Julian's Sermons

  Do people change? I remember debating with a friend years ago. His claim was that people could not change. I had just become a Christian and so my life was like a huge roller coaster of changes, so I had to passionately disagree. If we cannot change, discipleship is in vain. Perhaps, lack of discipleship in the church is an argument that people do not change. When we think about loved ones with bad habits, bad tempers, toxic behaviors, or people with addictions, we can easily become pessimistic about change in ourselves and others. Change is hard and often slow, but how can we be intentional about changing? How can I free myself from sinful habits? How can I change the way I interact with people I disagree with? How can I learn to extend mercy to the worst of sinners? How can I become more like Jesus? These questions lie behind the main theme and command of 1 Pet 1:13–25: “Be Holy.” Being Holy is being like God. If we want to obey this commandment we need to change. How do we do ...

Is America the New Jerusalem or the New Babylon? Christians are divided on this question. Some believe that America is a special place that God has blessed particularly. They believe America is a Christian nation and America is like Israel in the OT. One of the ways this view manifests itself is when Christians quote verses about Israel and apply them to America (e.g., 2 Chr 7:14 “ if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land .”) As progressive policies are instated, laws like legalizing abortion, gay marriage, removing prayer from schools, and the 10 Commandments from public buildings, many fear that if they do not elect the right people to office to take America back for God, we may become like Babylon. Here’s another perspective. If you were black living during the time of slavery or the Jim Crow South, America would have felt more like ...

  Easter is about forgiveness! Forgiveness is the center of the Christian life. We are a forgiven people called to forgive others. Forgiveness is that excellent idea everyone wants to get behind until it is our turn to forgive. Easter is the celebration of divine forgiveness. At Freedom, we celebrate Easter or the forgiveness of sins every Sunday. With the Apostle’s Creed, we confess “I believe in the forgiveness of sins.” After we confess our sins, God assures us that our sins are forgiven in Christ. When we rejoice in the forgiveness of sin, we celebrate Easter! God forgives us because of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus took our punishment by dying. God shows there is no punishment left to pay by raising Jesus from the dead. As we look at Luke 22:32–43, we will see that there is confusion about Jesus’ death. Secondly, we will see that Jesus came to die to forgive our sins. Thirdly, we will look at the implication of the forgiveness of sins, we will be with Jesus in ...

  Many people claim to be Christians while living unchanged lives. We can worry like non-believers. We can set our minds on earthly things. The church is the cause of so much trauma in the world with narcissistic bully pastors or sexual abuse scandals. Many of us have no idea how to disciple the next generation of believers. Our lives and interactions with non-believers are often a greater case against the Christian faith than one for it. How can this be? What are we missing? I suggest the problem is biblical illiteracy, spiritual immaturity, and a shallow relationship with Jesus. Many who claim to be Christians, believe the right things, do the right things, attend the right church, but do not have a relationship with Jesus. Without a relationship with Jesus, we are not Christian. To learn about the characteristics of a relationship with Jesus, we have been tracing the story of God’s relationship with humanity through covenants. This message deals with the New Covenant in Christ a...