Soma Spokane Sermons

A parable is a short story or metaphor, drawn from familiar cultural context and experience, and prompted by Jesus’ need to explain himself and his ministry. Each week this summer we'll explore one of Jesus' parables, asking what it is meant to teach us about Jesus and the Kingdom of God. In this week's parable, Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to a king who throws a wedding feast for his son, but his invitation to the guests is rejected. Not satisfied, the king sends out servants to invite everyone so that the wedding hall is filled. Surprisingly, a man without the proper wedding clothes is kicked out of the party.

A parable is a short story or metaphor, drawn from familiar cultural context and experience, and prompted by Jesus’ need to explain himself and his ministry. Each week this summer we'll explore one of Jesus' parables, asking what it is meant to teach us about Jesus and the Kingdom of God. In this week's parable, Jesus tells his followers a story about a landowner who goes out and hires vineyard workers at different times, paying them all the same denarius for different amounts of work. God's grace evokes something in the 6 AM workers, which reveals what they think about life with God. Jesus ends by reminding us that "the last shall be first and the first shall be last." We all stand on the same grace, and we should view one another through that lens.

A parable is a short story or metaphor, drawn from familiar cultural context and experience, and prompted by Jesus’ need to explain himself and his ministry. Each week this summer we'll explore one of Jesus' parables, asking what it is meant to teach us about Jesus and the Kingdom of God. In this week's parable, Jesus is conversing with Peter about how much a follower should forgive another. In doing so, he tells a parable, a ridiculous parable at that of how much a certain fellow is forgiven by a good master and yet still is mean and unforgiving to a fellow servant. The master then tortures and throws this slave out because the kingdom of heaven requires its participants to be forgiving of others. The parable seems to point at there needing to be more than just an awareness of how much we have been forgiven in order for us to live out the Kingdom of Heaven.

A parable is a short story or metaphor, drawn from familiar cultural context and experience, and prompted by Jesus’ need to explain himself and his ministry. Each week this summer we'll explore one of Jesus' parables, asking what it is meant to teach us about Jesus and the Kingdom of God. In this week's parable, Jesus tells his followers a story of a shepherd leaving 99 sheep to seek and find one lost sheep. He invites his followers into humility and vulnerability of the lifestyle of the sheep. He wants complete dependence, without the air of pride and entitlement.

A parable is a short story or metaphor, drawn from familiar cultural context and experience, and prompted by Jesus’ need to explain himself and his ministry. Each week this summer we'll explore one of Jesus' parables, asking what it is meant to teach us about Jesus and the Kingdom of God. In this week's parable, Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to a net, gathering fish of every kind from the sea. At the end of the age, the angels will separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace.

The Jews were waiting for a physical Kingdom of God to be established in Jerusalem, but that’s not what the Kingdom of God is going to look like in this age. Instead, Jesus says, it’s like a mustard seed quietly planted, or leaven worked into bread. It’s a Kingdom that cannot be seen and that cannot be stopped. A parable is a short story or metaphor, drawn from familiar cultural context and experience, and prompted by Jesus’ need to explain himself and his ministry. Each week this summer we'll explore one of Jesus' parables, asking what it’s meant to teach us about Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

A parable is a short story or metaphor, drawn from familiar cultural context and experience, and prompted by Jesus’ need to explain himself and his ministry. Each week this summer we'll explore one of Jesus' parables, asking what its meant to teach us about Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

A parable is a short story or metaphor, drawn from familiar cultural context and experience, and prompted by Jesus’ need to explain himself and his ministry. Each week this summer we'll explore one of Jesus' parables, asking what it is meant to teach us about Jesus and the Kingdom of God. In this first parable, Jesus gives his disciples the explanation of the parable, drawing attention to Himself as the Sower, the seed as the word of the kingdom, and the differing soils as the variety of ways to hear.

The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus' manifesto for the life of the Kingdom - what becomes of human communities when they come under the empowering reign of King Jesus. As we end our series on Allegiance, we'll look at the main themes of Jesus' sermon, summarizing what allegiance to him and his way looks like for us. If Jesus is the True King of the World, and our allegiance is to him, then our character, values, priorities, and practices ought to align more and more with all he lays out in this sermon!

Jesus says that John the Baptizer is the final prophet in the line of Elijah, a man of deep Kingdom allegiance and profound moral courage in a day of spiritual decay, and of whom Jesus says “there has arisen no one greater.” Which makes Jesus’ next words all the more shocking: “Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” The least in the Kingdom of God — the simplest and humblest of people who knows the Kingly reign of Jesus — has come into a realm of which John could only catch a hazy glimpse!

