How do I know what my idols and gods are? (Sermon)
Blaise Pascal said: “There is a God-shaped hole in the heart of every person.” We yearn for a connection with the Almighty. But if we try to fill that hole with anything else bad things start to happen. This sermon is a part of our series on the 10 Commandments called “The Royal Family Code.” It unpacks the first two commandments—to have no other gods and to not make idols. There is a popular way to apply this today: Put God first. That’s good and valid. But there’s another not-so-common application. It’s not-so-common because we misunderstand the use of the word “gods” in the Bible and miss the warfare component (and danger) behind what we are being told. We unpack Exodus 20:1-6, provide key background information, and encourage us to apply these commands to our lives today—not only by putting God first in a general way, but in a way that takes seriously the harm of false religion, and uncovers our functional idols.
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25:53
From Slavery to Royalty (Sermon)
It cannot be overstated: The 10 Commandments are among the most influential teachings on earth. Not only have they shaped individuals, but entire societies. A church did some street interviews. People thought the commandments were very important, but no one could name all ten. The majority could only name two. Have we lost a sense of their importance? How do modern Christians integrate them into our lives? This sermon begins a series on the 10 Commandments called “The Royal Family Code.” We unpack the lead up to their delivery to Moses (Exodus 19), and start to think through what it means to go from slavery to royalty.
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29:54
What happened to the ending of Mark’s Gospel?
We recently studied Mark’s Gospel. But it seems to end abruptly at verse 8. Verses 9-20 are footnoted or bracketed. What’s going on? Was the original ending lost, changed, or something else? In this episode Pastor Ruttan shares some thoughts.
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6:02
A note to the church after the election
We just had a federal election. There are a lot of thoughts about it! Here are some things to consider from Pastor Ruttan — not just as citizens, but as disciples.
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6:22
Keep Calm and Follow Jesus (As The Apocalypse Nears)
The apocalypse is a hot topic. Hollywood can’t stop making movies about it (sort of). People puzzle and obsess about it. It’s been that way since the days of Christ. But what does Jesus tell us about the end of the world? What will happen? And what should we do to prepare? This sermon unpacks the “little apocalypse” of Mark 13 and invites us to consider how we might respond when things seem increasingly dangerous and crazy all around us. It picks up on the popular (and long-lost) World War Two slogan “Keep Calm and Carry On,” while working in a very critical twist.
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