This short essay seeks to answer the question: “Did Jesus act more like a scribe or a prophet (or both)? Martin Hengel concludes his careful exploration of Jesus’ identity stating “Neither the misleading term “rabbi” nor the designation “eschatological prophet,” which is likewise open to misunderstanding, can adequately characterize his activity. Jesus’ “charisma” breaks through the…
Category: Jesus
SERMON: The V-Shaped Life
SERMON 3.25.18 – The Prayer of Jesus & the V-Shaped Life This is an example of the kinds of sermons I’m preaching these days. They are thick, juicy but too long! There’s at least 3 different sermons packed into this one. Don’t tell my congregants, but I really am setting a goal to shorten them…
Which Jesus do you choose?
“Now it was the custom at the Festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.”Do you want me to release to you…
Christ Hymn 3 (Phil 2:5-11)
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God…
Christ Hymn 2 (Phil 2:5-11)
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God…
The Great Omission
Recent Barna Study: 51% Of Churchgoers Are Unaware of The Great Commission Matthew 28:18-20 is the most well-known biblical record of what is commonly referred to extra-biblically as “the Great Commission.” But despite the significance of these and other verses that call Christians to “go and make disciples of all nations,” a surprising proportion of…
Christ Hymn 1 (Phil 2:5)
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…” or “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” (Phil. 2:5) Have you ever tried putting together a puzzle without having the box cover to show you what the finished product is supposed to look like? Without the cover picture we…
American Disciples at the Cross – Part 3
What if we’ve only preached half the message of the cross for most of the history of the church? What if the message of the cross was meant to be more than a momentary transaction at the foot of Christ’s cross? What if the evangelization of the world prior to Christ’s return requires a community…
