The Park Road Pres Podcast

Scripture: Hebrews 11:5-6 Speaker: T.J. Campo

Series: What It Means To Live By Faith Scripture: Genesis 4:1-10:4; Hebrews 11:4 Preacher: T.J. Campo

Now, as we come to THIS faith chapter, we find a very short introduction, a simple definition of faith. And THEN a series of examples; as if to say, "I can generally define faith, but I'll do much better to show it in the lives and experiences of all the characters of the Old Testament." And right off the bat, that tells us something but also excites us. God loves narrative. We seem to learn better through story. And faith isn't so much a skill to be learned or memorized. It's more something we observe and catch.

Real Christianity is inescapably communal. Togetherness in worship is an essential… it's an outgrowth of our basic ethic which is LOVE. Community, togetherness is nonnegotiable for orthodox, biblical, gospel-Christianity. The private, individualistic, DIY route isn't authentic Christian practice, isn't really beneficial. Radical togetherness in real Christian worship IS the New Testament norm. It differs from most people's ideas of organized religion and differs from YouTube spirituality. I want to look at: the problem of separateness the gospel basis for radical togetherness and launching from this platform into the future.

Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8 Speaker: Rev. Dr. Tim Sansbury  

In and around the story of Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, we meet all kinds of fears. People motivated, moved, twisted, manipulating by fears. FIRST, notice how pervasive and powerful fear is. SECOND, some tactics people use to deal with fears. THIRD, what the resurrection speaks to our fears.

This one short sentence captures, the whole peak experience perfectly. It puts the whole story of Jesus Christ right there. It's not like Caesar, "I came, I saw, I conquered" but "He approached the city, He saw, and He wept." Three Grammatical Points – The OBJECT The SUBJECT and The VERBS i.e., At whom/what is this aimed? Who is acting? What ARE the actions?

Q: What's the core content of Jesus Christ's teaching? A: The Kingdom of God and here He helps us see it. Let's look at: The Way of the Bent and Broken The Way of the Kingdom and The Way for US in the modern world.

Scripture: John 11 Sermon By: Lucas Tanner

THIS particular discussion of money and possessions was initiated by an interrupter. Jesus wasn't talking about it but this guy busts in AS IF to say, "Hey, thanks Rabbi, for talking about all this great spiritual stuff but I have a REAL-LIFE issue and when you hear it, I'm sure you'll see how urgent it is…and then we can get back to all your pretty spiritual stuff. THE ISSUE IS MONEY – tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me!" And Jesus, does, in fact, change topics and DOES deal with this guy's intrusion…NOT in the way the heckler wanted…though it does becomes thē big topic. So, since this heckler brought it up…and since Jesus Christ was willing to talk about it, LET'S DO: Worrying about MONEY Reasons NOT to Worry What Jesus Christ's alternative looks like?

This encounter introduces a way perception that surpasses religion or spirituality or rules of morality. It opens up an approach to life that's un-self-conscious, joyous and fearless. First, we'll see the Old Perception, Second, the New Perception and Third, How to Start and Stay Perceiving In the New Way.

Scripture: Luke 5:1-11 Preacher: TJ Campo

This moment in the hometown synagogue becomes an occasion for US to think about OUR ideas about a Savior. What DO we hope to be saved FROM? What DO we think is good and evil; "us and them"? What's wrong with the world that needs to be fixed? How DO we think a Savior would fix it? What DOES it mean to join Him AND are you sure that YOU have? Our kind of people, "Good Country People" (as Flannery O'Connor showed) are often NOT who we think they are: Let's look at: The Savior We WANT The Savior WE NEED (and GET)

This is the Season of Epiphany so let's have one! WHAT child IS this? WHY include this odd incident? HOW might it affect you? WHAT child?

Luke 1.1-4; Acts 1.1-3

How are relationships clarified by the Gospel? That's the focus of Peter's words in this compendium or summary of all OUR relationships… What does the Gospel say to exiled believers about our relating to God…to ourselves, to one another…and to the outside world? The UPWARD, the INWARD and the OUTWARD relationships.

Speaker: Dr. John Stevenson Scripture: Ezekiel 10:4; Ezekiel 10:18-19

This is a passage about leadership and the exercise of authority; it's about leading people and about our need to be directed and guided and how we can never really be free till we're lead and directed by a Shepherd. The points today are a little odd: 1) Many Shepherds 2) One Shepherd 3) Many Shepherds

Bible Text: Daniel 3:13-30 Sermon By TJ Campo

Rev, Brad Schmidt, Guest Preacher from CityChurch Ft. Lauderdale, continues our series: In Lonely Exile Here|Mourning & Thriving in Babylon

How can believers be grieved by and distinct from the injustice and selfishness in the world AND yet also be simultaneously beneficial and involved BOTH mourning AND thriving in Babylon. Today, we set the tone for living in this tension, this love/hate relationship. ONE text calls us to totally identify with Babylon and the OTHER is an expression of disgust and disdain for Babylon. So let 's look at: The Essential Tension of Exile Keys for Staying at the Center of the Tension

