these names and encounters but perhaps in a way that takes the shock and awe and even terror out of them. But Luke would have us to ponder the upside down nature of Jesus' good news by way of these surprising first announcements of its coming arrival.

Luke 1:1-4 | Luke: Good News of Great Reversals | Trent Hunter This sermon from Luke 1:1–4 begins our journey through the third account of the good news of Jesus Christ. Here is a story of great reversals and great joy for all people—which means this is good news for us. In these opening lines, Luke prepares his original audience to read his book. With these opening lines, we prepare to hear this book preached. How should we listen? What should we listen for? What do we hope to gain? Here is a story of great reversals and great joy for all people—which means this is good news for us. May we be a church easily edified by the Word, a church of expository listeners.

Isaiah 56-66 | The Gospel According to Isaiah | Trent Hunter Isaiah's 55th chapter offered us a feast of rich food without price, forgiveness and fellowship at the cost paid by the Suffering Servant. We might be tempted to think that Isaiah should be done at that point. What more is there to offer? What more is there to give? Apparently at least eleven more chapters. And this is good news, for God sent his Servant to suffer and rise for more than our forgiveness but for our complete transformation. In this final section of Isaiah's prophecy, chapters 56–66, we see how great a transformation our Lord has in mind, not only of his people but of the entire cosmos.

Genesis 1-2 | Joe Rigney So which is it: Only desire God? Or enjoy everything God richly provides? Count everything as rubbish? Or receive everything with thanksgiving? Set your mind on things above? Or enjoy the good and perfect gifts that have come down from above? This is not just a tension in your life; it’s a tension in the Bible. In this sermon from Genesis 1–2, Joe Rigney will teach us how we may enjoy the things of earth while glorifying and enjoying the God who made the earth and everything in it.

Isaiah 55-55 | The Gospel According to Isaiah | Trent Hunter What is the first thing we must do upon hearing and receiving the work of God's servant? We must sing! Singing is the sound of God's forgiveness and transforming work breaking into our lives. After each Servant Song, Isaiah has called on us to sing. Now devotes a stretch of two chapters, chapters 54–55, to that very cause. Maybe singing is more important than we thought. Maybe our Lord loves to hear our voices more than we have imagined.

Isaiah 53:10-12 | The Gospel According to Isaiah | Trent Hunter What was Jesus looking forward to on the other side of his cross? The cross was anguish, distressing, and horrifying. He who knew no sin became sin for us. But what was in it for him on the other side? Sharing his life with us. This Sunday's sermon from Isaiah 53:10–12 brings us to Isaiah's prophecy of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Here we get a peek into the inner life of our Lord, revealed through the prophet many years before Christ came. Here is where the Lord Jesus' inner life was nurtured by the Scriptures as he grew and matured on his journey to the cross.

Isaiah 53:7-9 | The Gospel According to Isaiah | Jason Read He wasn’t what they expected, so they rejected him. Rejection gave rise to undiluted hatred. They spit on him, stripped him, and struck him. People screamed at him. Priests lied about him. Politicians washed their hands of him. They numbered him among the transgressors and made his grave with the wicked. Why did he endure this injustice? Why so great an injustice? Because the injustice of the cross is a shadow of the injustice of the gospel. See the scandal of the gospel in this sermon from Isaiah 53:7-9.

Isaiah 52:13-53:6 | The Gospel According to Isaiah | Trent Hunter Things are not always as they seem. Jesus did not seem to be all that much to those who looked on him in his life. When he was young, he wasn't that special. Who would expect a boy to be the answer to the world's problems? His sufferings in life only seemed to confirm the obvious: that this was not our man. Some said he was a blasphemer. Some said he was a common criminal. Others said he was a troublemaker. To some who hoped for more, he was another failed prophet. But his rejection by us turned out to be a rejection for us. Who would have known? None of us apart from the revelation of God concerning his Servant in Isaiah 52:13–53:6.

Isaiah 50:4-11 | The Gospel According to Isaiah | Trent Hunter We don’t just need an innocent savior who can take away our sin by taking our punishment. We need a positively obedient savior who can give us his righteousness, who can show us the path of obedience. As Isaiah 50:4-11 teaches, Jesus is such a Servant for us. His obedience is the beginning of ours.

