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Sermon

The Promised Human

November 30, 2025 | Watch

Study Guide

The Promised Human

Purpose To discover and experience Jesus Christ in our midst To cultivate mutually encouraging relationships To participate in God’s mission to the world Opening Prayer Responsive Prayer — Isaiah 2:1-5 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord. Summary We are starting a new Advent sermon series called The Promised One looking at how Jesus fulfills the promises made to Adam, Abraham, Moses, and David. In today’s passage, we see God’s promise to Adam — and all humankind — immediately after the fall. Our passage for this week narrates the immediate consequences of Adam and Eve’s first act of disobedience when God commanded them to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). Prior to this act, our first parents lived in a state of original righteousness and communion with God (Genesis 1:31; Westminster Confession of Faith [WCF] 4.2, 9.2). It was the serpent’s temptation that urged them to grasp wisdom for themselves apart from God and led them to rebellion. After partaking of the fruit, their eyes were opened to shame and guilt rather than the godlike glory they sought. As a result, they attempted to cover themselves with fig leaves (verse 7), signaling that innocence had truly been lost and communion broken. The promise of enlightenment only brought corruption, fear, and alienation. God’s response in verse 8-19 reveals how sin fractures every relational sphere. Instead of running to God, the couple hides from him. Instead of protecting one another, they shift blame. Their withdrawal from God and mutual blame expose the relational collapse introduced by sin, setting the stage for the curses pronounced on each party. It is crucial to observe that these curses describe the disordered consequences of sin, not God’s original intention for human relationships and the good design for men and women in relation to one another. The serpent is cursed above all creatures, a visible symbol of Satan’s humiliation. The woman’s calling in the context of family becomes marked by pain and conflict. The man’s labor is now frustrated by thorns and toil, ending in death as he returns to the dust. Through the disobedience of Adam, humanity’s representative before God, sin and death enter the world and mar those who descend from him (Romans 5:12; Westminster Shorter Catechism [WSC] 16, 19). The harmony of Eden was shattered, and humanity entered into a state of alienation from God, from one another, and from creation itself. Yet in the midst of this judgment, God announces the first gospel promise (the protoevangelium) in Genesis 3:15. God sovereignly establishes enmity between the serpent and the woman and between their respective offspring, and this conflict serves a redemptive purpose. God prevents fallen humanity from being wholly subsumed under Satan’s dominion, and a promised offspring — an individual “he” based on the Hebrew grammar — will one day bruise the serpent’s head even as his own heel is bruised. Here the entire trajectory of redemptive history begins. Scripture will track this line from Adam to Noah, from Abraham to Judah, and from David to Christ — the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), who destroys the works of the devil (Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8). Where Adam failed to obey God in the garden, Christ obeyed perfectly in every respect, giving his own life over in a garden and securing the life and the righteousness that Adam forfeited (Romans 5:18-19). As the Westminster Confession helpfully explains, this is the first revelation of the covenant of grace, by which God freely offers life and salvation through a Redeemer (WCF 7.3; WSC 20, 21). The passage concludes with grace triumphing over judgment. Adam names his wife Eve, meaning “mother of all living,” signaling faith in God’s promise of life through her line. God himself clothes the couple with garments of animal skin (verse 21), showing that restored communion with God requires the shedding of blood, anticipating the Levitical sacrificial system and ultimately the atoning death of Christ (Hebrews 9:22; WCF 8.5). Their expulsion from the garden is both a judgment and a mercy. God prevents them from, in their fallen condition, eating the fruit of the tree of life — a mercy which keeps them from being eternally confirmed in sin. Thus Genesis 3:7-21 details both the catastrophe of the Fall and the dawning of the gospel. Humanity ruins itself, but God immediately initiates, promises, and ultimately accomplishes redemption through the Promised One. Discussion Questions 1. Looking at the Bible From the passage, share with the group some key phrases or ideas that stood out to you. 2. Looking at Jesus How does Jesus fulfill the promise made in verse 15? How does God’s response to Adam and Eve’s transgression help us understand the gospel? 3. Looking at Our Hearts Adam and Eve do not take responsibility for their sins and ultimately blame God for their wrongdoings. How does sin distort our ability to take personal responsibility? What could we say are humanity’s most important needs based on this passage? 4. Looking at Our World How do people today still try to “sew fig leaves” — in other words, attempt to cover themselves with self-made righteousness? Prayer Pray for each other: Share any prayer requests you have. Pray for the institution of marriage. Pray for the married couples in our church, that God would deepen their unity, protect their love, and help them reflect Christ in their homes. Pray also for those in our church who are single, that the Lord would draw near to them with encouragement, purpose, and strong community. Ask God to give each person, married or single, a renewed sense of his presence and calling. May he knit us together as one family in Christ.