Last week the sermon was about death (the death of a king, Josiah) today the sermon is also about death – the death of a dream, of a nation, AND … IN this brutal and final death, a very vivid expression of Hope… havoc AND hope. Once again, the story in two parts #1 Havoc and #2 Hope and #3 Four truths about God from Kings and today's finale

The Bible thinks of death as the source of all fear and the final enemy (1Cor 15.26) facing humanity (Heb 2.15). We can't stop thinking about it and dreading it. Could this very ancient text have anything to say to a modern society that doesn't know how to think about death? … Let's see! Let's first look at a two-part-story (i.e. the tomb of the unknown prophet and the death of the well-known king) And THEN what we can take away with us: 3 Truths about death to guide us through life.

A little boy… comes to the throne… only eight years old. His name is Josiah ("Supported by Yahweh"); he is the boy king of Judah… and the Reformer. He's all that Isaiah (57.15) said a king should be, "broken and contrite… lowly and humble" and yet energetic, effective and amazingly bold. I want to look at part of his life today and then take away what I think God wants us to learn from it… The Little King with Big Ideas Big Ideas from the Little King

I want to consider this king and also look at a shocking surprise about the man (that we only discover in another part of the Bible) AND I want to see BOTH the tremendous potential for evil when humans misuse power AND see the more tremendous power and beauty of God's dark grace: 1- The Matter of Memory 2- An Emblem of Exile 3- The Lessons for Life

Today, I want to take lessons from the life of this good king. But I want to focus on a tragic flaw in Hezekiah and one that is a very common flaw in the spiritual life. Let's see what these final scenes tell us about: #1 - The Man and His Flaw #2 - When the Believer is Unbelieving #3 - Three Truths About God That Can Fix Us

2nd Kings 18.5, 19-25, 18.28, 33-36; 19.15-2 T.J. Campo    

Series: Hope in Disappointing Times | 2nd Kings Bible passage: Isaiah 57:12-21; Isaiah 66:1-4 Sermon By: Jorge Trujillo

The Fallen Tent Amos 5.8-27; 9.9-15 The two texts we chose from Amos are typical of the Hebrew prophets – picturesque appeals to the heart of a spiritually-minded people who'd stopped trusting God and had gotten lost. The first text is an "oracle of woe" and the second, a "promise of restoration". Let's look at 3 symptoms of Religion in Decay – synthetic, fruitless, false spirituality. AND 3 qualities of vital spirituality, 3 aspects of that inner work God brings about in people who actually know Him

2nd Kings 14.8-14; 2nd Chronicles 26.16-21 by TJ Campo

Let's get some help here on the way spirituality really is. Three scenes and three big ideas from bottom to top: Covenant Resurrection Foolishness

The World is, in many ways, the same as it ever was and this Letter… basically IS Christianity… the Good News presented, explained, applied, defended, celebrated. AS it changed the Ancient World, it can change and IS changing the modern world. Let's look at: Life in a Hostile World and How the Big Themes of Christianity Speak

What happens when believers in Jesus differ on what the rules are? Following the rules NEVER worked to make us right with God (all have sinned and fallen short of God's standard – the egg is smashed on the sidewalk) but NOW that believers in the same church ARE excepted because of Jesus Christ's obeying the rules… Are there NO rules? If so What ARE they? What if we disagree on the rules? Let's jump in and see: Words to Weak and Strong Reasons for Action Walking According to Love

All other regimes and administrations are invalid and of no effect – they're rivals… "BUT WAIT!" says Paul, "Not so fast". The Way of Jesus and the plan of the ages actually has a place for these authorities. This passage both explains that plan and shows believers how to live AS: Children of Light Living at Night With One Eye on the Clock

Today, we want to look at the connective tissue that holds us in the Body…"Slaves Freed to Love". What does it mean to love other people in the Church – to love others as God loves US, without expectations of getting a return on our investment. Let's look at: The Mechanics of True LOVE An Excursus on Gracious Revenge The Power to Love Truly

Here, the essential paradox of the NT Church (now a catholic or international church) is the paradox of "One but Many". The Apostle sort of plays with these two apparently incongruous ideas and the image that illustrates the whole thing is that of a Body – ONE body with MANY parts or organs or limbs. So, what does that mean, practically speaking, to be so vitally connected to other people that we can be described as a body (same DNA) AND that we're both connected to one another and, at the same time, so different that one part seems to have no resemblance to another (as different as an eye and a toe!)? That's the question! Let's look at: #1 Why We Need the Body Metaphor #2 How It All Works Out (a THREE-Part Answer)