Isaiah 49:1-13 | The Gospel According to Isaiah | Trent Hunter It matters for every Christian if Christ truly is our salvation according to the Scriptures. If the Bible's story of salvation is not a unified story then Christ is not salvation for us. He's just another first century man laying claim to the role of messiah. This week brings us to the second of four "Servant Songs" at the heart of Isaiah's message. The first song dealt with the servant's mission. This song in Isaiah 49:1–13 deals with the servant's identity. This servant, "Israel," is both the nation and an individual who restores the nation and incorporates the nations into the people of God.

Isaiah 42:1-9 | The Gospel According to Isaiah | Trent Hunter There is always more to see of Jesus. In Isaiah 42:1–9, we come to the first of four "Servant Songs" as they are often called. With this passage we begin our journey into the heart of Isaiah's "good news" story. The story of this servant will unfold in several steps revealing who Jesus is for us and what he has done. But that revelation will not come in one step. In fact, Isaiah, a good preacher, may even trip us up along the way to a clear vision of our savior.

Isaiah 1-2:5 | The Gospel According to Isaiah | Trent Hunter The book of Isaiah is long, expansive in the timeline it covers, and filled with obscure names and places. It's also the book in our Bible from which we get our most familiar verses. In fact, it is that Old Testament book from which our New Testament authors and even Jesus himself derived their clearest grasp on the person of Christ and the meaning of his death. So it is to Isaiah that we turn, a book that begins with a vision of two cities, one in ruins and one in righteousness. How does the city in ruins become the city of righteousness?

James 5:19-20 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter James has written his letter with a central driving concern: to see wanderers brought back to God. He has been kind and he has been severe. He has addressed us as beloved brothers and he has called out our spiritual adultery. In all of this he holds out the prospect of God's forgiveness and grace. James 5:19–20 brings us to the concluding words of James' letter, a call to come to the rescue, to seek out those who are wandering, and to bring them back. How do we know when someone is wandering? How can we bring them back? These are the questions we will explore together with James' capable help.

Matthew 28:20 | The Sign of Baptism | Trent Hunter Baptism is an act of obedience. That is true. But what if I told you that baptism is also a sign of a new life of obedience? Would that sound like a contradiction? Didn't Jesus die because we don't obey? Yes. But he was raised so that we would walk in newness of life. Obedience has a bad wrap. That Jesus came that we might be obedient to him sounds like a bait and switch. But that is only because we have no idea how great a master Jesus is for us or how great a life he came to give. We go under the water with Jesus in baptism to go on with Jesus in a life of obedience. This message is embedded at the very end of Jesus' famous great commission in Matthew 28:20. This new life is part of the good news we picture in the sign of baptism.

James 5:13-18 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter In James 5:13–18 James turns his attention and ours to the matter of prayer. God wants to hear from us in every circumstance of life—when we're suffering and when we're cheerful. We need him when we're suffering, lest we turn against him in bitterness or from him in despair. We need him just the same when we're cheerful, lest we forget the source of our blessing. This encouragement is to be expected from the Apostle. But then he tells us to call the elders when we're sick in order that they would pray over us, anoint us with oil, and to pray in faith that we would be healed. This passage will require some work to understand in order to protect us from confusion in our sickness and in order to help us when we are in sin.

James 5:7-12 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter James began by speaking of trials, the need for endurance, and reward that awaits those who wait for the Lord's coming. Now, in chapter 5:7–12 he returns to these themes as he brings his letter in for a close. James understands full well the difficulties that his readers face for Jesus' name. He minimizes none of their troubles. But neither does he accommodate their sin. For under such pressures they are tempted in many ways; tempted to grumble against one another, to deceive one another, to give up on the Christian life altogether. For their encouragement, James holds out the coming of the Lord as an answer for every form of impatience.

Psalm 1 | Jim Knauss The turn of the calendar brings new goals, ambition, and hope. We look to the new year with wide eyes as we commit to new ways to bring about our desired end goals. Perhaps we get a gym membership, start a Bible reading plan, or maybe we pick up the phone to reconcile a relationship that’s been neglected for far too long. As we begin new paths in a new year, let us look to the Scriptures when deciding which way we take. Our prayer will be to spring forth into this new year with a path that is forged and blessed by God’s Word.

Matthew 2:13-23 | The Birth of Jesus Christ | Matt Jackson This sermon brings to a close our study of the first two chapters in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus the King’s origin story. In the passage before us, Matthew 2:13–23, we will watch as God preserves His Son from the Satanic fury of a false king. And as we move through the text, we will see a common pattern in the story of redemption unfold: flight to Egypt, exile, and return to the land of promise. Listen and be encouraged by the truth that God always protects His Son and His people, and will lead us safely home to Himself in the new Exodus brought about by Jesus Christ.