Elijah’s final work as a prophet is to raise up Elisha, who requests — and receives! — a “double portion” of his spirit. Like Elijah, our mission is not simply to be faithful in our day but also to help others be faithful, who can help others be faithful. This is the pattern we see in Jesus, too, and the command he gave us as his disciples. As we conclude our series in Elijah, we consider what it looks like to replicate, becoming communities that exist to grow, wrap others in, and continue to form disciples.

With one short sentence from Jezebel, Elijah runs for his life. He’s gone from the mountain top of spiritual revival on Mt Carmel to the depth of despair, ready to quit. God meets him in the wilderness and provides a snack and a nap, and he’s enabled to carry on. As he arrives at Horeb, he’s still spiritually uncertain and feeling abandoned by God — but God meets him and gives him fresh direction. Elijah is renewed by time away and time in God’s presence. The gospel assures us of God's unfailing love and grace, which sustains us through every trial and empowers us to overcome fear with faith in Him. When we face fear and discouragement we can find comfort and strength in Jesus, who promises to never leave us nor forsake us.

Elijah prays for the rain to come and... nothing happens. But Elijah persists in prayer until a breakthrough comes. Like Daniel in Babylon, or the widow before the unjust judge, there is a persistence and tenacity in his prayer life. We likewise are called to be consistent and tenacious in our prayers, trusting in God's goodness, and recognizing prayer as an act of war. James says Elijah is a man just like us, and we too can approach the Lord in faith, trusting Him for great things.

In this famous story of Elijah's bold challenge to the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, we learn the importance of confronting idolatry and false gods in our lives and society with unwavering faith in the one true God. In particular, we're looking this week at political idolatry, and the ways in which political partisanship has gained our allegiance, deformed our faith, and tarnished our witness. In Elijah's prayer, we see God's true goal: to have the allegiance and affections of our hearts.

In a surprising twist of events, the widow to whom Elijah was sent finds her son near to death, and blames Elijah! Elijah moves in faith and prayer and puts his life on the line to give life to the widow’s son. How can we go to the places where death is currently reigning, and stretch out like Elijah to bring life and wholeness? How does the gospel empower us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God?

Elijah is called out of "Babylon”, but also sent back in, on mission. God sends him to a widow's house, in weakness and vulnerability. As he steps out in faith, God does a miracle. This isn't a one-off, it's a pattern for how God wants us to live. We're sent into Babylon, on mission, in weakness and vulnerability, and it's in this context that God will supply the bread.

Elijah found himself in the middle of one of the worst national apostasies in Israel’s history and yet was determined to be faithful to YHWH. Elijah is willing to be out of step with his cultural moment in order to be faithful to God and the Covenant He’s made with Israel. And that makes him a Trouble Maker (1 Kings 18:17). In this series, we’ll consider 7 Practices that help anchor our allegiance to Jesus and his Kingdom in the midst of our own cultural moment.

Our study in Hebrews comes to a close with an incredible one-sentence summary of the entire book: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever! Over 13 chapters, the author of Hebrews has shown us the sufficiency and uniqueness of Jesus, urging us to leave behind all the substitutes and distractions, and to press on in faith and obedience. In this Easter message, we celebrate all Jesus has done in history, his personal presence with us today, and his future renewal of all things. Because Jesus alone is "yesterday and today and forever," we can trust him completely and worship him unceasingly!

This Palm Sunday, we look at a savior who entered the holy city, only to leave it again. The shouts of the crowds and the bustle of the elite's religion didn't entice Jesus to stick around. Jesus was compelled by a deep compassion for all people, especially the lost. Jesus was constantly finding his way to the margins. He constantly drifted toward the outsiders on the edges of society. Hebrews 13 tells us that he "suffered outside the gate to sanctify the people through his own blood." Likewise, we should go to him outside the camp, bear the reproach he endured, and there find our hearts encouraged by his grace.

Hebrews 11 is a long list of biblical figures who “by faith” conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, quenched the power of fire, and were tortured unto death. They were made strong out of weakness, because of the one in whom they placed their faith. Hebrews 12 turns the corner and says “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses… let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Chapter 12 is a call to keep our eyes on Jesus, keep our faith in Jesus, and repent of our desire to quit and drop out of the race. We all face hardships, we all struggle with sin, we’re all disciplined by the Lord for our good, and as a result, we’ll all be tempted to quit at some point along the way. The challenge of Hebrews 12 is to repent of that desire to quit: “lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,” consider Jesus and the opposition he faced, consider the great cloud of witnesses around him, and carry on in God’s strength.