November 30, 2025 | Read

Sermon

A Thorn in the Flesh

Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12 reveal a surprising truth: the very weaknesses we wish would disappear may be the places where God is doing his deepest work. When we feel inadequate, overwhelmed, or worn thin, we may actually be closer to true spiritual strength than we realize. God’s grace meets us not after we overcome our struggles, but right in the midst of them. Watch this sermon as Jason Harris unpacks how God’s power is made perfect in weakness.

November 23, 2025 | Watch

Study Guide

Playing the Fool

Purpose To discover and experience Jesus Christ in our midst To cultivate mutually encouraging relationships To participate in God’s mission to the world Opening Prayer Responsive Prayer — Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom,  Let not the mighty man boast in his might,  Let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this,  That he understands and knows me,  That I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.  For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Summary This passage marks the climax of Paul’s defense of his apostleship and the gospel he proclaimed. As Paul concludes what may be his most personal, painful, and passionate letter, the recurring theme of “power in weakness” reaches its fullest expression. Throughout 2 Corinthians, Paul has turned the worldly standards of success and strength on their head, showing that Christian ministry is authenticated by endurance through suffering rather than by the outward triumphs the world looks for. In this passage, Paul reluctantly engages in what some biblical scholars have called the “Fool’s Speech.” He does what he has avoided doing until now: boasting about himself. But he does it in order to expose the false boasting of his opponents. His “boasting” is marked by irony instead of pride or self-glory. He boasts in what the world would consider shameful, because in those very weaknesses, the power of Christ is made manifest (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9). Paul begins by acknowledging the foolishness of boasting, repeating his earlier words from verse 1 in this chapter where he asked the Corinthians to “bear with me in a little foolishness.” Yet he recognizes the need to do so because the Corinthian church, in their self-perceived wisdom (verse 19; cf. 1 Cor. 3:18-20; 4;10; 6:5; 8:1-7; 13:2), had tolerated and even admired the self-proclaimed “super-apostles” who lorded over them (verse 20). With biting sarcasm, Paul contrasts the apparent strength of his opponents with his own humble condition. He reminds the Corinthians that while others boast of heritage or privilege, he too could claim those things, being a Hebrew of Hebrews and descendant of Abraham (verse 22); yet he considers none of that his true mark of apostleship. Instead, his credentials are his sufferings for Christ. His ministry is proven by scars and not by prestige. In verses 23-29, Paul presents a staggering account of his sufferings. He had been imprisoned, beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, hungry, and exposed to the elements. His life was one of constant peril, whether from robbers, his own people, or nonbelievers. Beyond physical hardships, Paul endured spiritual and emotional trials, bearing the daily burden of concern for all the churches. He felt deeply the weaknesses of his fellow believers (verse 29). This sympathy for the flock reflects the pattern of Christ himself, who bore our burdens and weaknesses (Isaiah 53:4; Matthew 8:17). Far from being marks of divine disfavor, Paul’s afflictions were the means by which Christ’s grace and power were displayed (cf. WCF 13.1; 2 Cor. 4:7-12). To the world, such a life is pitiable, but to the Christian, it is glorious, because it conforms us to the image of the Suffering Servant (Romans 8:17-18). Paul concludes this “boast” with the account of his humiliating escape from Damascus (verses 32-33; Acts 9:24-25). For his opponents, such disgrace would be a mark of shame. But for Paul, it is a badge of honor. He boasts in humiliation rather than triumph, revealing the paradox of the gospel: God’s power is perfected in weakness. As John Calvin observes, Paul’s opponents had known only applause and comfort, but Paul’s ministry was marked by dishonor and peril. Yet this (not worldly honor) was the true sign of authentic ministry. The Christian life, like Paul’s ministry, is one of cross-bearing before glory (Luke 9:23; Philippians 3:10-11). In all his weakness, Paul magnified the grace of God, who uses frail vessels like you and me to carry his strength. This sets the stage for the final declaration of 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Discussion Questions 1. Looking at the Bible From the passage, share with the group some key phrases or ideas that stood out to you. 2. Looking at Jesus In Galatians 6:14, Paul writes, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” What does boasting in the cross of the gospel look like? 3. Looking at Our Hearts For the Corinthians’ sake, Paul lays down his credentials from verse 22 on. Compare this to his list in Philippians 3:5-6. For Paul, how did he view his impressive resume? In what do we tend to boast or find our identity? What does this reveal about our hearts? 4. Looking at Our World Paul says paradoxically that if he must boast, he will boast in his weakness (verse 30), which then empowers him (2 Cor. 12:10). Paul previously explained to the Corinthians that the gospel works the same way: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). How is the gospel foolish and wise; weak and powerful simultaneously? Discuss how the gospel brings “subversive fulfillment” — subverting existing cultural beliefs while also fulfilling humanity’s deepest longings. Prayer Pray for each other: Share any prayer requests you have. Pray for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday season. Pray for safe travels and that there would be no flight complications. Pray that the time with family and friends would be refreshing and joyful instead of causing strife or stress. Pray that it would be an opportunity to reflect on God’s faithfulness and generosity toward us, which encourages us to share that love and grace with others.

