The Park Road Pres Podcast

I Am the Good Shepherd

As John wrote in v. 6 of this passage, "This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand the things which He had been saying to them." Well, I DO understand (mainly) what Jesus is saying… though, there are a few bumps in the road… So, let's look more closely at this topic of spiritual teaching, leadership or "spiritual authority – it's use and misuse". Let's look at:1) The Bad Background2) The Shepherd We Need3) Engaging the Good Shepherd

The Appalling Jesus OR What It Means To Be Free

What IF that glaring problem facing our culture AND facing you personally were NOT really "where it's at"? What if the deepest, most important, urgent need in our society and in our families and personal lives is something you thought was low on the list or didn't make the list at all? Would you want to know about it?The title of the sermon IS the outline of the sermon:1st – The Appalling Jesus2nd – What It Means to Be Free

Light Has Come Into The World

Today we look more closely at one key word in this famous dialogue: faith (noun) or believe (verb) -- same root in Greek.
"That whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." What does it mean to believe, to have faith? How do you know if you HAVE faith? When Jesus says that being born from above is THĒ necessary condition for entrance into God's Kingdom AND that believing is THĒ indicator that one IS born from above, what IS it that we're believing? We use that word A LOT, but do we know what we're saying? We take for granted that we know what faith IS and that we've believed but… what IS faith?
This passage points to three motions or directions as the source, the sense and the result of believing:1) The DOWN and Up that God Does Alone2) The GIVE and Take that God and We Do Together3) The OUT and In that We Do With One Another

Born of Water and The Spirit

This famous dialogue aims to change the locus or the source of spiritual confidence i.e. what's the reason that you feel ok about yourself?… And we may find that we're looking for peace in all the wrong places! So, let's look at: 
1) Man on a Mission2) Interview3) Four Big Ideas +

Purpose in Exile, Humble in Obscurity

Another important part of the Christian/Biblical celebration of Christmas is the fulfillment of Scripture. And our passage today, in these ten verses or so, has three different references to Scripture being fulfilled. 3 times in ten verses, we are presented with how the birth of Jesus Christ, and the events that happen afterward fulfill God's purposes. So, what I want to do today is use those three OT references here as our guide for how we look at the story of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus' flight to Egypt… the slaughtering of children in Bethlehem, and Jesus' return to Nazareth.
I want us to see:1) Purpose in Exile, 2) Life Out of Death, and 3) Humility and the Messiah.

The Themes of the Magi

Today, we encounter the Magi—these mysterious, foreign, "wise men" that come searching for the Christ child… Who were they? Why is this part of the story? What were they really looking for?
I want us to look at three themes of the Magi- 1. The Gentile Theme, 2. The Contrast Theme, and 3. The Astronomical Theme…. And then I want to end with a couple of ideas for the New Year for you and me.

Happy are those whose Help Is the God of Jacob

There are TWO IMPERATIVES or commands in the Psalm – one positive command (repeated in vv. 1 & 10) and one negative – something to DO and something to AVOID. The negative – the thing to avoid – seems, at first, to be out of place… I want to show that it's NOT out of place, but it is, in fact, the main theme of the Psalm. And WHEN we see the relationship between these two dissimilar commands it unlocks some things in the spiritual life that lead to real happiness… So, this is a happiness sermon; my Christmas gift to you!
Let's look at:1) TWO STRUGGLES in understanding this Psalm2) TWO SOURCES of confidence in the Psalm3) TWO SERVICES this Psalm provides

Sing to the Lord a New Song

Give the King Your Justice

We'll find this poem from the Hebrew Bible conforms to the form of government in Ancient Israel (and most of the Ancient Near East) and THAT was NOT Capitalism NOR Socialism nor Communism but Monarchy, the REIGN of a monarch, a king or queen.
In unpacking this poem about the ideal government we'll see:1) SIGNS We NEED This Reign 2) A Gently FALLING Reign3) Responding to the RIGHT Reign

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

This is one of the 15 "Psalms of Ascent" – most people hold them to be pilgrim psalms, sung or chanted as pilgrims went up (ascended) to Jerusalem for the three feasts prescribed in the Law (Deut 16.16). It's been noted that there were 15 steps up to the entrance of the Temple in Jerusalem and that some pilgrims would memorize Psalms 120-134 and chant one of these short psalms on each step as they ascended. So, what can we learn from these Psalms of Ascent? Let's look at:1) A Pilgrim ELATED2) A Pilgrim FRUSTRATED3) A Pilgrim ANIMATED