http://stjohnspres.org St. John's Presbyterian Church Podcasts en St. John's Presbyterian Church Podcasts St. John's Presbyterian Church no St. John's Presbyterian Church craigsteve@msn.com ℗ & © 2010 St. John's Presbyterian Church 720 In this spiritually hungry age the interest in the person of Jesus is unmistakable and enduring; at the same time, the popular image of the church that bears his name is less than flattering. In Paul Young’s novel, The Shack, Jesus explains to Mack that the church is more than a cold institution…she is "the woman I'm in love with". Scripture speaks of at least three marks of the church, Jesus' beloved bride: beauty, faithfulness, and love. http://www.sermoncloud.com/st-johns-pres-church/the-woman-jesus-is-in-love-with http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2218/the-woman-jesus-is-in-love-with.mp3 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:25:48 GMT Steven Craig The Shack the_shack,church,institution,bride_of_christ 28:21 There comes a time when each of us is absolutely certain that we could be better umpires than God; that we could make better judgment calls if given the opportunity. In The Shack, Paul Young’s character, Mack, gets that very opportunity; but in the end he's certain about one thing: “I don’t want to be the judge!” Here are 4 biblical reasons why we should be grateful that God is the Judge. http://www.sermoncloud.com/st-johns-pres-church/here-come-da-judge http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2218/here-come-da-judge.mp3 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:05:34 GMT Steven Craig The Shack the_shack,god's_judgment,doubt,atonement,redemption 31:52 Our lives often feel like an unkempt garden, a random, chaotic mess. Yet, what seems like chaos to you and me – is a living fractal (a beautiful pattern that emerges out of seemingly random and chaotic events) to God. Indeed, the Holy Spirit longs to partner with us in the working out of God’s good plan in and through our messy lives. http://www.sermoncloud.com/st-johns-pres-church/the-keeper-of-the-garden http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2218/the-keeper-of-the-garden.mp3 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:08:47 GMT Steven Craig The Shack the_shack,holy_spirit,chaos,sin,redemption,sanctification 34:09 In Wm. Paul Young's novel, The Shack, Mack first sees Jesus "wearing jeans covered in wood dust and a plaid shirt, sleeves rolled above the elbows, revealing well muscled forearms. His features were pleasant enough, but he was not particularly handsome....Mack knew instantly that he liked him." What is it about Jesus Christ that drew people to him then, and that draw people to him today? The gospels suggest that he was great company, that he made God real, and that his life was profoundly human. http://www.sermoncloud.com/st-johns-pres-church/jesus-in-jeans http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2218/jesus-in-jeans.mp3 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:40:46 GMT Steven Craig The Shack the_shack,jesus,incarnation,humility 30:43 Like Mack, in Wm. Paul Young's book, The Shack, many of us have distorted images of God; distortions that can only be changed by an encounter with the true God at the point of our deepest hurts and disappointments. http://www.sermoncloud.com/st-johns-pres-church/papa--the-trinity http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2218/papa--the-trinity.mp3 Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:51:55 GMT Steven Craig The Shack distorted_images_of_god,father,trinity 35:12 Sadness has a place in every human life. Sadness and grief have many faces and expressions. God gives special grace to others in their sadness through you and me. http://www.sermoncloud.com/st-johns-pres-church/the-great-sadness http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2218/the-great-sadness.mp3 Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:31:23 GMT Steven Craig The Shack the_shack,sadness,grief,comfort 38:45 Like Missy in Wm. Paul Young's novel, The Shack, most of us have a few nagging questions that we'd like to ask God when it comes to the problem of suffering. These are questions that Scripture also deeply cares about: Is God good? And finally, does God really care about me and my deepest pain? http://www.sermoncloud.com/st-johns-pres-church/missys-questions http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2218/missys-questions.mp3 Sun, 13 Sep 2009 01:26:14 GMT Steven Craig The Shack the_shack,doubt,questions,suffering,goodness_of_god 30:49 We can be professionals who are Christians…but God save us from becoming professional Christians. The labor we do for God is always a labor of love or it is nothing at all. Unlike the labor of our hands, it is a work motivated not by profit, prestige, or personnel reviews, but by God's love for us; by our love for God, and our love for people. http://www.sermoncloud.com/st-johns-pres-church/a-labor-of-love http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2218/a-labor-of-love.mp3 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:45:50 GMT Steven Craig Xtraordinary Words, Phrases, & Their Biblical Origins labor,love,work,serving_god 30:06 The word "scapegoat" has come to mean a person, often innocent, who is blamed and punished for the sins, crimes, or sufferings of others, generally as a way of distracting attention from the real causes. Generally, no one wants to be a scapegoat, just to have one. In Leviticus 16, we come to understand that the Day of Atonement celebrates God cleansing his people from sin through the scapegoat. Jesus is the willing, and final scapegoat & our high priest. We’ve been set free from blaming, compensating, or denying to love as He loved us. http://www.sermoncloud.com/st-johns-pres-church/the-last-scapegoat Sun, 03 May 2009 20:43:34 GMT Steven Craig Xtraordinary Words, Phrases, & Their Biblical Origins scapegoat,blame,atonement,sacrificial_love The Space Shuttle discovery just returned to earth after a month in orbit. That’s a long time up in the heavens, and a long way from home. Is heaven like an extended tour on the space shuttle? Is heaven one long vacation from this world, or does God have something else in mind? Looking beyond the Last Day, John has a revelation about the heavenly city, and 7 qualities that will define it. In this message we consider the destination, the population, the foundation, the dimensions, the conservation, and the illumination of the heavenly city. John ends this chapter with an invitation to the heavenly city that is extended to all nations. http://www.sermoncloud.com/st-johns-pres-church/famous-last-words-on-heaven http://media.monkserve.com/EKK/2218/steven-craig.mp3 Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:20:34 GMT Steven Craig Famous Last Words for the 21st Century Church revelation,jesus_christ,heaven 42:18