WISDOM | Wisdom and Sex | May 5

SUNDAY

SERMON

Year of

Biblical Literacy

Sermon by Brandon Clements on May 5, 2024.

This week, we discuss Proverbs 5 and 7, one of the most comprehensive sections of Scripture regarding the biblical vision for sex. It’s one of the few subjects that Solomon devotes extended airtime to in the book of Proverbs. What is its purpose? What does God intend for sex to accomplish? How are we to think about it?

For parents, as a reminder, Kidtown is available for 3rd grade and under. If you are uncomfortable having your preteen in the Gathering they are welcome to serve in Kidtown this week.

This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.

WISDOM | Wisdom and Wealth | April 28

SUNDAY

SERMON

Year of

Biblical Literacy

Sermon by Michael Bailey on April 28, 2024.

The Bible is deeply aware of life's complexities and difficulties. This reality requires us to think well and wisely. Who we are and what we do shape the trajectory and person we become. Money is no exception. This week, we explore what the wisdom literature says about money.

This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.

Year of Biblical Literacy | The Historical Books and Former Prophets of the Old Testament

Timestamps:

1:21 - What do we mean by the “history books” of the Old Testament?

11:28—What does Deuteronomy have to do with these books? And what is the overall message of the History/Former Prophets?

16:35 - How does the book of Joshua fit into the History/Former Prophets?

18:00 - How does the book of Judges fit into the History/Former Prophets?

20:25 - How does the book of Samuel fit into the History/Former Prophets?

23:38 - How does the book of Kings fit into the History/Former Prophets?

28:07 - Why do the History/Former Prophets matter within the scope of the Bible?

Resources

Sermons

Ghosts and Ancestors: Torah Stories sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch

Ruth sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch

Text-in questions

Throughout the year, we want to know the concepts and passages you wrestle with. We'll answer some of these questions in podcast episodes throughout the year.

To submit your topic or question, text either "DOWNTOWN", “LEXINGTON”, OR “TWO NOTCH” followed by your topic to 855-855-0655.

Music by Levvy and Midtown Music

Find out more at Weird Tower Collective

WISDOM | Wisdom and Pride | April 21

SUNDAY

SERMON

Year of

Biblical Literacy

Sermon by Brandon Clements on April 21, 2024.

This week, we discuss something that has the power to destroy your life and keep you from becoming a wise person: pride. Thankfully, the book of Proverbs offers us a framework to think about pride’s destructive nature and, ultimately, its solution.

This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.

WISDOM | Wisdom and Decision-Making | April 14

SUNDAY

SERMON

Year of

Biblical Literacy

Sermon by Michael Bailey on April 14, 2024.

Last week we began exploring what it means to be a person of wisdom. This week we look at Proverbs 16:1-3 and ask ourselves, how exactly do we make wise decisions and what resources does God give us to become these sorts of people?

This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.

WISDOM | Wisdom and the Fear of the LORD | April 7

SUNDAY

SERMON

Year of

Biblical Literacy

Sermon by Brandon Clements on April 7, 2024.

How do we become people who build our lives on God’s wisdom rather than ruining them? How do we navigate life and all its complexities? How do we make sense of death and suffering? How about friendships, wealth, and decision-making? What about sex and marriage? 

These questions are where the Old Testament’s wisdom books come in. Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs depict how to navigate life’s complexity. Through poetry and narrative, the Bible shows us following Jesus is more than just acquiring knowledge. It’s about seeing reality the way God sees it and learning how to live within it—in short, it’s about becoming a person of wisdom. And the book of Proverbs is clear: wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord.

This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.

Stand-Alone | Easter 2024 | March 31

Sermon by Brandon Clements on March 31, 2024.

From Luke 24:1-9 we looked at the resurrection of Jesus through the eyes of a few women who loved and followed him, even to his tomb. The question the angel asked  them still rings today: "Why do you seek the living among the dead?"

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Ruth | The Story Behind the Story | March 24

SUNDAY

SERMON

Year of

Biblical Literacy

Sermon by Michael Bailey on March 24, 2024.

As we conclude the book of Ruth, we find out there’s more to the story. It’s not just about God’s faithfulness to Ruth and Naomi but about God’s faithfulness to His people throughout all time.

