Sermon by Jon Ludovina on September 15, 2024.
This week, we look at Mark 9:33-37 and how Jesus redefines greatness for his disciples. So, what does being great in the kingdom of God look like, and how can we experience that now?
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
For this episode, we interview Dr. Jonathan Pennington. Jonathan Pennington is associate professor of New Testament interpretation and director of research doctoral studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as the associate pastor of preaching at Sojourn Church East. He is the author of The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing, Heaven and Earth in the Gospel of Matthew, and Reading the Gospels Wisely.
Timestamps:
3:18 - What were your initial impressions of the Bible?
6:18 - How did you first learn to study the Bible?
9:56 - Why did you decide to pursue seminary and doctoral work?
14:15 - What drew you to write on the Sermon on the Mount?
17:49 - What are the common misconceptions of the Sermon on the Mount?
25:01 - What foundational things to know about the Gospels?
29:16 - Why did you write the book Come and See?
32:57 - Is the point of studying the Bible to put it into practice?
35:33 - What does studying the Bible look like for you now?
37:25 - What’s your favorite Taylor era?
The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing: A Theological Commentary
Reading the Gospels Wisely: A Narrative and Theological Introduction
Jesus the Great Philosopher: Rediscovering the Wisdom Needed for the Good Life
Small Preaching: 25 Little Things You Can Do Now to Make Your Preaching Better
Reading the New Testament as Christian Scripture: A Literary, Canonical, and Theological Survey
“Have You Accepted Jesus as Your Lord and Philosopher?” on The Gospel Coalition
“3 Things You Didn’t Know About the Sermon on the Mount” on The Gospel Coalition
Check out MidtownBiblicalLiteracy.com for videos, book recommendations, and Bible reading plans
Ghosts and Ancestors sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
Ruth sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
Wisdom sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
How Long O LORD series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
The Psalms series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
The Gospels series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
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
Sermon by Jon Ludovina on September 8, 2024.
This week focuses on the story of the rich young ruler from Luke 18:18-29 and how he, though he had nearly everything in this life, couldn’t experience Jesus’ kingdom. So what might be keeping you from experiencing Jesus’ kingdom? What idols might have their hold on you?
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
Sermon by Jake Blair on September 1, 2024.
Jesus’ teaching ministry is summed up in one word: repentance. This week, we look at how this applies to our church family. For example, what happens when people following Jesus sin against each other? What does repentance look like, then? How can we, as part of God’s kingdom, move forward if we’re stuck in bitterness and resentment?
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
Sermon by Adam Gibson on August 25, 2024.
Last week, we talked about repentance. In many ways, repentance opens the door to becoming the beautiful person you ought to be because repentance makes us right with God and allows these words spoken over Jesus to be spoken over us: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
Timestamps:
1:47 - What happened between the Old and New Testaments?
7:42 - How did the Jewish people interpret the Old Testament during those 400 years?
8:00 - The Pharisees
10:26 - The Sadducees
13:50 - The Essenes
15:39 - The Zealots
Check out MidtownBiblicalLiteracy.com for videos, book recommendations, and Bible reading plans
“Jewish Sects During the Time of Jesus” by N.T. Wright (video)
The Complete 100-Book Apocrypha: Expanded 2024 Edition by Covenant Press
Ghosts and Ancestors sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
Ruth sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
Wisdom sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
How Long O LORD series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
The Psalms series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
The Gospels series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
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
Sermon by Adam Gibson on August 18, 2024.
How would you summarize Jesus’ teachings? Depending on who you ask, you’re likely to get different answers. However, Jesus’ summary statement is actually one of his first statements in the Gospels: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
In other words, Jesus’ life and teachings are all about ushering in God’s loving rule and reign on Earth as it is in Heaven. So what might His kingdom look like in our city, and how do we faithfully follow Him in our time and place?
Join us for five weeks as we examine Jesus’ teachings and consider how we can experience more of His kingdom in Columbia as it is in Heaven.
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
Sermon by Jon Ludovina on August 11, 2024.
On our last week in the Psalms, we’re going to look at a Psalm that brings many of the other Psalms together and shows us how to build a rock-solid identity on God. It’s a Psalm that helps us see how to become the kind of people we want to become—the kind of people who know who we are in a way that cannot be shaken.
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
Timestamps:
0:44 - What do we mean when we say “The Writings” of the Old Testament?
