by Derek Fekkes | Feb 26, 2020 | Uncategorized
Thus says the Lord:“Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths,where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ (Jeremiah 6:16) I was...
by Derek Fekkes | Feb 12, 2020 | Uncategorized
And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:41 We recently introduced a song titled “Jesus, Strong and Kind.” The title may not strike you at first, but the words “strong” and “kind”...
by Derek Fekkes | Jan 22, 2020 | Uncategorized
“But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” Mark 4:20 This past Sunday, we considered Jesus’ parable of the soils. Jesus pictures the word of God as seed that is...
by Derek Fekkes | Jan 15, 2020 | Uncategorized
And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:34-35) Jesus offends a lot of people. There is, ironically, nothing controversial about...
by Derek Fekkes | Jan 2, 2020 | Uncategorized
I am currently reading a book called The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, by Jonathan Haidt. I wanted to share a few quotes from the book, for a couple of reasons: 1) It is not a book that most of my readers will probably read...
by Derek Fekkes | Dec 23, 2019 | Uncategorized
In yesterday’s sermon I shared a quote from C.S. Lewis on the role of longing in the life of a Christian. This is a theme that runs through many of Lewis’ works, including The Chronicles of Narnia and Lewis’ autobiography, Surprised by Joy. While...
by Derek Fekkes | Dec 12, 2019 | Uncategorized
This past Sunday we began our Advent series on living with expectant hope in God’s promises. We considered how God equips Christians to live with hope in all seasons of life. Namely, we suffer 1) with our identity and worth secure, 2) with our faith in his word, 3)...
by Derek Fekkes | Dec 2, 2019 | Uncategorized
Yesterday, Pete Williamson preached on humility, using Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The takeaway from this parable is that there is only one route into God’s favor and salvation, and that is through his mercy towards undeserving sinners. There...
by Derek Fekkes | Nov 4, 2019 | Uncategorized
This past Sunday, we looked at Jesus’ claim to forgive sins, and said that God’s forgiveness of sins is not based merely on his love and will to forgive sins, but also on the sacrifice of Jesus in our place. The gospel is not just “God is gracious, loving, and...
by Derek Fekkes | Oct 7, 2019 | Uncategorized
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) I...
