Life-Shaping Friendship - Proverbs (various texts)

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Date:  04/19/15
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  Life-Shaping Friendship
Scripture:  Proverbs (various texts)

Description:  Proverbs describes the beauty of good friendships, the sort of friendships without which we can’t really grow wiser. And Jesus shows us what makes true friendship possible. He is the friend we need so we can be friends to others.

Words Of The Wise - Proverbs (various texts)

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Date:  04/12/15
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  Words Of The Wise
Scripture:  Proverbs (various texts)

Description:  Proverbs 18:21 claims that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” That’s a strong claim, for sure, but it’s proven over and over again in our experience. Our words have incredible power to hurt others or to help them. And few things offer so clear a window into our hearts. So how do we use our words wisely?

The Wisdom Of Ecclesiastes And The Hope Of Easter - Ecclesiastes (various texts)

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Date:  04/05/15
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  The Wisdom Of Ecclesiastes And The Hope Of Easter
Scripture:  Ecclesiastes (various texts)

Description:  The message of Ecclesiastes is as straightforward as it is depressing: everything in meaningless because everyone dies. But this message is the essential backdrop for the hope of Easter: everything is meaningful because Jesus is alive!

Trust In The Lord - Proverbs 3:1-12

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Date:  03/22/15
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  Trust In The Lord
Scripture:  Proverbs 3:1-12

Description:  Everybody wants to live a life that’s long, peaceful, and loved well by others. Proverbs tells us wisdom, a skill or instinct for living life well, is the key. And Proverbs 3 shows us where all true wisdom begins. It begins with a trust in the Lord that leans on him with everything you have and looks for him in everything you face.

Do You Love Me? - John 21:1-25

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Date:  02/15/15
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  Do You Love Me?
Scripture:  John 21:1-25

Description:  This conclusion to John’s Gospel does more than tie up a few loose ends. It illustrates the faithful, patient love of Jesus toward those who have failed him. And it shows us the only power that can transform our lives and sustain our faith to the end. Do you love Jesus?

It Is Finished - John 19:16-37

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Date:  01/25/15
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  It Is Finished
Scripture:  John 19:16-37

Description:  This text tells the story of Jesus’s death by crucifixion, one of history’s cruelest forms of torture. Yet John spares us all the brutal details. He focuses instead on all the signs that Jesus died on his terms for his purposes. So why did Jesus have to die? What did his death accomplish?

Behold Your King - John 18:28-19:16

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Date:  01/18/15
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  Behold Your King
Scripture:  John 18:28-19:16

Description:  John gives us more detail about Roman governor Pontius Pilate than all the other Gospel writers combined. And John tells us that everything he’s included is meant to persuade us to believe that Jesus is the Christ. So how does looking at Pilate help us see the beauty of Jesus?

Courage, Cowardice, And Compassion - John 18:1-27

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Date:  01/11/15
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  Courage, Cowardice, And Compassion
Scripture:  John 18:1-27

Description:  The opening scenes in the story of Jesus’s death tell a story of great courage, as Jesus faces his captors with unflinching resolve and in absolute control. They tell a story of great cowardice, as Peter faces his own examination and denies Jesus repeatedly. And they tell a story of great compassion: Jesus dies on purpose because he knew Peter would deny him, and he knew we’d deny him, too.

The Light Shines - John 1:4-5

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Date:  12/14/14
Speaker:  Matt McCullough
Title:  The Light Shines
Scripture:  John 1:4-5

Description:  The Advent season is an opportunity to reflect on why we need Jesus, on why the news of his coming is such wonderful news. John frames our need and what Jesus offers us in the images of light and darkness. We need Jesus because we are the people walking in darkness—the darkness of sin and the darkness of sorrow. And Jesus has come to us as the light no darkness can overpower.