Chris Wall • Luke 18:31-34 ESV
The death and resurrection of Christ was bigger than just physically coming back to life. When Jesus rose from the dead and conquered the grave, He was revealing a new kind of human life available to all who would trust Him. He pointed to a life where the experience would shift from the shackles of weakness, aging and death to a new life capable of living eternally in the presence of God. The Resurrection produces a life you don’t want to miss.
You’ve heard the stories. A successful business owner struggles with the depression that comes from never having enough. A prominent actor takes their own life, popularity unable to assuage the despair they feel inside. A wife in a seemingly happy marriage leaves her family in search of the satisfaction she didn’t find at home. Every day we meet people who could say, “My life is great. So why do I feel so sad?” An ancient king once explored everything that makes life meaningful. He discovered an eternal answer to an everyday question. From the day of your birth until the time of your death, what lies in-between is the life you build. How will you live The Dash? ...
Chris Wall • Isaiah 9:1-7 The prophet Isaiah in both Chapter 8 and 9 discusses the reality of the human condition. The message of Christianity and the Bible communicates how things really are worse than they appear. People really are desperate for meaning and direction. The human situation really is hopeless, It really is darker than we care to admit. This is the honest truth and everyone really gets it when they think about it. However, in spite of this inescapable dark reality, the message of Christmas is that LIGHT has come from outside this world exposing the seriousness of the human condition while revealing the path to hope, peace, comfort and complete salvation. Light came into the world. ...
Chris Wall • Colossians 2:11-17 The church at Colossae was dealing with false teaching coming from multiple fronts. There was the challenge of oriental mysticism, astrology, philosophy, and in this passage, it confronts the Jewish legalism. These Jewish Gnostics were pushing the church to submit to the Old Testament laws and customs. The message of the gospel brought about a rapid shift in traditions. You think we have traditions, imagine traditions that could be traced back to Moses. That is a long time. This gnostic legalism believed keeping the Jewish law would help believers be more spiritual. If they were circumcised, kept the dietary laws, observed the holy days, then God would be more pleased and they could be among the spiritual elite. Paul made it clear that the Christian is not bound by any of those requirements. Keeping these laws really do not do any good when it comes to your walk with the Lord. Jesus Christ alone is sufficient for every spiritual need. In Christ alone, our lives are complete. Our identity is found in our relationship with Christ, not in the rules we keep. ...
