Jason Donaldson

Impediments to Evangelism

2 Corinthians 2:12-16

Continuing our series in personal evangelism, we turn to a passage of Paul’s that brings to light three common elements in life that work against God’s people sharing the good news of Christ. We not only recognize these impediments, but also look at what means God has ordained to combat them, and how all these things fit into the fact of God’s plans and purposes for His people.

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Calling Sheep to Love and Goats to Turn

Matthew 25:31-46
In the parables previous to this, Jesus has said much about how His followers are to wait for His return, always ready, prepared to wait, and making use of His resources for His purposes. Now, in the concluding section of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus describes what His followers look like as they wait: Jesus’s disciples love those Jesus loves, not out of seeking reward (though there will be reward for his people) or out of fear of punishment (though there will be punishment for those who are not), but in accordance with their new nature.

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What are We Burying?

Matthew 25:14-30
The Parable of the Talents is in many ways a culmination of Jesus describing how his disciples are to wait for his return. Having told us to be ready at any time, and to be ready to wait longer than we expect, he goes on to describe his expectations of specifically how we are to wait. These expectations are exacting, but encouraging, as they hold out hope of great reward for faithful servants.

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Envy and Escape

Psalm 73
While the book of Proverbs is the classic example of wisdom literature in the Bible, forms of the genre actually appear in other parts, as well. Here, we examine some of these themes in one of the psalms, where the psalmist recounts his struggle with the problem of evil, in the fact that the wicked often prosper in this life. In relating his struggle, the psalmist reveals the ugliness and peril at the heart of envying the wicked, and we are invited to share in his experiences, first of the humbling truth about ourselves, and ultimately of the astonishing grace of God.

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Difficulties in Fulfillment

Matthew 2
The second chapter of Matthew’s account presents some challenges in understanding the concept of fulfillment of Scripture. The apparent difficulties of the four fulfillments Matthew records force us to take a look at how to read our Bibles, and moreover bring us face to face with a very difficult question indeed about how and why God acts in history – a question that brings us ultimately to one of the most basic and astounding truths in the whole of God’s revealed word for His people.

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The Birth of Jesus Christ

Matthew 1:18-25
Throughout his ministry, Jesus was recognized as the son of Joseph. Many times in the Gospels we read of statements like the one made in the synagogue of Nazareth, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” (Lk.4:22). In Matthew’s account of Christ’s birth, he strategically avoids calling Jesus the son of Joseph. Instead, he is “Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.'”

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The Proper Place of Theology in the Christian Life

1 John 4:21-5:13
First John is a cyclical letter with three central threads or evidences of the Christian life. These three are love, truth, and faith. In this message, we pull each of these threads out for closer examination in order that we might see, in the end, how they all relate to the Christian’s daily life.

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Evidence, Part 2: Truth

1 John 2:18-27
Why do professing Christians walk away? As we continue with 1 John’s third area of evidence, that of holding to the truth, we confront the nature of apostasy in the negative examples (those who fall away), and the nature and means of faithfulness in the positive one (those who abide in the faith).

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Evidence, Part 1: Obedience and Love

1 John 2:1-17
Over and over, 1 John expounds the nature and importance of three types of evidence in the lives of believers: obedience to God’s commandments, love for other believers, and adherence to the truth of the Gospel. In this message, we examine the first two, to find the nature of the evidences, what the evidences indicate, and what therefore the role of these evidences is.

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The Shepherd and the Sheep

Psalm 23 & John 10
The 23rd Psalm is one of the best-known scriptures of all time. It has been used by believers for thousands of years for comfort, encouragement, and devotion, and with very good reason. The psalm tells us about ourselves, and, more importantly, about the Lord, and all the more so as we view David’s inspired words from the blessed perspective of living this side of the coming and work of the Good Shepherd Himself.

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