Kaleo Church Podcast

The LORD God will save a people for himself through his chosen Messiah Son and so we put our faith in him alone to save us from all that we have broken.

G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “Your life would be so much bigger if your self was smaller in it.” Here in I Corinthians 13 Paul beckons us to leave our own little worlds behind and embrace a life that desires and delights in the good of others. In this message we will consider the dangers of pride and all that our God has done to rescue us from it and set us free to enjoy a life of humble love.

Have you ever had someone tell you about something really good in their life, but for some reason you didn’t feel very happy about it? Envy is the distress that we feel over someone else’s success and it is something that all of us deal with. However, most of us are better at seeing envy in others than we are in ourselves. In this message we will look at the ways that envy often disguises itself as a desire for justice and we will consider some helpful ways to fight against it.

What is Love? In this message we will consider two attributes that Paul believes are absolutely vital to love. Love is patient and love is kind. While all of us are familiar with these words, we will be taking a closer look at what they really mean as well as considering why we sometimes find them so difficult to live out. We will also consider some of the ways that our God has been patient and kind to us.

How do love and sacrifice go together? Is it possible to love without sacrifice? What about sacrificing without love? If sacrifice is necessary to love, then how can we know for certain that it will be worth it? These are a few of the questions we will address in I Corinthians 13:3.

      As hard as you and I may try to use our unique giftedness in order to find our significance, the reality is that no one has ever truly found the significance they craved through the exercise of their gifts. No one, ever. In I Corinthians 13:1-2 Paul tells us why it is that we will never find the significance we crave through the exercise of our gifts but he also goes on to tell us the surprising place that it can be found. That is what this message is about. 

As we look deeper into this reality that we are all given individual gifts but function as one body, we must figure out how to avoid pride and envy, boasting and jealousy as we live together as the family of God. Listen and hear how the cost to Christ to give us these gifts actually unifies us in his own goal and purpose of giving his body these gifts.

      As a church how are we supposed to view those who are different from us? Do we conform in order to try and fit in? Do we divide in order to find people who are more like us? Do we compare and compete or do we simply try and ignore our differences in order to avoid conflict? In I Corinthians 12 Paul uses the analogy of the body to show us a better way to deal with our differences. 

How can you tell if the Holy Spirit is present at a gathering or even in your own life? Are there certain spiritual gifts that prove the presence of the Spirit? Are there things that should cause us to wonder if he is present? In I Corinthians 12:1-7 Paul lays out some criteria for discerning a true manifestation of the Holy Spirit. He also lays out a few basic truths about the Spiritual gifts that he doesn’t want the Corinthians to be confused about. While there are still a lot of things that Paul has yet to explain in this message we will try and lay out a few of the things that Paul wants to make very clear about the gifts of the Spirit. 

Every week we gather together as a church family and one of the things we do when we get together is we receive the Lord’s Supper or sometimes we call it communion. But why do we take the Lord’s Supper? What does it mean? What actually happens when we take it? And who exactly is it for? And of course there are lots of different ways that people take communion so why exactly do we do communion the way we do? Well these are some really good questions and tonight we will seek to answer them from I Corinthians 11.

We live in a culture of gender confusion. How many genders are there? Does your biological sex determine your gender? How important is it to maintain gender distinctions and what are you supposed to do if there is an incongruence between your biological sex and your internal sense of self. In I Corinthian 11 Paul answers some of these questions for us. However, even after we answer these questions, we still need to figure out how we are supposed to treat those who see things differently. We will end the sermon by considering that question.

 What do we do with the pieces of our life that don’t seem to fit together with what we believe about God? What do we do when something we feel deeply seems to contradict what we have been taught about God? What do we do with our “Why’s”? In Psalm 22 we see David wrestling between the way that he feels and the things that he believes about God. In this passage he will guide us on what to do with our unanswered questions.

In the Transfiguration God pulls back the curtain just a little bit to give us a glimpse of who Jesus is so that we can have confidence through life’s often difficult pilgrimage that he will satisfy and exceed all our greatest expectations. Jesus is the Lord of Glory, the living God who comes to save his people in the most inconceivable way – by laying aside his glory and ultimately by laying down his very life to save sinners.

How do you continue to follow God when you lose someone who has faithfully taught you what he is like? That is the question Elisha finds himself facing in II Kings 2. Knowing that Elijah is about to be taken up to heaven Elisha is faced with the difficult prospect of going on without him. However, before he leaves Elijah gives Elisha the chance to make one last request of him. What would he ask for? What would you have asked for? Will Elisha get his final request answered? These are some of the questions we will look at in II Kings 2.

Throughout the Bible, fire is often synonymous with God's presence. In this passage, we read of God sending fire on some people in judgment, while not sending it on others. Listen and hear how the Gospel transforms the fire of God from something consuming into something redemptive.

What will keep us faithful like Naboth when opposition arises or suffering comes? Future rewards alone will not be enough for us to persevere as sojourners in a hostile world if we have not and are not tasting the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior through an active fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is with us and for us in the midst of suffering. Your suffering with Christ is never meaningless. Your suffering is always an opportunity to draw near to Jesus as he draws near to you.  

What makes you sorrowful? In this passage we learn of a prophet so saddened by God's name not being worshipped that he wishes he could die. Listen and hear how God's character is meant to move people from darkness to light and how the Gospel is about God's character putting on a face. 

Many times it is easy for us to pray when we are in need. But what about when we already believe what God has promised? Why pray if we know God will do what he has promised to do. In this sermon we will learn from Elijah that the evidence of humility are prayers of desperation, no matter what the situation. Listen and hear how Elijah is a sign pointing towards the one who prayed the most humble prayers of desperation...for us.

The LORD’s triumph over Baal is really a triumph over the human heart – a heart that is set againstGod – mute, blind, deaf and dead to the love and truth of God. On Mount Carmel the righteous judgment of God came down from heaven, but it came in a way that not only demonstrated his power but in a surprising way that poured out grace upon his enemies. As Elijah intercedes for the people before God, we find that the LORD is a God who turns hearts back to himself. The love, grace, and atonement found in Jesus Christ alone is foreshadowed in this triumphant victory of the LORD over Baal and over human rebellion as he grants salvation through judgment.

In this sermon, we see Elijah confronting Israel and its leaders for limping between different gods. In a pluralistic culture like ours, having multiple opinions and not being dogmatic is seen as a virtue. Listen and hear why it is so important to get right who the Lord is and what he has done.