Sermons

Text: John 1:35-51 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: At the start of John's Gospel we read the fascinating story of the beginning of Jesus' church. As Jesus is walking by, John the Baptist cries out: "Behold, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36). Immediately two men start following Jesus, then another, and then two more. Each of these five brand new Christians had one thing in common: they all went to see Jesus for themselves. Likewise, we all are called to come and see for ourselves who this Jesus is. And when we do, we find that he knows us, loves us, and will never cast us out.

At the end of the Minor Prophets, and the end of the Old Testament, God's people are still left wondering if it has all been worth it. “What benefit is it,” they ask, “for us to follow God?” Through his prophet Malachi, God answers by reminding them of who they are, and what's to come. They are God's treasured possession, and abundant, everlasting life awaits them.

The future Day of the Lord is a day of great hope and joy as the people of God will be with our King and Warrior who delights and rejoices over His people.

The Lord has raised up David's household in Christ to bless all of mankind.

The Prophet Joel's message declares there are both present and future realities for those who call upon the name of the Lord.

The Prophet Hosea is told to return to and love his unfaithful wife, just as God continues to love unfaithful Israel.

The Christian life is marked by joining Jesus in offering sacrifices pleasing to God.

Those in the New Covenant come to a better mountain than even Mount Sinai; to a mountain where they rejoice at the voice of their Lord.

We may have full confidence in the promises of God as He has proven Himself faithful in the lives of His people.

The author of Hebrews discusses how God's people encountered and enjoyed the presence of God in both the Old and New Covenants.

Psalm 46 shares with us the wonderful reality that God is the refuge, relief, and redeemer of his people.

Christ, a better high priest whose ministry takes place in a better sanctuary, is the mediator of a better covenant.

David's request in Psalm 27:4 portrays well the reality that the Lord is to be our soul's one true desire.

Psalm 110, the most quoted psalm in the New Testament, displays David pouring out praise to his Lord, who is the reigning warrior-priest.

True Daughters and Sons of the True King are those who embrace their poverty, hunger, and sorrow, love their enemies, and seek a sure foundation on Christ's Word alone.

Psalm 32 exhorts how God honors and blesses the one who confesses their sin.

Psalm 92 is uniquely titled a Sabbath Song, which calls us to praise our God because mankind is at our best when we praise and worship God now and forevermore.

God invites His people to rejoice and delight in God, yet God also rejoices and delights over His people.

The glory of the Lord is declared in both creation and the law, and our only appropriate response is worship.

Life is full of seasons of cheer and of toil, in Christ, the Christian may have hope in every possible season.

In Christ, the Church has the hope of heaven yet fights in the here and now, though our tactics differ greatly than those of the world.

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth to direct them in their division to refocus on the source of their unity: Christ.

An essential aspect of the life of a Christian is to be involved in the ministry of Christ's Church.

God's people often look at the circumstances of life to determine whether or not the Lord is near, yet God's people ought to presuppose the presence of God.

The Church has been made righteous by Christ, and so we may pray confidently and boldly as the transformed faithful people.

The perseverance of the Christian life is sustained by faith and patience.

Christ holds a threefold office of Prophet, Priest, and King. This message sharpens our focus on the Ministry of Christ as a King.

Christ holds a threefold office of Prophet, Priest, and King. This message sharpens our focus on the Ministry of Christ as a Prophet.

Christ holds a threefold office of Prophet, Priest, and King. This message sharpens our focus on the Priestly Ministry of Christ.

The resurrection of Christ changes everything and it changes nothing.

Jesus' activities on two Sabbath days (his allowance for his disciples to pick grain and his healing of a withered hand) are the arena which Jesus battles the Pharisees, where Jesus redefines the Sabbath, having gone from a day of rest to a day of liberation.

Jesus' disciples did not fast like those of the Pharisees because the system of mourning was incompatible with the presence of Jesus.

With Jesus telling Levi the tax collector to follow him, we see the radical transformation that life in the Kingdom of God provides.

Jesus' words to the seven churches of Asia Minor offers wisdom in shaping a church.

The paralytic is brought before Jesus by his friends, and receives forgiveness of sins.

The New Age is brought about in part by the cleansing touch of Jesus, as seen in his restoring of the leper to human wholeness.

In Jesus' great catch of fish he demonstrates his lordship over all creation, and Peter comes to faith.

The Galilean ministry of Christ begins his work of advancing the Kingdom of God.

Luke's record of Jesus' first sermon demonstrates Christ's mission to the world as he rejects Nazareth.

Through the temptation of Christ, our Savior confronts the devil and the fate that is awaiting him in Jerusalem.

One of our greatest contact points with Jesus is his baptism, where the Son of God identified himself with his people.

John the Baptist's ministry prepared and reoriented a people to prepare the way for Christ's ministry.

Jesus' experience at the temple as an adolescent reminds us that Jesus became and still is like us. He partook of our lives so that we may partake of His.

The presence of God in Christ is a blessing to those who have it, who are to bless others as well.

The Christmas Story

The birth of John the Baptist is another demonstration that the Lord was on the verge of doing something big: the delivery of His people.