North Avenue Church Podcast

Here Jerry, Scott, Mark, and Greg finished out the fascinating and too often neglected letter of 3 John.

Jerry, Scott, and Shane start week one in the too often neglected book of 3 John.

Jerry, Scott, and Grant finish out 2 John with its message to abide in the true teaching of Christ and not to "go on ahead" to another teaching that is not biblical.

Grant joins Jerry and Scott to set the scene for 2 John and to begin with John's emphasis on God's truth.

Jerry, Scott, and Zach finish out the book of 1 John.

Jerry, Zach, and Mark cover a couple of challenging aspescts of 1 John 5. What does it mean that Jesus came "not by water only but by the water and the blood" (v. 6)? Also, why does the KJV have such a different reading of v. 7-8 than modern English translations?

The formal cause of the Reformation was the issue of authority. Essentially the question was, "Who says?" What is our ultimate authority in this world? Is it Scripture only or Scripture plus "sacred tradition" and the Magisterium (the pope and his bishops)? This issue foundational to all other major differences between Catholics and Protestants. You can watch this message here.

Satan works through Nehemiah's enemies to attack him in four ways in Nehemiah 6:1-7:4.   Distraction (6:1-4) Defamation (6:5-9) Deception (6:10-14) Infiltration (6:15-7:4) Let us learn from Nehemiah's example how we can resist these tactics and so finish well.   You can watch this message here.

It's been a long break, but Sunday we picked back up our 'Questioning Catholicism' series! You can watch this message here.

Main idea: The greatest threat to God's people has always been the sin from within. Here, the people humbly respond with repentance as Nehemiah leads through godly confrontation and illustration. Choosing Sinful Exploitation (v 1-5) Responding to Godly Confrontation (v 6-13) Observing a Godly Illustration (v 14-19) You can watch this message here.

The Christian life is about the sword and the trowel. We are called to build (= the trowel) and defend (= the sword). This passage has become well known for this very reason. You can watch this message here.

Four ways to pursue ordinary faithfulness in a new year: By treasuring the Word of God (Psalm 1) By preaching the Gospel to ourselves consistently (1 Corinthians 15:1-11) By cultivating a firm belief in the sovereignty and goodness of God (Romans 8:28-32) By folding our lives into the local church where we are members (Hebrews 10:23-25) You can watch this message here.

In difficult times... We are tempted to trust in other powers [7:1-8:15] We are tempted to trust in other authorities [8:16-21] We must trust in the God who Saves [9:1-7] You can watch this message here.

Here are the two main points of Greg's meditation on the purpose of the incarnation from Philippians 2: The intentional unity of the church (v 1-4) The intentional incarnation of the Messiah (v 5-11) You can watch this message here.

Nehemiah shows us how to handle discouragement in the Christian life. I. Why We Are Tempted to Give Up (v 10-12) A. Our strength is low B. The burden seems too great C. Opposition grows from without and within II. Ways We Fight to Endure (v 13-14) A. Set a defense where you're most vulnerable B. Expose yourself to truth! C. Remember and fear the Lord D. Remember what is at stake You can watch this message here.

Why is the Christian life so hard? Here is the outline of the message: The Enemies Mock (v 1-3) Nehemiah Prays and the People Work (v 4-6) The Enemies Threaten (v 7-8) Nehemiah Prays and sets a Guard (v 9) You can watch this message here.

The people beautifully model unified work for the kingdom! A. Nehemiah Leads the People by... Showing the way forward Delegating the work into manageable portions Giving credit to the workers B. The People Avoid... Procrastination A preoccupation with (1) rank, (2) gifting, or (3) recognition C. The People Work... In Unity Diligently and Sacrificially You can watch this message here.

Nehemiah provides a wonderful example of bibical leadership in this passage. Nehemiah clearly communicates the problem (v 17a) Nehemiah clearly communicates the solution (v 17b-18a) The people and their enemies respond (v 18b-19) Nehemiah's uncompromising conviction in the face of opposition (v 20) You can watch this message here.

In this week's passage we learn about godly leadership from Nehemiah. Godly leaders... Use wisdom (v 9) Expect opposition (v 10) Know when to rest (v 11) Have a God-glorifying plan, yet don’t reveal it prematurely (v 12) Clearly understand the problems they face (vv 13-16) You can watch this message here.

Main idea: Nehemiah shows us how to pray, plan, and act all while relying on God's good providence. Prayerful planning Courageous actions God's providence You can watch this message here.