The Joshua Victor Theory

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Today Jesus says that a little faith can do incredible things. ” If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’ and it would obey you.” Elsewhere Jesus describes a faith that can cast mountains into the sea. If it only takes the faith of a tiny grain of mustard seed to do these amazing things, perhaps some of us are wondering why more Christians aren’t throwing trees and mountains into the ocean to demonstrate the power of their faith? Maybe they don’t even have faith this small? Unfortunately, however exciting that might be to see, Jesus doesn’t seem to be telling His disciples to throw more trees into the sea, or that it’s His Father’s will for them to do this. Rather, Jesus is instructing us about faith. He’s saying faith is needed for even more difficult and important jobs than tree-tossing and mountain throwing. And it’s not a gia...

*Please check out an accompanying post for a hymn that I wrote that speaks of our temptations and how Christ is with us, with the same title as the sermon. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. As we study the temptation of Jesus today, let’s first discuss the significance of temptation in general, then look specifically at how this passage gives us courage and hope in the face of temptation. No story of Jesus’ life would be complete without seeing how Jesus faced temptation. The Gospels show the teachings and miracles of Jesus, they follow the trajectory of the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus lived and knew—and follow Him all the way to the cross. But had the Gospels not recorded Jesus’ temptation, we would never have seen inside His personal struggle against the devil—who tempts Jesus, just like us, to commit sin and evil. The New Testament tells us that we are blessed to have Jesus as the One who represents us ...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Today I am going to speak in response to a monumental change that has happened in our country, that is of great concern to most of us. That change is the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Many of you have already begun asking questions of how the church will respond, and what this means for us as Christians. This is without a doubt, an issue on which the church cannot remain silent. And the authority with which the church speaks is the authority of God’s Word alone. If we are to remain faithful Christians to follow our Lord Jesus, then we must be faithful to His Word. May God grant me to speak to you today with faithfulness to Him, that all who are willing may hear and receive God’s Word. Amen. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus sends out His disciples to various villages, to teach the Good News of His kingdom. He warned them ahead of time that some would gl...