This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.

Ruth | The Risk of Hope | March 17

SUNDAY

SERMON

Year of

Biblical Literacy

Sermon by Michael Bailey on March 17, 2024.

Last week in Ruth 2, we were introduced to a new character: Boaz, Ruth’s "kinsman redeemer." In chapter 3, we’ll see the risk Ruth takes to make sure God provides for her and Naomi.

This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.

Year of Biblical Literacy | A Deep Dive on Leviticus with Dr. Jay Sklar

For this episode, we interviewed Dr. Jay Sklar. Jay Sklar is vice president of academics and professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary. He has written commentaries on Numbers and Exodus (forthcoming with Crossway), and two on Leviticus (TOTC and ZECOT). He has also published a website of resources to help those preaching or teaching in Genesis through Deuteronomy.

Timestamps:

2:22 - What were your initial impressions of the Bible?

6:24 - Why did you decide to pursue doctoral work in the Old Testament?

9:08 - Why did you decide to specialize in Leviticus?

10:12 - How would you broadly summarize Leviticus?

11:59 - What makes Leviticus so tricky to understand?

17:35 - How do we make sense of impurity laws?

28:42 - Is the Day of Atonement really the centerpiece of understanding Leviticus and the Torah?

33:22 - How do we understand Leviticus in light of the New Testament?

37:24 - If Jesus fulfilled Leviticus, why should we even bother reading it?

40:32 - How do we extrapolate and practice the wisdom principles from the commands in Leviticus?

43:15 - What does abiding with Jesus in Scripture and prayer look like for you?

Resources

Sermons

Ghosts and Ancestors: Torah Stories sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch

Ruth sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch

Text-in questions

Throughout the year, we want to know the concepts and passages you wrestle with. We'll answer some of these questions in podcast episodes throughout the year.

To submit your topic or question, text either "DOWNTOWN", “LEXINGTON”, OR “TWO NOTCH” followed by your topic to 855-855-0655.

Music by Levvy and Midtown Music

Find out more at Weird Tower Collective

Ruth | God’s Faithfulness in Your Faithfulness | March 10

SUNDAY

SERMON

Year of

Biblical Literacy

Sermon by Brandon Clements on March 10, 2024.

Last week, we looked at Ruth chapter 1 and how, in roughly ten years, Naomi’s dreams of a better life are ruined. Chapter one then implicitly asks the reader, “How will God provide?” In chapter 2, we’ll see God’s invisible hand at work through seemingly ordinary faithfulness.

This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.

Ruth | Compromise, Bitterness, or Faithfulness? | March 3

SUNDAY

SERMON

Year of

Biblical Literacy

Sermon by Michael Bailey on March 3, 2024.

Stories have the power to move us. They have the ability to affect us like facts, and bullet points can’t. A good story doesn’t leave us where it found us. That is especially true of biblical stories.

Over the next four weeks, we will journey into the true story of Ruth. Ruth is a story with ups and downs, conflict and loss, joy and laughter. There are compelling characters who we are meant to learn from both in good and bad.

It’s in this story that we are faced with a question we must all ask in our lives at one point or another, will we entrust ourselves to a sovereign and faithful God?

This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.

Ghosts & Ancestors | Joseph | February 25

SUNDAY

SERMON

Year of

Biblical Literacy

Sermon by Brandon Clements on February 25, 2024.

If you knew God was with you no matter what, what do you think your life look like? As we’ll see in our final week of the series, Joseph goes through pain, suffering, and exile, yet the Bible says, “The LORD was with him.”

Ghosts & Ancestors | Aaron | February 18

SUNDAY

SERMON

Year of

Biblical Literacy

Sermon by Michael Bailey on February 18, 2024.

This week, we look at Exodus 32: God's people have left Egypt, but as we'll see, there's still a lot of "Egypt" left in God's people. So, how can we faithfully follow Jesus when external and internal pressures compel us to make God in our image?

