Concordia Sermons

As Joshua and the Israelites are preparing to march on Jericho, they send some spies to the city to do some reconnaissance work. A foreigner named Rahab helps them and is blessed for doing so. This reminds us that God’s promises and God’s work are not just for certain people, but for all people.

As Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan into the Promised Land, the Jordan splits so the Israelites can cross over – just as it did years before when the Israelites passed through the Red Sea. In commemoration of God’s work, Joshua instructs that a monument be built. We are to remember God’s work in our past, too, and perhaps even memorialize it in a monument, but what God has done is meant to spur us on toward the mission of what will yet do.

"Passing the Test of the Past" The book of Joshua opens with a recap of Israel’s wandering through the wilderness. In this message, we’ll recap the Pentateuch and discover how our past can both warn us and teach us.

Pastors Tucker and McIntosh answer your faith-related questions!

Pastors Tucker and McIntosh answer your faith-related questions!

Pastors Tucker and McIntosh answer your faith-related questions!

When we pray and a prayer goes seemingly unanswered, our faith can be rocked. In this message, we consider how God answers our prayers.

One of the primary criticisms of Christianity is that people believe it degrades women. But the Scriptures and history paint a different picture. This is a faith where all people find dignity as God’s creations and as children of God in Christ.

There are many reasons that a good God may allow suffering in our lives. Sometimes, it is to train us. Other times, it is to call us to repentance. In every instance, God uses our suffering to ultimately bless us, even if we can’t immediately see it.

Scandals involving hypocrisy have left a bad mark on the integrity of the Church. Living with integrity is paramount in our witness to Christ. Everyone is a hypocrite in one way or another, but rather than hiding this, we must confess it and repent of it.

Aren’t Christians being exclusive when they claim that only Christ is the way to salvation? Claiming that all paths lead to the same God is itself an exclusive claim because it excludes those faiths that claim differently. Every claim is, in some sense, exclusive. So, we must discern which claims are true.

It is often assumed that either Christianity or science is true and that the Scriptures reject rational, scientific inquiry. In truth, the Scriptures invite it because they assert that there is a rational God who created a rational universe that we can joyfully investigate.

People want to know about the “weird” Bible verses, especially in the Old Testament – the ones against mixing fabrics and eating shellfish. Do we not take such verses seriously? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus invites us to see all Scripture as fulfilled and interpreted through Him.

Karl Marx famously said, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” He saw faith as nothing more than a crutch for the weak to deal with the vicissitudes of life. The reality is that Christianity is, in some ways, a crutch – one that we all need, because we’re not as strong as we’d like to think we are. But it is also more than just a therapeutic crutch. It is a divine reality.

When the women see a man dressed in white in Jesus’ empty tomb, he invites them, “See the place where they laid Him.” When Jesus died, hope was laid to rest. But then hope got up again. Is there any hope you have laid to rest? How can Jesus’ resurrection give your lost hope new life?

When Peter and John first go to Jesus’ tomb, they do not understand what they are really seeing. They still do not understand that Jesus was to rise from the dead. So, in verse 10, they go back to where they are staying. When we truly understand what happened at Easter, there is no going back. Easter changes our lives because it changes our eternities. What burden, addiction, or sin are you going back to that Easter can free you from?

As the Passover approaches, Jesus’ disciples want to make preparations for this most sacred meal. What they find out, however, is that Jesus has already been making preparations. He already has a room reserved. This is the message of the gospel. Jesus already has taken care of the most important things in our lives – our lives, our sins, and our eternities. On Maundy Thursday, we celebrate a meal that is a tangible indication of what Jesus takes care of for us.

Today we remember how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and went public with the fact that He was the King that God’s People were waiting for.

So often, we conceal the things we should reveal – like our sin in confession – and reveal the things we should conceal – like our righteous acts. Jesus invites us to give up boasting and do our best work in secret. These are the works that God honors.

We may not like to admit it, but sometimes, we are not only the victims of thorns, but the cause of thorns. We hurt others with our words and actions and, instead of bearing the fruit of righteousness, we wound others with our thorns of sin. Jesus invites us to repent of the times we have hurt others and speak and act in accordance with His Word.