November 16, 2025 | Read

Video

Is Christianity Escapist?

Christianity somewhat conveniently offers an unbelievable narrative that, if true, literally changes everything. Which raises the question: Is it possible that Christianity is simply wishful thinking — a framework generated by humans who were (and still are) looking to place their hope in a future that’s better than their reality?

April 18, 2025 | More...

Video

Can We be Good Without God?

Throughout human history, both the religious and non-religious have exhibited the capacity for doing good works. But when we turn to the question of universal moral obligations of goodness, does atheism hold up? Without a belief in God, there is a ceiling to how far goodness can reach.

September 30, 2024 | More...

Post

Beyond Morality: Living a Life of Worship

When most of us think of the “good life,” we are not merely imagining an ethical or moral life but a life that is truly worth living, even in the face of the existential problems with which we must contend. Luc Ferry, a French philosopher and self-proclaimed atheist, offers this interesting thought experiment: Imagine we could wave a magic wand and cause everyone living today to begin treating one another perfectly, with equal dignity and respect. There would be no more war, genocide, racism, or xenophobia. There would be no need for a police force or a standing army. Our judicial system and prisons would eventually disappear. And yet, Ferry suggests that even if we were to wave that magic wand, the most profound existential challenges we face would still not be resolved. This is how he puts it,  “Still—and here I have to weigh each one of my words—none (I really mean none) of our most profound existential problems would be resolved if this came to pass. Nothing, even in a perfect realization of the most sublime morality, would prevent us from aging; from witnessing, powerless, the appearance of wrinkles and white hair; from falling sick, dying, and seeing our loved ones die; from worrying about the outcome of our children’s education or from struggling to achieve what we want for them. Even if we were saints, nothing would guarantee us a fulfilled emotional life.” The point is that morality is indispensable to human life. And yet, it is not enough.  We read in the story of David in 1 and 2 Samuel about the importance of living a life of worship before God. David is far from perfect, but that is not what matters. What matters is that whether winning a great victory or committing an egregious sin, David lives a life of repentance and faith. Whether in triumph or defeat, hope or despair, David does not run away from God. He runs towards God. And that is what fills his life with enduring meaning, value, and purpose. What Is Worship? The problem with religion is that it leads us to think of God like a genie in a bottle—rub the lamp and out will pop God to grant you your wishes. Religious people tend to think God is there to serve us, to fulfill all our dreams, and to make us feel good about ourselves. We assume that if we are good enough, pious enough, zealous enough, devout enough, if we say all the right prayers, observe all the right rituals, and keep all of the right rules, then God is obligated to bless us and to make our life go well. We are not really interested in God for who he is—we are merely using God to get whatever we want. And if God does not deliver, then we become angry, bitter, and resentful because he did not fulfill our expectations.  It is critical to realize that the real God will challenge our dreams, not merely fulfill them. The poet W.H. Auden once wrote that a Christian is someone who says, “I believe because He fulfills none of my dreams, because He is in every respect the opposite of what He would be if I could have made Him in my own image.” God is not here to serve us. We are here to serve him. In fact, in Hebrew the word “worship” and “serve” are the very same word. God is not here to worship us. We are here to worship him. God is not supposed to follow us according to our terms. Rather we are supposed to follow God on his terms. And if we do, then he promises that he will bless us—not out of necessity, but as a pure gift.  