Jason Hovde

Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. “The Lord possessed…

Merciful Man in the Myrtles Zechariah 1:7-17 I begin my preaching this morning with 3 verses from the New Testament. Yes, our study is from the Old Testament Prophet Zechariah, but as always, I desire that you see that all of scripture works together to teach us. And none of it ever contradicts each…

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. So, setting…

Big Idea: Christians focus their energy on eternal things. Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions People tend to focus more on their earthly security than on eternal blessings We do not know how long we have in this life, so we are better off preparing for eternal life. Last week: We must…

Big Idea: We must take seriously our need to honor God Acknowledging Christ is to be acknowledged by Him. Many sins can be forgiven, but one cannot The Holy Spirit empowers believers to speak boldly Last week: The leaven of the Pharisees: Hypocrisy. Big Idea: If we properly understand God, we will not…

Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there,…

Helping Hannah Kings don't just show up. Neither do heroes. When a leader comes into power, it didn't just happen. When a hero comes to save the day just in the nick of time, it didn't just happen. It may seem coincidence to us, but everything that happens has happened because God has ordained that it…

Recap: dead works External washing vs. Internal generosity Careful tithing vs. justice and love of God Recognition vs. facade Big Idea: Works bring only judgment to those who are spiritually dead Now Jesus turns from the Pharisees and the woes on them to the lawyers (those who claimed to know the law…

Lies that kill and Truths that save What is so important about the Easter story? Why is the resurrection of Jesus so important? Why does it matter anyway? There are many people who don't feel they need religion, or faith, or even contemplation about life & death. But I tell you this morning that it is…

Undercover Unbeliever Suppose for a moment that a prophet came into our building. This is just a thought exercise, and the point is not whether there are still prophets today as in the Old Testament sense, but just to get you thinking about a response you would have. So let's pretend for a moment that…

“If you give God the gifts He's given you, He'll give you Himself!” Genesis 22:1-19 Have you ever been around a baby or a toddler as they learn to communicate? Early on, before they can really speak through ideas, they make attempts to be part of the world around them. They want to be involved with their…

Big Idea: Works bring only judgment to those who are spiritually dead Three things Jesus addresses: External washing vs. Internal generosity Careful tithing vs. justice and love of God Recognition vs. facade Introduction: The danger of pride in our works, status or otherwise outward persona, such as:…

A little girl was sitting in her first Good Friday service, and the epic story of the Crucifixion was beautifully read. She heard about Judas' betrayal of Jesus. She heard about Peter's denial. She listened to Pilate's cross-examination of Jesus. She pictured the crown of thorns and felt the beating…

Context: 11:14. Jesus is accused of casting out demons by some and others, in verse 16, demand signs. Jesus knows these are insincere requests. He gives the parable of a strong man, and the unclean spirit that returns (representing mans attempts at morality) Then he says that the truly blessed will be…

Readings:Lent is a 40-day period of penance, reflection, and fasting observed by many Christians, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending before Easter Sunday. It commemorates the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, and believers often use this time to prepare spiritually through prayer, self-denial,…

What is More Attractive than sitting at the feet of Jesus? We often hear phrases thrown around the church. Particularly in the modern church, many have adopted the philosophy of Christian life that says Jesus is Savior, and that Christianity is not about rules, its about relationship. Or we hear, it…

Big Idea: Unbelief leads to blasphemy. Healing was a staple of Jesus' ministry Those who hated him could not explain away the miracles So they say vile things about him. Reading 14-28, but will not get through all of it this morning. Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone…

Recap: The Lord's Prayer (Or Disciple's Prayer) Priorities in our prayers: The Holiness of God A desire that he be exalted A prayer for his Kingdom to come For our daily bread For forgiveness: to be granted to us that we would forgive others (sin is a debt) That we be protected from temptations that…

Big Idea: We should pray that we be protected from temptation. Recap: Jesus' disciples ask him to teach them to pray. As John's taught his disciples. He teaches them a simple prayer. Luke's version is even shorter than Matthew's. He was not commanding the prayer to be recited, but rather offered a template…

What is more attractive than serving together? An argument against outsourcing in the church Our world over many decades now has become a world of outsourcing. When we hear that word, outsourcing, we may think of a company outsourcing their manufacturing to a country like China. Or a company may outsource…

Big Idea: Our forgiveness of others is evidence of our being forgiven The Lord's Prayer (Or, the disciples prayer) Hallowed be your name: He is Holy, holy, holy. We must treat him with all reverence Your kingdom come: May there be continually increasing evidence of God's kingdom impacting this world.…

This morning we continue our look at the Lord's Prayer, and we now are going to focus on the third verse of Luke 11 , “Give us each day our daily bread”. As we take a look at this, it may be a good reminder that we often complicate life. In our lack of contentment, we often are unhappy because we do…

When I was a brand new pastor, I was excited to attend the first prayer meeting with some of the people of the church. The prayer meeting was held at noon at a home, and some of those attending were on their lunch break, and others were retired. I came to the prayer meeting ready with some scripture…

What is more attractive than corporate worship? Religion defined The very word religion bothers some Christians. People like to say “Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship”. Or even more directly, some Christians have made videos and written articles saying “I hate religion” Or “God hates…

Enough is as Good as a Feast Greed vs. Thanks One of the movies that has been seen many times in our home is Mary Poppins. The “practically perfect” nanny has a lot of great lines in the movie, and on of my favorite lines is “Enough is as good as a feast”. In this simple statement, Mary Poppins is explaining…

