Ephesians 4:20-24 | “Wear the Clothes God Bought for You”

[display_podcast] Paul’s point in the second half of Ephesians is that if we’ve been made new, we’ll live new lives.  Because we’ve been called by the Lord, we must “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (4:1).  “Walking” refers to how we live.  Paul uses this word picture throughout the last part of the letter.  We must “walk” in unity (4:1-16), “walk” in holiness” (4:17-32), “walk” in love (5:1-6), “walk” in light (5:7-14), and “walk” in wisdom (5:15-6:9).  A new walk is [...]

By |2020-07-28T17:47:05-06:00July 29th, 2018|Ephesians, John Sypert, Sermons|

Ephesians 4:13-16 | “The Church Needs to Grow Up”

[display_podcast] Taking the Long View and Expecting Growth The most effective teachers take the long view with their students.  They know that their students won’t change overnight.  They know that they’ll require months of patient instruction.  They know that their students won’t be transformed after one class.  They’re committed to the process of slow and steady instruction because they know that growth happens over time. Effective teachers take the long view, but effective teachers also place reasonable expectations on their students.  They know growth will happen slowly, but they expect [...]

By |2020-07-28T17:48:44-06:00July 15th, 2018|Ephesians, John Sypert, Sermons|

Ephesians 4:7-12 | “The Gift Giver”

[display_podcast] A Cultural Value Rooted in Scripture Many of our cultural values find their basis in the Bible.  One example is the Latin phrase E Pluribus Unum.  This phrase has been on our nation’s seal since Congress approved it in 1782.  It’s printed on most of our currency.  It’s a phrase that’s been used for thousands of years.  What does it mean?  It means, “Out of many, one.”  It refers to how the original thirteen colonies became one nation during the American Revolution.  Our country is now made up [...]

By |2020-07-28T17:50:28-06:00July 8th, 2018|Ephesians, John Sypert, Sermons|

Ephesians 4:1-6 | “A Worthy Walk Is A Unified Walk”

[display_podcast] Cut Off Toxic Family Members? I read an article this week titled, “Why It’s Okay to Cut Toxic Family Members Out of Your Life.”  It said that we should “never compromise our mental, emotional or physical health for the sake of tolerating a toxic family member.”  The article defined a toxic family member as those who’re judgmental, who feed off of drama, who gaslight you (meaning that they deny saying something that they actually said – also known as lying), who only talks to you when they need [...]

By |2020-07-28T17:51:55-06:00July 1st, 2018|Ephesians, John Sypert, Sermons|

Psalm 101 | “What a Good King Does”

[display_podcast] A King’s Care What should a king care about?  What kinds of things should a king, president, or ruler be committed to?  Unfortunately, it’s often true that kings and presidents care about power and wealth and fame and personal achievement and public appreciation more than justice and righteousness and integrity and humility and personal virtue and serving others.  These are the things kings should care about, the kind of things they should sing about. King David, Israel’s most famous and important king, knew this.  He knew what a [...]

By |2020-07-28T17:53:40-06:00June 24th, 2018|John Sypert, Psalms, Sermons|

Psalm 57 | “Crying with Confidence”

[display_podcast] Psalms for the Spiritual Traveler We’re in our third week of studying various Psalms.  We’ve seen God’s greatness and kindness in Psalm 113.  And we’ve seen his love as supremely satisfying – even in the midst of suffering, in Psalm 63.  Today we’ll see how we can cry with confidence in Psalm 57.  And next week we’ll see how God wants his people to live from Psalm 101. The Psalms are an oasis for the spiritual traveler.  They provide water and nourishment, shade and rest, while we walk [...]

By |2020-07-28T17:55:04-06:00June 17th, 2018|John Sypert, Psalms, Sermons|

Psalm 63 | “Delight In the Desert”

[display_podcast] Royal Robbins Lived to Climb Mountains Last week I mentioned the beauty and grandeur of the mountains surrounding the Yosemite Valley.  The sheer granite cliffs are breathtaking and iconic.  They’re also considered the Mecca of rock climbing because of the skill it takes to ascend their heights.  Rock climbers say that the mountains of the Valley were put there for them, not the tourists who come to look at them.  They say that they’re meant to be climbed, not stared at. A man named Royal Robbins put the Yosemite [...]

By |2020-07-28T17:56:45-06:00June 10th, 2018|John Sypert, Psalms, Sermons|

Psalm 113 | “A Great Kindness”

[display_podcast] Eleanor Roosevelt Associated with the Lowly People in high positions don’t usually associate with those in low positions.  People with fame and money and power don’t usually hang out with people who’re unknown and poor and weak.  There are exceptions to this rule.  Eleanor Roosevelt is one of the most well-known ones in our country’s history. Eleanor Roosevelt was born in 1884.  Her father was one of Teddy Roosevelt’s brothers.  Eleanor grew up in a wealthy New York family known for their family connection to Teddy, the most [...]

By |2020-07-28T17:58:28-06:00June 3rd, 2018|John Sypert, Psalms, Sermons|

Ephesians 3:7-13 | “The Crucial Role of Mom and Church”

[display_podcast] The Crucial Role of Mom One of the most basic facts of our existence is that we wouldn’t be here today without our mothers.  We should therefore be grateful to God for them, because without them we literally wouldn’t be here.  Did you know that there are two billion moms in the world?  The average speed that moms change a diaper is two minutes and five seconds.  For dads, it’s one minute and thirty six seconds.  For moms, that adds up to three 40-hour work weeks each year!  [...]

By |2020-07-30T06:49:13-06:00May 13th, 2018|Ephesians, John Sypert, Sermons|

Ephesians 3:1-6 | “The King’s Dream”

[display_podcast] Daniel’s Gift of Revelation Dreams are interesting things.  Many people over-psychologize them.  Many others over-spiritualize them.  And many of us hardly ever remember them!  Some think that they’re simply a result of whatever we were thinking or feeling that day.  Some think that they’re direct messages from God and need to be interpreted to find a hidden meaning.  Maybe you’ve had a vivid or recurring dream and asked your spouse or a friend what they thought about it.  That can lead to an interesting and speculative conversation, as [...]

By |2020-07-30T06:50:45-06:00May 6th, 2018|Ephesians, John Sypert, Sermons|
Go to Top