A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. “Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me’” (Matthew 11:2-6). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! There is a line of thought among some Christians that having questions about God’s dealings with the world is somehow being unfaithful or disobedient. To justify God’s action that seems arbitrary or unjust to us, we are tempted to suppress doubts and stop short of being honest with God and ourselves. This motivation, a desire to trust God no matter what, is well-intended, but the result is often a reluctance to take...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of Him shall the nations inquire, and His resting place shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Imagine making a long drive to your favorite summer getaway in the woods, only to find that almost overnight every tree has been cut down and only the piles of dried-up branches remain. Further imagine that the cabin that had been in your family for years was burned to the ground, along with the homes of all your neighbors. The initial shock of such a loss is only the beginning. After that comes the grief that much has been taken… and the dread that more could be taken, too. Now put yourself in the shoes of the people of Judea, Isaiah’s audience as he utters his prophecy for the first time. The twelve tribes of Israel have been culled down to two. They look across the border to the northern kingdom and it’s a...