Most of us love stories, and this is the most important story you will ever hear, but this story, if you want the happy ending, must be believed. This is the story of God and us. It is a story like many others, in that there are things to marvel at, things to be frightened of, and things to look forward…

A Call to Praise Those who know me well know how much I love Christmas Stories. I have books of these stories, and have read many of them for the masses. There are many of these stories I love, but there is one that must be my favorite. I think my first encounter with this story was an animated Mickey…

The Call of Christmas: Joseph: A Call to Protect For Joseph, he was given a call to protect and a call of prompt obedience. As every husband and father is given charge to protect his family, Joseph had already made a commitment to protect Mary. I mentioned last week that for Mary and Joseph, their betrothal…

The Call of Christmas Zechariah: A Call to Prepare If you were to read your Bible straight through, when you got to the end of the Old Testament, you may only have to turn a page or two to get to the New Testament. Some Bibles have a Page that simply says “New Testament”, some Bibles go straight from…

Big Idea: Don't let your service to the Lord keep you from His Word Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much…

What are we to do with parables? What are we supposed to notice? What are we supposed to learn? Are the details important? Is the trivial important? Parables generally have one main point. While it is good to understand the historical and cultural context of the parables, we should avoid getting caught…

Big Idea: The Kingdom is hidden from the proud and shown to the humble. Jesus is thankful for the hidden and the revealed He chooses who will receive the revelation We ought to be thankful for his revelation There are some things that are clear when you think about them simply, and more confusing when…

What is more attractive than God's family? Those who are saved by grace through faith in Jesus are given a new family. Series: What is more attractive? Than God's family Than corporate worship Than serving together Than learning at the feet of Jesus Than the gospel Therefore remember that at one time…

What is More Attractive Sermon Series (First Sundays) What is more attractive than God's Family? Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated…

Big Idea: The Real Reason for Celebration is our Salvation We should celebrate: Spiritual Wins Satan's Loss Our Greatest Gain There is much to be excited about when we do Christian Ministry: Changed lives, growing families, spiritual growth and maturity. But these may not always be a constant thing.…

Those who rejected were never elected. The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition (The Shorter Catechism) Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? A. God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter…

Sinners in the hands of a Gracious God Jonathan Edwards: Sinners in the Hands of an angry God - totally appropriate, those who do not receive Christ will come under the judgment of an angry God Christians are sinners in the hands of a gracious God, who removed our guilt and condemnation but Jesus went…

Pyramid scheme: usually good for the one at the top, not so much for the ones on the bottom. In the kingdom of God, all who are of Christ are to be recruiting other workers. In this case, the workers at all levels receive the manifest blessings of the cross Big Idea: Gospel work is a partnership between…

The Good News of Therefore We dive in today to a great chapter of scripture. Some of the great theologians throughout history, including Augustine and Luther, viewed Romans as the single most important book a Christian should learn. In it is contained the gospel, the bad news that we need a Savior and…

Still Struggling Rom 7:14-25 Last Week: The Christian Life is a constant battle against sin: What not to do with this passage: Marginalize sin Accept defeat Lose Hope Go into Battle Alone May have been left thinking it is a burdensome struggle. There is tension here, Already/not yet, but for a true believer,…

The Struggle Romans 7:7-25 Big Idea: The Christian life is a constant battle against sin. What not to do with this passage: Marginalize Sin Accept defeat Lose Hope Go into Battle alone In the beginning of Romans Chapter 7, Paul talks of how Christians are free from the law. We have died to Christ, and…

Depression is something that many people deal with at different times of life. There are many factors in depression. Physical health is related. Studies show that diet can impact depression and other mental or emotional health concerns. Sometimes depression comes with an explanation. The person may be…

Big Idea: Doing our mission for Jesus well requires an understanding of his heart for service 2 Parts of this sermon: How to deal with those who reject the gospel (51-56) How to understand the urgency of the mission (57-62) Intro: How we need to balance truths Truth: People who reject God are subject…

Big Idea: Those priveleged to be given faith must remain humble Subtitle: Our need for humility in Christ. Recap: Last week: Jesus tells them that suffering is coming. “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this…

Jesus' disciples seemed bewildered at his arrest and death. but he had clearly told them what was going to happen. They did not understand it at the time, because it was concealed from them. Big Idea: Believers who partake in the humiliation of Christ will also partake in the triumphant victory of Christ…

The Pursuit of Holiness Introduction: At Bible College, freshmen were required to take a class called Christianity and Culture. In this fascinating class, one is forced to think about how the Christian should interact within their culture. Through study, discussion and debate, we had to wrestle with…

Jesus commands us to have faith, and he gives faith to those he loves. The mountaintop experience is followed by service The physical and the spiritual are often connected The faith of the congregation impacts the kingdom impact Luke 9:37–43 (ESV) On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain,…

The Transfiguration People who have seen the glory of God, or glimpses of it: Moses, Isaiah, Elijah, Abraham, the shepherds In today's passage, Peter, John and James get to see Jesus in a different way than anyone else saw him at that time. But we can look forward to seeing him in his glory if we are…

What would you be willing to die for? Hyperbole and literally People have said: Hyperbole: 1. Food and Drink : • “That chocolate cake is to die for.” • “This coffee is to die for.” • “Her homemade lasagna is to die for.” 2. Fashion and Style : • “Those shoes are to die for.” • “That designer dress is…

For Marriage Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image,…