Fear God, Be Blessed
June 30, 2024 • Luke Hendrix • Psalm 112
Psalm 112:1-10 | Luke Hendrix | "Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!" It is a wonderful thing to be counted among the people of God, for God loves and intends to bless his children. Here, we see the perseverance of the saints of God. OUTLINE I. Save your fear for the one who deserves it. II. Does fearing the Lord really guarantee us a charmed life? III. Fear of the Lord, is not about trying but trusting.
Infinite Provision and Ultimate Protection
July 9, 2023 • Luke Hendrix
Psalm 16:1-11 | Luke Hendrix | "Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge." There is great joy and hope and peace for the people of God. In Psalm 16, King David considers who God is and who we are as his people. Here, we are reminded that life is lived at its fullest when life in lived in God. Find sermon discussion questions at http://nwgospelcw.com/questions.
When God speaks…we should listen!
June 11, 2023 • Luke Hendrix
Psalm 50:1-23 | Luke Hendrix | "The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting." What is the position of humanity before God? How can sinful human beings stand before a perfectly holy God? In Psalm 50, God speaks to his people through a song of Asaph. Here, we see the faithfulness of God to his people and the righteous anger of God toward those in opposition to him. Find sermon discussion questions at http://nwgospelcw.com/questions.
Proverbs 3:1-12
July 17, 2022 • Luke Hendrix • Proverbs 3:1–12
Proverbs 3:1-12 | Luke Hendrix | "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." So far in Proverbs, it has become clear that wisdom, real wisdom, comes from the Lord. God's people enter dangerous territory when they look within themselves for counsel that only God, by his Spirit, through his word, can offer.
What If?
June 26, 2022 • Luke Hendrix • Psalm 124
Psalm 124 | Luke Hendrix | "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth." God is actively working in and through his people, and this has been the case for all of human history. As he works, God has proven his faithfulness to ultimately deliver his people from evil. Our confidence can be firmly placed in the faithfulness of our God!
Gethsemane: A Place of Crushing, Chaos, and Control
March 13, 2022 • Luke Hendrix
Luke 22:39-53 | Luke Hendrix | Jesus’ prayer in the garden reveals much. Although Jesus is fully God, his prayer gives us a very real picture of his humanity. There is perhaps no way for us to understand the intense anguish experienced by Jesus in these moments. Yet God the Father understood, sending an angel to strengthen him. The trial did not cease but Jesus' attention is fixed on the will of the Father. This fixation leads Jesus through his agonizing moments in prayer and, fully in control of the circumstances, into the hands of the men who would put him to death.
Challenging the Politics of Jesus
February 6, 2022 • Luke Hendrix
Jesus is a brilliant storyteller. The chief priests and scribes, the religious leaders of Israel in this day, are continually trying to trap Jesus, peppering him with impossible questions with the aim of crucifying him whether he agrees or disagrees. Recently, there was a question about the authority with which he teaches. Jesus’ brilliant storytelling gives the perfect answer to this question: the parable of the wicked tenants. Afraid of the people, they fire another fastball; yet another “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” question. This time, the question centers on paying taxes to an authoritarian, oppressive government that unjustly ruled over God’s people. And yet again, Jesus the storyteller has the perfect response to their interrogation.
Secrets and the Battle of Jawbone Hill
November 7, 2021 • Luke Hendrix
Samson has been called by God, and in this week’s text, we begin to see Samson live out his calling. This is certainly an odd text; filled with riddles, murder, a strong man ripping apart a lion “as one tears a young goat” (as if that were simple), and a bunch of foxes with their tales on fire. While it can be easy to get lost in the wild, superhero-like story of Samson, it’s important to remember the pattern of the book of Judges. Last week’s text (about Samson’s parents) began with the first step in our cycle, and this week’s text continues the cycle. Make sure not to “lose the forest for the trees” this week as you study, remembering the downward spiral of the Israelites, who are beginning to look exactly like their Canaanite (or more specifically to this text, Philistine) enemies.