Isaiah 64:1-9 Setting realistic expectations doesn’t seem to fit with the series we’re looking at which says to “expect more out of Christmas.” Are we supposed to set high expectations or just realistic expectations? Which is it? Well, we’re about to find out that, with God, setting realistic expectations means getting far more than we could ever expect.

Living Hope

Set Realistic Expectations

Matthew 27:27-31 The objects of mockery the Romans soldiers give to Jesus don’t match what he gives to us. He takes on a scarlet robe to give us a robe of righteousness. He takes on a crown of thorns to give us the crown of life. The criminal on the cross is our king who gives victory over our enemies and glory out of shame. Just one more paradox of grace.

The Criminal is the King

Ezekiel 37:15-28 Is the political rift in our nation the biggest it’s ever been? Is the division within our country past the point of stitching back together? Are the divisions even among Christians today too big to ever heal? If those are questions bouncing around in your mind, you have to listen to this. You have to hear Ezekiel’s strange prophecy about stuck together sticks. You have to hear the promises God is pouring out to you here today. God is giving some very specific promises to address all your concerns. The comfort and peace you’re looking for are promised and coming your way in the future. But they are already yours now too.

The End is the Beginning

Matthew 22:1-10 You’ve probably never been invited to a wedding where you didn’t know the bride or groom or any of the other guests. That would be weird. A wedding celebration is an intimate event for family and friends. You don’t invite random people off the street to your wedding. But that’s pretty much what God does. He invites anyone and everyone to the wedding celebration of his Son, the Lamb, in heaven. The good, the bad, and everyone in between is invited to partake of the amazing feast God has spread out on the table. That means you’re invited too. And you’re not going to want to miss this one!

God Invites the Uninvited

Daniel 6:10-12, 16-23 Jesus is the good shepherd who holds his sheep in the palm of his hand. But today we also hear that he sends his sheep to the wolves. How can both of these things be true? To answer that paradox today we’ll be following Daniel as he gets tossed, not to the wolves but to the lions. God had a plan for his disciples, for Daniel, and for you and me. Plans to teach us to depend utterly on him. Plans to teach us to let our lights shine out. Plans to teach us that he will come to our rescue.

God Sends His Sheep to the Wolves

2 Corinthians 6:1-13 Living as a Christian won’t always feel very glorious. In fact, God’s Word often proves that Christians will more likely face rejection than glory in this world. Even if many close their hearts to us, we will have hearts that remain wide open. God has already opened his heart for us. He has already glorified us in his Son instead of rejecting us for our sins. We love others enough to tell them that good news is for them too, even if we face rejection. God’s heart is wide open and so are ours.

God Glorifies the Rejected

Matthew 21:28-32 Shouldn’t God save all the righteous, good, upright people? Why would he save people whom everyone else agrees are wicked? This is another paradox of God—he saves the wicked. And once again, that’s a truth we treasure. The wicked person who repents finds Christ waiting with open arms of forgiveness—no matter who they used to be, no matter what they’ve done. In Christ there are no wicked, there are only forgiven sinners. We’re part of God’s kingdom by grace, and grace alone.

God Saves the Wicked

Matthew 20:1-16 We really want things to be fair don’t we? We don’t like it when we put in more work than someone else but don't get as big of a paycheck. Jesus’s parable about the workers in the vineyard today offends our finely tuned sense of what is fair or unfair. But Jesus is teaching us something with this parable—that God’s kingdom isn’t ruled by fairness, it’s ruled by grace. And we would much rather have God be generous and gracious with us than fair with us. God’s love isn’t fair and we rejoice at that paradox!

God's Love Isn't Fair

Colossians 3:12-14 You can tell a policeman is a policeman by the way he is dressed. The same with a CEO; a nurse; or a construction worker. This morning our LORD reminds us to dress like Christians. We don’t need to look for this clothing at a store or purchase it on-line. It’s God’s gift to us.

Remember to Wear Your Church Clothes

Matthew 18:21-35 “Three strikes and you’re out.” It makes sense to put limits on mistakes right? If you’re batting in a baseball game you shouldn’t be able to swing over and over again when you miss. If you’re a child disobeying at school you should be punished after failing to listen to the rules three time in a row. We can’t let mistakes and disobedience go on unchecked. That’s reasonable. But God’s forgiveness is the opposite. It’s unreasonable. It’s limitless. And good thing it is because we’ve struck out millions of times when it comes to our sins. We need limitless grace for our limitless debt of sin piled before God. And that’s exactly what Christ gives us. And now you know what’s next. We forgive as God forgives. As God’s Church we usher people into a kingdom where every debt is paid by the mercy of the master.

Forgiving as God Forgives

Matthew 15:21-28 The title for today’s service seems like another “Captain Obvious” statement. Of course we know that God’s grace is for all people! The question is how can we, as people planting a new church, get God’s grace out to all people?

Offering God's Grace for All

Matthew 16:13-20 The beginning of our series on what makes a church plant successful might seem like a no-brainer. We need to proclaim and confess Christ clearly! But if this isn’t kept as the main thing in the church then we’re really wasting our time. There are plenty of places you can go for socializing or being entertained. The church has to be the place where the main thing is kept as the main thing—where we confess what Christ has done and who he is. The Planted Church’s main job, it’s only job really, is to make sure people know the answer to this one question: Who is Jesus? The answer has eternal life at stake.

Confess Christ Clearly

Judges 16:22-31 Samson gets remembered as a great Bible hero. His miraculous strength from God is legendary. But if you really look at who Samson was you quickly realize he was kind of a dud. He was a letdown of a judge. He could have been great. But he was selfish and lustful and worldly. He didn’t live up to his potential. He had to lose his strength in order to remember where his true strength was found. We may have more in common with Samson than we care to admit. But, like him, no matter how far we fall, the Lord remembers us.

Samson: From Strength to Weakness

Judges 11:1-11, 29-40 The account of Jephthah is simply tragic. The worst part is that the tragedy Jephthah self-inflicts on himself with a rash oath was completely unnecessary and uncalled for. God was going to bring deliverance to Israel apart from anything Jephthah gave up or sacrificed. Jephthah’s folly can be a loud warning siren to us - that we never attach strings to God’s no-strings-attached deliverance in Christ. The only necessary sacrifice was made for our sins so that none of our stories have to end in tragedy. They end in victory.

Jephthah: God's Deliverance Comes No Strings Attached

Judges 6:11-16, 36-40 Are you someone who struggles with a lack of self-confidence? You're probably not alone. Many struggle with a low self-esteem. The judge, Gideon, struggled with a lack of confidence. But the Lord did for Gideon what he also does for you. He values you highly and fills you with confidence by pointing you to himself and who he declares you to be in Christ!

Gideon: In Search of Confidence

Living Hope Lutheran is a church in Chattanooga, TN seeking to center the listener on the living hope for everyday life we have in Jesus. Hope forever in Jesus brings hope for every day in life.

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Living Hope

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