Year of Biblical Literacy | A Deep Dive on the Torah with Dr. Gary Schnittjer

For this episode, we interviewed Dr. Gary Schnittjer. Gary Edward Schnittjer (PhD, Dallas Theological Seminary) is distinguished professor of Old Testament in the School of Divinity at Cairn University in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and author of Old Testament Use of Old Testament (Zondervan Academic, 2021), Torah Story, 2nd edition (Zondervan Academic, 2023), and Old Testament Narrative Books: The Israel Story (B&H Academic, 2023).

Timestamps:

8:20 - What were your initial impressions of the Bible and what changed?

11:44 - What made you want to pursue PhD work in the Old Testament?

16:10 - Why did you want to write a textbook on the Torah?

20:06 - What do you think people have to know about the Bible before reading it? How does the Torah fit into it?

26:36 - How exactly does the gospel begin in the Old Testament?

30:34 - How do we read Old Testament narratives?

38:18 - How do we think about the biblical laws?

40:09 - What have been helpful Bible reading practices and resources for you?

Resources

Sermons

Ghosts and Ancestors sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch

Text-in questions

Throughout the year, we want to know the concepts and passages you wrestle with. We'll answer some of these questions in podcast episodes throughout the year.

To submit your topic or question, text either "DOWNTOWN", “LEXINGTON”, OR “TWO NOTCH” followed by your topic to 855-855-0655.

Music by Levvy and Midtown Music

Find out more at Weird Tower Collective

Ghosts & Ancestors | Moses | February 11

SUNDAY

SERMON

Year of

Biblical Literacy

Sermon by Michael Bailey on February 11, 2024.

This week, we study one of the most prominent characters in the Torah: Moses. In Exodus 3, we'll see how Moses' commissioning raises many doubts and objections and how God replies in a way we may not expect.

Year of Biblical Literacy | Torah and The Story of Everything

Timestamps:

2:35 - What does the word “Torah” mean and what’s its purpose?

7:45 - How do we read the Torah as a unit?

11:55 - Breaking down the Torah book by book

12:31 - How Genesis fits into Torah

13:32 - How Exodus fits into Torah

16:11 - How Leviticus fits into Torah

22:24 - How Numbers fits into Torah

26:40 - How Deuteronomy fits in Torah

30:52 - What are the main themes of the Torah and how does it point us to Jesus?

32:05 - Tool one: Biblical Theology

36:15 - Tool two: Typology

Resources

Sermons

Ghosts and Ancestors sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch

Text-in questions

Throughout the year, we want to know the concepts and passages you wrestle with. We'll answer some of these questions in podcast episodes throughout the year.

To submit your topic or question, text either "DOWNTOWN", “LEXINGTON”, OR “TWO NOTCH” followed by your topic to 855-855-0655.

Music by Levvy and Midtown Music

Find out more at Weird Tower Collective

Ghosts & Ancestors | Leah | February 4

SUNDAY

SERMON

Year of

Biblical Literacy

Sermon by Brandon Clements on February 4, 2024.

This week, we examine an oft-overlooked ancestor in the Torah, Leah. As we'll see in Genesis 29, Leah teaches us something profound about viewing reality outside of one's circumstances.

Year of Biblical Literacy | So What is the Old Testament About….Really?

Timestamps:

1:40 - Why does the Old Testament even matter?

8:22 - Ok, but what is the Old Testament about?

10:48 - What about the Christian vs the Hebrew order of the Old Testament?

19:15 - What makes reading the Old Testament so difficult?

 28:25 - How do I start reading the Old Testament?

Resources

Sermons

Ghosts and Ancestors sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch

Text-in questions

Throughout the year, we want to know the concepts and passages you wrestle with. We'll answer some of these questions in podcast episodes throughout the year.

To submit your topic or question, text either "DOWNTOWN", “LEXINGTON”, OR “TWO NOTCH” followed by your topic to 855-855-0655.

Music by Levvy and Midtown Music

Find out more at Weird Tower Collective

Ghosts & Ancestors | Jacob | January 28

SUNDAY

SERMON

Year of

Biblical Literacy

Sermon by Michael Bailey on January 28, 2024.

This week, we look at Jacob and the question that seems to haunt his life: “Who am I?” As we’ll see in Genesis 32, God answers that question in a surprising way.