Today, we transition INTO the practical section of the Letter, and I hope to show that distinctively Christian morals grow in the soil of MERCY. To focus on God's mercy, the theory, the doctrine or philosophy of God's Sovereign Grace WILL LEAD US into a new kind of practical living. To bypass reflecting on God's mercy and grace and go right to the ethics is impossible. You HAVE TO muse, to contemplate, to bathe in, soak in, to dream about, sing about, ruminate on, to relish and savor the way God applies grace and forgiveness and adoption to His children. The connection between Christian theory, ideas, doctrine, Christian thought AND Christian practice – that's the topic for today: As we come round the corner into Gospel-morals, let's look at: Musing on Mystery Mercies to Morals The Morals Mercy Makes

Sermon By: Rev. Dr Sansbury   Rev. Dr Sansbury is Prof. of Theology & Philosophy at Knox Theological Seminary in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Guest Preacher, Rev. Brad Schmidt, Lead Pastor at City Church, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

I have found, in my own thinking and beliefs, a need to undergo such a reorientation regarding the big ideas of God's justice, mercy, His omnipotence (i.e., almightiness or sovereignty) AND His salvation of sinful, guilty people. THIS chapter may have that affect on YOU. I urge you though, not to simply skip over it because the re-orientation COULD lead you to a much deeper appreciation of these ideas and a new sense of mystery, assurance, praise and reverence toward God and of humility, diligence, and abundant comfort. (Westminster Confession of Faith, 3.8) Let's look at this mind-expanding, heart-expanding passage under three headings: A Quandary Answered By Four Examples The Underlying Truth That Grounds Us Why the Disorientation is Worth It

Today, with one, great, final push, as if Paul is saying, "Not only will what I'm about to say help you to love and forgive one another… to endure difficulties WITH (and let's face it) sometimes FROM one another – but if you get what this means, there's a level of security here so compelling that it can sustain you in ANY difficulty life throws your way – the power of extravagant security! So, let's look at this and restock the shelves of our hearts with it because we'll need it in the coming weeks (we need it NOW!) – it's the Engine for ongoing love, commitment and unique community in the Church: The Congregation's Deep Need The Counselor's Method and Message The Strange Invitation to Bring It On!

Romans CH 8 is a favorite chapter for many Bible-readers. It addresses a key topic, very significant in our age and all ages and that is – security. The word comes up a lot in our time and place – security system, security guard, internet security, Homeland Security, Social Security, food security, job security…We live in a world that's INsecure and vulnerable to terrorism and viruses, change and various dangers but ALSO, philosophically, psychologically, socially and spiritually MODERN HUMANITY faces its own insecurity. Men and women and children are facing the existential dilemma …the desire for security. I'm going to DARE to do something preachers KNOW not to do, i.e., look at the GRAMMAR used by the Apostle Paul: Words that RELATE (Prepositions are your friends!) Words that STATE (Fact vs. Command) Stating and Relating (Grammar Can Be Fun!)

Sermon by: T.J. Campo Text: Romans 2 Peter 3:15-16; Romans 7:13-25

Sermon by: Jonathan Lacy Text: Romans 5:1-21

Sermon by: Jonathan Lacy Text: Romans 4:1-25

In this next section (and we only read the start and finish) it's NOT: Satisfied in God, Loving One Another and Doing Good in the World but THE reverse (FOUR points): Satisfied in Self Judging One Another and Doing Harm in the World (+appendix) I Show You a Still More Excellent Way (1 Cor. 12.31)

Today Paul introduces the remedy. In some ways, the rest of the letter is ALL ABOUT what he says here. He says it, at first briefly and then spends the rest of his ink explaining the implications, answering the objections and unpacking the effects this solution has on our relationship to God, to the Church, to those outside the church and to ourselves. So today, an introduction to the answer: The Predicament Facing Everyone The Path to Repair The Pertinence to Worship

This is the clearest teaching on homosexuality in the Bible… So what IS the teaching and how are we to apply it in the modern world? Those are two difficulties in this passage (so early in the book!). Today, we attempt to interpret this daunting section. I hope to do it in FOUR POINTS: As Plain as the Nose on Your Face Be Careful What You Wish For Give Me Liberty AND Give Me Death "L'chaim" (That's the Jewish toast meaning, To Life!)

In today's introduction, Paul offers this elaborate greeting, and shares with these Roman Christians his desire to visit them. He hadn't started the church in the capital city; he's apparently never been to the church, but he evidently KNOWS a lot of their members (See CH 16!) and wants to see them. I want to look at this desire. Why? What does this desire in Paul say about Christianity and its impact on people who believe it… not only in the ancient world … but in the lives of the modern people here today? Let's look at Gospel Desire: Big Ideas Big Desires Big Picture

I want to try to put us into the scene to help us see what's happening and come away with what God has for us. IF you are already believing in Jesus and have thrown in with His organization, the church, I hope this will strengthen your belief. IF, on the other hand, you are NOT YET believing and have NOT joined with some local church that teaches the Good News, I hope you'll be at least intrigued and maybe even COME to believe or begin an earnest life-inquiry into this Man who was executed and then rose from the dead as He had promised to do. It's the shortest account, but I hope you find it direct and compelling. Let's look at: A Whole Mess of Trouble Trouble As a Portal The Other Side of Trouble: Faith or Fear?