Have you ever had that person in your circle that just can’t be happy that something good just happened to you? They just have to say something negative to put a damper on the celebration and all in the name of being a realist. It’s as if they just can’t be happy that your happy.

They could see something in Him that didn’t make them want to run in fear. They could see in His eyes an inexhaustible depth of love that poured out into their hearts like healing water and they were drawn.

They were blocking the very people who needed the Gospel and Jesus couldn’t take it anymore! And this is what happens when in our lives, in our homes or even in our worship service, when we loose focus on Jesus…

Should Jesus personally show up in our lives, homes and worship today what would He find? Would He find us focused on Him? And What happens if we’re not focused on Him? Let’s find out in Matthew 21:12-17.

You may remember a Kia commercial that came out in 2010 that was funny, cute, a little weird and yet very nostalgic, all at the same time. It was a commercial with humanlike hamsters dressed in 90’s hip hop fashion, dancing…

So I’m riding on a bus with some young adults from my church, on the way back home from a young adult spiritual retreat, when the girl that I was seeing wouldn’t even speak to me. As a matter of fact, she looked upset with me and I didn’t know why.

This same God that no one has seen, can be seen! He is seen in you as you love one another! The most compelling evidence we can give is…

Inspired by Jesus’ non-violent Kingdom movement, Dr. King, along with so many others, in non-violent protest and civil disobedience, stood in the face of some of the darkest hatred and racial systemic injustice.

“What is the most compelling evidence we can give for the reality of God and the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ?”

John rushes us past the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, which secured our salvation, to His ascension and enthronement for a specific purpose he comes back to in verse 10…

Imagine for a moment that you are a soldier on a mission behind enemy lines; in enemy territory. You’ve been in an intense battle with the enemy for some time and at the cost of several lives. As the enemy surrounds you…

You see, you delight in the day, because you delight in spending time, a full 24 hours, focused on Jesus. It’s like delighting in a weekly date night, because you delight in spending time with the special someone you love.

We know, according to this passage and Deuteronomy 5:12-15, that the reason why we are called to “Remember the Sabbath…” is because our Creator is our Redeemer who saved us. However, when it comes to how to experience the Sabbath rest, God simply gives us these instructions…

The Sabbath is holy which means that it is special, unique and different from all the rest; a time for relationships, with God and each other. So how do we get the most out of this experience we’re called to enter into every week?

By Jesus being the Lord of the Sabbath, it is therefore His day. However as the church moved into the 2nd and 3rd centuries, this would come under attack astonishingly from within the church…

Sabbath rest has deeper meaning for them now, since they now experience Sabbath in light of the rest they have in Jesus through the gospel. As they sit to worship with the Jews and Gentiles gathered on this Sabbath, they’re given the opportunity to preach Jesus…

So how does God have the audacity to invite us to Enter His Rest when... Mass shootings by domestic terrorists are on the rise, even in places of worship… When we’re anxious about our children’s health, much more their salvation… When the rhetoric of fear, division and hate seem to be normalizing and the powerful continue to oppress…

Jesus is unmistakably identifying Himself as Yahweh, the Lord of the Sabbath. This implies that He’s the One who gave it and defines how it’s kept. It is His rest. He gives it it’s fullest meaning and is the One calling our hearts into the weekly rhythm of Sabbath rest, because…

God says the Sabbath is a sign, which means it reveals that you and the LORD are in a covenant relationship of faithful love and that He is the One doing the work of sanctifying you.