By What Authority?
September 30, 2017 DAILY READING Mark 11:27-33 This week’s sermon text: Romans 7:14-25 FIELD NOTES In Mark chapter 11, the setting is Jerusalem, a city that has both praised and judged Jesus. According to verse 27, as Jesus was walking into the temple, “the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him and…
Read MoreIt’s All Good
Humble Leadership
September 29, 2017 DAILY READING Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 Numbers 20:1-13 Acts 13:32-41 This week’s sermon text: Romans 7:14-25 FIELD NOTES In the book of Exodus, God had instructed Moses to use his staff to part the Nile and again to us his staff to initiate a flow of water from the rock at Horeb. Now…
Read MoreDo I Have to Wait?
September 28, 2017 DAILY READING Psalm 25:1-9 Ezekiel 12:17-28 James 4:11-16 This week’s sermon text: Romans 7:14-25 FIELD NOTES In today’s fast-paced, technology-driven society, most people do not like to wait for anything. We often say things like, “I cannot wait until Christmas,” or “I cannot wait until the semester ends,” or “I can’t wait…
Read MoreBecome Like Children
September 27, 2017 DAILY READING Matthew 18:1-5 This week’s sermon text: FIELD NOTES I think we all have some area of insecurity in our lives. In our Matthew passage, the disciples question Jesus, “who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” It appears that the disciples want to confirm their own significance in the…
Read MoreBe Wise About the Company You Keep
September 26, 2017 DAILY READING Romans 16:17-20 Psalm 119:97-104 This week’s sermon text: Romans 7:14-25 FIELD NOTES In today’s reading, Paul’s final words and advice to the Romans are a warning to them about the people they hang around. Think about the last time you left your friend’s house, dinner party, or some other gathering…
Read MoreAre You Enthusiastic About the Law?
September 25, 2017 DAILY READINGPsalm 119:97-104This week’s sermon text: Romans 7:14-25 FIELD NOTES Do you follow the rules? Or do you often think, ‘the rules don’t apply to me’? Or what about the mantra, “It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission”? Personally, I’m a rule follower; I find that rules are there to keep…
Read MoreThe Struggle
The Danger of Riches
September 23, 2017 DAILY READING Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 Exodus 16:22-30 Matthew 19:23-30 This week’s sermon text: Romans 7:13-25 FIELD NOTES William Barclay writes regarding these verses in Matthew, “Riches have three main effects on a [person’s] outlook: Riches encourage a false independence. Riches shackle a [person] to this earth. Riches tend to make a [person]…
Read MoreExamine Yourselves
September 22, 2017 DAILY READING Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 Exodus 15:22-27 2 Corinthians 13:1-4 This week’s sermon text: Romans 7:13-25 FIELD NOTES In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul encourages the church to examine themselves to see if they truly are living according to faith in Christ. The church at Corinth had begun to doubt…
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