Christianity offers this unique view of salvation: God relates to us on the basis of sheer grace, which means that a relationship with God is not something that we achieve through our own efforts, but something we can only receive with empty hands. Religion leads us to say, “I obey, and therefore, God accepts me.” But the gospel tells us, “God accepts me, despite my sin, through the substitutionary sacrifice of another, and therefore I obey.” We strive to love, serve, and honor God, not motivated by mere duty or obligation, but motivated by gratitude and joy for what he has first done for us—not as a way to try to win God's love, but in order to demonstrate that we already have it. If we know that God has done absolutely everything that is necessary in order to cover our sin and put us in right relationship with himself, then that will infuse our life with insuppressible joy, regardless of our life circumstances or personal challenges. There is, of course, a rightful place for lament as we mourn those aspects of our lives or within the wider world that are not yet in line with his purposes. Nevertheless, the foundation of a Christian’s’ life must be one of joy. The English author G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “Man is more himself, man is more manlike, when joy is the fundamental thing in him, and grief the superficial. Melancholy should be an innocent interlude, a tender and fugitive frame of mind; praise should be the permanent pulsation of the soul.” Why Worship Matters When Isaiah has a vision of the Lord seated enthroned above the ark of the cherubim in Isaiah 6:5, he immediately says, “‘Woe is me! For I am lost!’” Isaiah acknowledges that he is a sinner and “a man of unclean lips.” But despite Isaiah’s sin, God does not strike him down. Instead, one of the seraphim flies to the altar, the place of the sacrifice, and removes one of the burning coals and places it on the lips of Isaiah saying: “‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’” God has now made Isaiah clean.  This, of course, was just a vision. We get something far better. There are only two places in the New Testament where the Greek word for “mercy seat” or “place of atonement” is used—once in Romans 3 and once in Hebrews 9. In both cases, “mercy seat” or “place of atonement” is used not to describe a place but a person. Hebrews 10 tells us that the blood of bulls and goats could never do anything to actually take away people's sin. This is just a symbol meant to prepare us for the ultimate high priest who does not enter the most holy place within a humanly constructed temple, but rather he enters into the presence of the divine being himself. And there he offers not the sacrifice of an animal, but rather the sacrifice of his very own self. He gives himself for us so that our sin might be covered by his blood, and so that God in his mercy might forgive us and cleanse us so that we can enter into his holy presence and live. Jesus is the mercy seat and the place of atonement. He is the true prince of peace and the one who makes it possible for us to approach the throne of grace and live. And the mercy seat is open, still.  The gospel tells us that God is so holy and you and I really are so flawed that Jesus had to die. There was no other way for us to be able to enter into God's holy presence and live. And yet, at the same time, God is so loving and you and I are so valuable, that Jesus was willing to die for us. When you take these two truths deep into your heart and into your life, then that is what unlocks the joy. Morality and ethics are essential and important, but they are not sufficient to actually live the “good life.”  The Westminster Shorter Catechism, a historic document of faith from the 1600s, begins with this question: What is the chief end of man? In other words, what is the meaning of life? The answer is short: To glorify God and to enjoy him forever. As C.S. Lewis astutely observed, those two commands are actually one and the same. In commanding us to worship him, God is inviting us to enjoy him. The only way in which we truly learn to live the “good life” is through worship, by living our lives before the God of grace. And when we do, it will fill our lives with insuppressible joy.  ___ Adapted from David and The Good Life: Worship, a sermon delivered by Jason Harris on October 16, 2022. Listen to the sermon or read the full transcript. "Christ and Contemporary Culture" is a journal written by Jason Harris which reflects on the intersection between Jesus Christ and our contemporary culture. If you are skeptical or resistant to Christianity, the hope is that you might pause to reflect on your pre-existing ideas about the way things are and perhaps think again. For those who have embraced Christianity, these posts will serve to encourage you in your ability to communicate the gospel in a way that takes our current cultural context seriously. Produced by Mary-Catherine McKee