Matthew 2:1-12 | The Birth of Jesus Christ | Trent Hunter Jesus is heaven's greatest treasure for the world. He is also the greatest threat to this world's kings and kingdoms. No surprise, then, that "king Herod" and kings today plot against God's anointed and those who take refuge in him. In Matthew 2:1–2 we witness how Jesus' birth was received. No one had a better birth announcement than Jesus. No one had a more conflicted reception.

Matthew 1:18-25 | The Birth of Jesus Christ | Jim Knauss While we might say that every birth is a miracle, something different, something truly miraculous happens in the birth of our Savior. More than just the eternal Son's entrance into his creation, the story of his conception and birth is pregnant with meaning that we must not miss. As we learn in Matthew 1:18-25, the son of Mary will be a sign of great comfort and hope for us all.

Matthew 1:1-17 | The Birth of Jesus Christ | Trent Hunter This sermon begins a four-part preaching series through Matthew 1–2, The Birth of Jesus Christ. The story of Jesus' birth begins with his backstory, his genealogy. Genealogies are important for a variety of reasons. In the case of the Messiah, genealogies give us confidence that he really is the One. Specifically, that he is the great son of David, the one promised who would save his people from their sins. But, more than that, that we can be one of his.

1 Peter 3:18-22 | The Sign of Baptism | Trent Hunter The sign of baptism pictures our union with Christ in his death and in his resurrection to newness of life. This is the heart of the Bible's story and our story as Christains. But it is not the beginning of the story, nor is it the end. When Peter wrote to first century churches concerning the sign of baptism in 1 Peter 3:18–22, he said baptism corresponds to the waters in the story of Noah. How exactly does baptism correspond to the waters of Noah's flood? This question will guide into the deeper things of the Bible's story so that we might go deeper into the heart of God for sinners deserving judgment.

Romans 1:21 | Trent Hunter For Chistians, our thanksgivings are not just echoes of God's goodness to us in creation, but of God's grace to us in redemption. In sin all humans suppress the truth of God's benevolence in our unrighteousness. But because of God's grace, we have stopped that foolish project in order to acknowledge we are recipients of great gifts from a good and gracious God. Romans 1 details the descent of humankind into sin and death. That descent began with ungratefulness to God. The rest of Romans shows us the way back.

James 5:1-6 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter James 5:1–6 brings us to James’ sharp condemnation of the worldly rich who oppress the poor. He is not writing as to be heard by them but, rather, to be heard by the church, thereby to comfort the church and warn believers against envying the rich. The rich unbelievers who harm the church have made a grave miscalculation, investing in this world's riches at the expense of eternal life.

James 4:13-17 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter This week we come to an especially memorable passage in James’ letter, 4:13–17. Here James offers us a memorable line to speak as we make our plans: “If the Lord wills…” It's a misused phrase, sometimes to bless our own plans and at other times as a mindless mantra. But far worse, we neglect to acknowledge the Lord in our plans for the future. According to James, one of the most evil things we can do is to make careful plans for tomorrow without accounting for the Lord who holds all of our days. This is a convicting truth. But equally as comforting.

James 4:11-12 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter We have all heard the expression, "who are you to judge your neighbor?" But perhaps not in the right context or from the right motive. This week we come to a short passage in James' letter that addresses a very great problem: the problem of defaming speech. James has helped us with our speech by showing us the destructive reach of our words through the metaphor of a fire. This week he returns to this subject to show us the reach of our speech in a different direction; the direction of heaven. By our evil words against our brothers we seek to put ourselves in the very place of God. This week in James 4:11–12, we find out how good it is that God is not like us, for the church is a people brought forth by a word of grace and truth, rather than grievance and judgment.

James 4:4-10 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter James has addressed his readers as “brothers” and “dear brothers.” Now, in James 4:4–10, we come to the heart of the book with this dramatic accusation: “You adulteress people!” The division between believers is owing to a division within the members themselves, and this division is rooted in a division between the people and their Lord captured in this imagery of marital infidelity. This is a wake up call to repentance, to humbly return to the God who yearns jealously over his people. This is also a word concerning our God's jealousy for a loving, warm, and faithful relationship with his people, a relationship that begins with humility. What does that humility look like? James does more than tell us to humble ourselves, but he shows us what this humility looks like.