2:22 - The Torah: the rise of the kingdom, The Prophets: the fall of the kingdom, The Writings: longing for the kingdom
6:25 - Breaking down each book in The Writings
7:30 - The Psalms
9:52 - Lamentations
10:25 - Daniel
13:31 - Esther
16:47 - Ezra-Nehemiah
17:37 - Chronicles
20:07 - Why do these books matter and what do they ultimately tell us?
Check out MidtownBiblicalLiteracy.com for videos, book recommendations, and Bible reading plans
Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible by Stephen Dempster
Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey by Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer
Ghosts and Ancestors sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
Ruth sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
Wisdom sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
How Long O LORD series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
The Psalms series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
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
Sermon by Jon Ludovina on August 4, 2024.
No matter what the headlines say, Psalm 146 shows us how to have hope that lies beyond our current political landscape—a hope that empowers stable, faithful, and joy-filled living in unstable times.
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
Sermon by Adam Gibson on July 28, 2024.
In our time, there are many competing ideas regarding how we think of children. And yet, Psalm 127 cuts through the noise to offer a vision for thinking about the next generation.
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
Sermon by Ryan Rike on July 21, 2024.
This week, we hear from our care pastor, Ryan Rike, as we examine Psalms 42-43 and learn how to deal with difficult emotions.
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
Sermon by Jake Blair on July 14, 2024.
Good stories captivate and change us, and the Bible does this on a much bigger scale. This week, we’ll explore Psalm 1 and the power Scripture has to transform us.
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
Sermon by Jake Blair on July 7, 2024.
The Psalms are a unique collection in the Old Testament: 150 poems, songs, and prayers covering approximately 1,000 years of Israel’s history. The writers cover everything from hatred to pure joy and nearly everything in between. Some of the language and honesty in the Psalms are shocking–even uncomfortable to hear–because of how unfiltered they come across.
Amidst the raw emotions, the Psalms offer a beacon of hope. They guide us to understand what’s going on in our hearts and how to realign ourselves with reality, offering a path to transformation and spiritual growth.
In this series, we’ll spend six weeks looking at specific chapters as we ask how God wants us to shape us as His people.
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
Sermon by Jon Ludovina on June 30, 2024.
The last chapter of Habakkuk culminates in a song that ties in all the themes we’ve looked at previously. In many ways, this song is a picture of Christian maturity, showcasing confidence in God even in the face of evil, pain, and suffering.
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
Sermon by Ant Frederick on June 23, 2024.
In Habakkuk, we see God doing something seemingly unthinkable - He will use Babylon, a nation more wicked than Judah, to bring justice. But what about Babylon’s sin? Will God just let that injustice happen, or will He step in?
Last week, we started looking at God’s response; this week, we dive into that more.
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
Timestamps:
2:42 - What is the office of the prophet?
11:52 - What is the historical context of the prophetic books?
20:03 - How do we start when it comes to reading these books?
Check out MidtownBiblicalLiteracy.com for videos, book recommendations, and Bible reading plans
Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible by Stephen Dempster
Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey by Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer
Ghosts and Ancestors sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
Ruth sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
Wisdom sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
How Long O LORD series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
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
Sermon by Ant Frederick on June 16, 2024.
As we study the Bible, many Christians notice God doing things that we don't think He should do. Last week, Habakkuk wrestled with how God was allowing evil and injustice to occur in the world around him.
This week, we'll see him wrestle with how God responds to that evil and injustice, and we'll answer the question, "What do I do, when God's actions don't seem to align with His attributes?"
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
Sermon by Jon Ludovina on June 9, 2024.
The prophets are a diverse group of writings. They come from different periods, face different issues, and are written in different genres.
The book of Habakkuk, in particular, speaks to us on our journey to Christian maturity. It mirrors the moments we all encounter—when our understanding of God’s character seems at odds with our current circumstances, when we question God’s plans, and when injustice, both individually and collectively, seems to prevail.
When that happens, what do we do? How do we respond? How can we trust God is still in control of it all? We’ll spend the next four weeks in Habakkuk exploring these questions.
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
Sermon by Jake Blair on June 2, 2024.
As we finish this series, we’ll dive into practically one of the most challenging areas to live with biblical wisdom. The Scriptures will call at times a source of healing and blessing and at other times a “raging fire” and a “restless evil” — our words.
This series is part of our Year of Biblical Literacy initiative.