May 18, 2023 | Read

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Reclaiming the Importance of Friendship

The depth and the quality of our friendships determine the depth and the quality of our lives. And yet, we are facing an epidemic of loneliness. The number of people who say that they do not have a single close friend has quadrupled over the last 30 years, and nearly one in four people say they have absolutely no one to talk to.  In his chapter on friendship from his 1960 work, The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis said, “Ancient people considered friendship to be the highest and the best, the happiest and the most fully human of all the loves. And yet we modern people tend to ignore it, which means that friendship is the one love that you are least likely to experience.”  The Friendship Between Jonathan and David Perhaps there is no better place to turn in order to understand the importance of true friendship than 1 Samuel 18 which describes the bond between Jonathan and David. Jonathan is Saul’s son and the next in line to the throne, but God has anointed David, an unlikely shepherd, to be the future king of Israel. Despite Saul’s incurable jealousy and the conflict his rampant suspicion causes, Jonathan and David share a deep friendship. Their bond reveals the key ingredients to any meaningful friendship: a common spirit, a common commitment, and a common vision. A Common Spirit The first thing we are told about Jonathan is that “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” Jonathan recognizes a kindred spirit in David, which reflects an important aspect of friendship. Friends see the same truth which cultivates a deep unity of spirit. Friends, therefore, are not afraid to share their innermost thoughts or feelings because they know that the other person will understand, even if they do not see things exactly the same way. Friends are willing to be completely open because they do not fear that the other person will hold anything they say against them.  A Common Commitment Secondly, friends share a common commitment. We may not always like it, but friendship often entails obligations. That is explicitly the case with Jonathan and David. 1 Samuel 18:3 tells us that Jonathan “made a covenant with David.” A covenant is a relationship based on promises which entails both privileges and responsibilities. Some people assume that a covenant is the same thing as a contract, but while they are very similar, there are some important differences between the two. In a contract, two or more parties enter into an agreement with one another, out of their own self-interest, in order to pursue a mutually agreed upon objective. In a covenant, two or more people make binding promises of love and loyalty to one another in order to accomplish something together that they could never do on their own. A contract is inherently transactional, but a covenant is inherently relational. Considering the hostility that Saul demonstrated towards David, it is understandable why the covenant between Jonathan and David was necessary. Their friendship was caught in the clash of competing dynasties: the dynasty of Saul and the promised future dynasty of David. Even though Jonathan is Saul's son, he gives his allegiance to David, and the two pledge their loyalty to one another and to each other’s families forever. A Common Vision If friends are people who see the same truth and travel the same road toward the same destination, then it means that true friends also share a common vision. Jonathan and David shared God's vision that David, rather than Jonathan, would become the king. That is why in 1 Samuel 18:4, Jonathan takes his royal robe, armor, and weapons and gives them all to David. This was not just a spontaneous act of generosity on Jonathan's part to meet the need of a newfound friend. By giving David his royal apparel, he relinquishes his claim to be the king and joins David in a shared vision of God’s promised future.  In contrast to lovers, C.S. Lewis presented the essence of friendship like this: “We picture lovers face to face but friends side by side; their eyes look ahead.” He went on to say that if all you want are friends, then you’ll never make any because friendship has to be about something. “Those who have nothing can share nothing; those who are going nowhere can have no fellow travelers.” But a true friend is someone who shares a common spirit, a common commitment, and a common vision. And for the Christian, in particular, there can be no greater mission than helping one another travel the same path towards the new heavens and the new earth that God has promised.  