James 3:13-4:3 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter James picked up his pen to write because of his great concern for the churches in his day. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but you would not know it by looking at some of these churches. But James is not without encouragement. He writes in 3:13–4:3 to commend the peacemakers among us, to show us where peace comes, and how we may help it along in our church today.

James 3:1-12 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter Now it's time for James to talk to us about our tongues. The tongue, of course, is just a figure of speech for speech itself. As we've said, James is intensely practical, but that doesn't always feel good. Here in James 3:1–12, Jesus' brother applies Jesus' words about the words that come from our mouths. These words are the overflow of the heart. James reveals our problem, but he also tells us it doesn't have to be this way. In fact, it should not be this way. And God has grace and more grace to make it so if we will only humble ourselves and receive his perfect and implanted Word.

Matthew 9:35-10:15 | Harvest: GO Week 2023 | Jason Read It isn’t always good news when a kingdom gets a new king. Will he be benevolent or tyrannical? Will he be wise or foolish? Does he desire peace or war? The Gospel of Matthew tells us that a new king and his kingdom have come. But who is this king and what is he like? Matthew 9:35-10:15 shows us this new king is compassionate, and his compassion creates a mission to fill his kingdom with people.

Amos 9:11-15 | Harvest: GO Week 2023 | Trent Hunter Speaking for myself, I don't spend too much time thinking of where food comes from. If you're like me, we are the exception. Amos' vision of a new creation is one of incredible bounty and beauty, flowing and overflowing with food and drink. The best part? We get to enjoy this as recipients of God's grace, for he will include some from every nation in this blessed feast. None of us deserve it. That's the point of most of the book of Amos leading up to chapter 9:11–15.

James 2:14-26 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter James 2:14–26 is the most theological section of James' letter. Perhaps no surprise it is also the most controversial. James, at one point, appears to directly contract the Apostle Paul on the heart of the gospel? I'll say the quiet part out loud: does James even understand the gospel? A faithful reading of this passage will put that question right back to us.

James 2:1-13 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter It is a contradiction with Jesus' kingdom and God's very nature for God's people to show partiality. What is partiality? Partiality is making value judgments about one another based on appearances, based on worldly advantage. This sin plagued the churches to whom James wrote. We do well to study his rebuke and his reasoning in James 2:1–13 to protect our own church from this soul-dividing sin.

James 1:26-27 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter It runs in the family. We all know that phrase. And we all know what it means. It's true that children display characteristics and traits that reflect their parents. This is true of God's children as well. They know and reflect the Word and ways and love of their Father in heaven. That simple truth will go a long way to helping the churches to whom James writes with great concern. There are plenty who are faithful, but these churches are dangerously lax on the whole. Many care about looking religious more than looking like the Father. With God's help in this short passage, James 1:26–27, we will not only know ourselves better but the God who brought us forth by the Word of truth.

James 1:19-25 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter Anger is a real problem. It looks different for each of us. Some of us are venters burning off our anger with many words while others are volcanos that erupt after a long period of build up. There are many other unproductive ways to handle our anger. In the moment we feel justified and righteous in our anger, but with some reflection we're often willing to admit that anger is indeed a problem for us. Our justice antennas are broken and biased. We are provoked by many wrongs, yes, but we also commit many wrongs ourselves. What help does God's Word offer us in our anger? This is the subject that James turns to next in James 1:19–25.

Psalm 97:2 | Guest Speaker | Andy Naselli The world has taken the Bible's word, "justice," and redefined it by attaching certain adjectives before it such as reproductive or racial or social. In order to evaluate those definitions, we need to answer a more fundamental question: What does God mean he uses the word justice in the Bible? In short, justice is getting what you deserve and giving others what they deserve. We'll consider justice in five steps: (1) Divine Justice: God’s Character; (2) Imputed Justice: Justification; (3) Imparted Justice: Progressive Sanctification; (4) Public Justice: Impartiality in Society; and (5) Ultimate Justice: Final Judgment.

James 1:12-18 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter Each of us has a love/hate relationship with temptation. On the one hand, we have been down this road before, reaping the consequences of the sins we willingly commit. On the other hand, we are going down this road again because somehow we actually believe the promise of sin over the reality of sin's consequences. This is no way to stability, to completeness, to wholeness. Sin is inherently destabilizing and disintegrating. Where do we begin in our fight against temptation? We begin with God. Not because he is the tempter, but because temptation gets its power by lying to us about him in order that we might believe lies about everything else. Are you a sinner? You need this sermon.