SERMON SERIES: &

& series artwork - web.jpg

Truth is often a complex thing. Often the answer to the question, “Is it _______ or _______?” is, “Yes.” When we encounter this complexity, it can be easier to lean to one side of the divide or or the other. But if we’re going to be faithful to reality we need to become comfortable with the tension between seemingly divergent sides of the same truth.

In this series, we’ll dive into four two-layered truths and seek to do justice to these complex realities by offering unqualified thoughts on both sides of each topic.

PART 1: WRATH & MERCY

God is complex. If we try to reduce him to a single attribute, we oversimplify him and fail to understand him or truly know him. In an effort to explore his varied nature, we’ll focus in this lesson on his wrath and mercy--two seemingly disparate qualities that exist simultaneously and harmoniously in God. This duality results in our simultaneous fear and comfort in His presence.

4/21/13  Speaker: Justin Gerhardt

PART 2: UNWORTHY & PRECIOUS

In light of God’s power, infinity, endless wisdom, majesty, and righteousness, we humans are tiny, weak, insignificant, sinful creatures that have little, if any, inherent worth. And yet, God chooses to love us and assigns us enough worth to warrant the sacrifice of his only Son. We would do well to keep both realities in mind.

4/28/13  Speaker: Justin Gerhardt

PART 3: HUMAN & DIVINE

Was Jesus a man or was Jesus God? The startling (and admittedly confusing) answer to this question is, “Yes.” Jesus, as God-in-the-flesh, defies neat categorization and stretches our minds as we try to understand how he could be both fully human and fully divine. In this message, we’ll explore the tension present in a fundamental Christian doctrine, the Incarnation.

5/5/13  Speaker: Justin Gerhardt

PART 4: GRACE & TRUTH

During his ministry, Jesus managed both to attract sinners and help them. This, in large part, was due to the reality John describes in John 1:14--he was “full of grace and truth.” In this lesson, we’ll discuss the seeming contradictions between truth (“what you’re doing is not okay”) and grace (“everything will be okay”), and look to Jesus for a model of how we can successfully manage the tension between the two, both as individuals and as a church.

5/12/13  Speaker: Justin Gerhardt