Unity But Not Uniformity Friends share much in common, but unity does not mean uniformity. If you are exactly like your friends in every conceivable way, then how could your friends ever challenge you or help you see things differently? What we need in our friendships is unity in diversity. Proverbs 27:17 says that just as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. As modern people, we tend to think that the essence of friendship is nonjudgmental acceptance—we should simply accept our friends as they are and affirm all of their desires. But what if there is something wrong with your friend’s desires? We need friends in our lives who do not merely accept us “just as we are” but who care so much for us that they refuse to allow us to remain “just as we are.” We need friends who are willing to lovingly speak truth into our lives in order to help us become the truest version of ourselves.  The True Friend The sad reality, however, is that no matter how strong our friendships are, even the best of friends will let us down. That is why Proverbs 18:24 tells us: “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is one friend who sticks closer than a brother.” The covenantal friendship between David and Jonathan is meant to prepare us for the ultimate friendship that we can enjoy with God in and through Jesus Christ. Many people—ancient and modern—are familiar with the idea that two people could enter into a covenant with one another and the Lord would serve as a witness to those promises. But no one—ancient or modern—would have expected the God of the universe to actually enter into a covenant with human beings. And yet, that is what the God of the Bible has done. God comes to us and makes his promises of love and loyalty to us. Even though we often prove to be faithless, God remains faithful.  Jesus left his Father's throne above, giving up his royal rights, status, and position as God's one and only Son, to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. On the night before his death, Jesus gathers together with his disciples one last time. Even though he knows that moments after this Judas will betray him with a kiss, Peter will deny ever knowing him, and the rest of the disciples will abandon him and desert him in his greatest hour of need, Jesus says to them in John 15:15, and to all of us by extension: “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” Jesus opens his own heart to us. He shares his innermost thoughts and feelings, holding nothing back. We were on the outside, and he brings us into the inside. He tells us that there is no greater love than that one person should give up his life for his friend. Jonathan was willing to risk his life for David, but Jesus actually lost his life for you on the cross.  Aristotle once said that it would be impossible for a god to be friends with human beings because they are too dissimilar—it would be like a man becoming friends with his tools. But that is not the message of Christianity. The message of the gospel is that the God of the universe has gone to extraordinary lengths in order to transform you and me, strangers to his promises, into friends. Even though we have failed, Jesus bears those failures. And even though we are faithless, he remains faithful. When we receive Jesus as our friend, we are then able to go out into our world in strength, proactively seeking to be a friend to others in a time when we all so desperately need one. ___ Adapted from David and The Good Life: Friendship, a sermon delivered by Jason Harris on October 2, 2022. Listen to the sermon or read the full transcript. "Christ and Contemporary Culture" is a journal written by Jason Harris which reflects on the intersection between Jesus Christ and our contemporary culture. If you are skeptical or resistant to Christianity, the hope is that you might pause to reflect on your pre-existing ideas about the way things are and perhaps think again. For those who have embraced Christianity, these posts will serve to encourage you in your ability to communicate the gospel in a way that takes our current cultural context seriously. Produced by Mary-Catherine McKee  

May 4, 2023 | Read