There are a lot of similarities between last week’s passage and this week’s passage. In last week’s passage, Jesus called disciples. In this week’s passage, Jesus called disciples.

The similarities are even closer when you consider the fact that both passages have one disciple tell another about Jesus. Andrew told Peter about Jesus. Here we read that Philip tells Nathanael about Jesus.

This past Sunday while Pastor Jake was away, we had the privilege of hearing Rev. Doug Hart preach on John 1:35-42.

I’d be willing to bet that all of us have some degree of guilt and shame over things we’ve done in our past. Have you ever just been laying there in bed, trying to fall asleep when all of sudden one of your worst moments floods your mind? And you’re just laying there thinking to yourself, why did I do that? Why did I say that? Why didn’t I do x, y, or z? We all have regrets.

The internet is full of advice on how to deal with guilt and shame. I just randomly picked three. Here are three ways to deal with guilt and shame.

Originally college wasn’t intended to be a time to figure out your purpose in life. But in many ways, that’s what it has become. It’s become a season to figure out what you want to do with your life. Apparently there was a point in time where folks went to college knowing exactly what they wanted to do. What was that like?

But a lot of people even go to school thinking they want to do one thing only to later learn they made the wrong decision. And many folks end up doing something that has nothing to do with the degree they earned.

People change their minds a lot because they doubt what they’re doing. Who can’t relate to that? Even people who have done the same thing their whole lives have to go through a season of doubt. We all wonder from time to time, “am I doing the right thing?” “Is this what I’m supposed to be doing with my life?”

The first book we’re going to look through together is the gospel of John. The gospel of John is probably the most well-known gospel. Not only that, but the Apostle John is very explicit in his purpose. John says that he wrote it in chapter 20 so “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Direct. Clear. Simple. That’s where I want this body to begin - with the gospel. I want all of us to have a clear understanding of the good news of Jesus Christ.

And so, I’m excited to get started in the book of John. Just so you know, we’re going to be in John for the next several years. This will probably be a two to three year project. But let’s continue to pray that the Lord will bless each of us through it.

There are so many cliches that tell you and me how to live our lives: “Carpe diem.” “Live life to the fullest.” “Make the most of every moment.”

These cliches assume that this life is all we have and therefore we must squeeze every drop out of it. All there is, is the here and now, so you better make the most of it. Seek all the pleasure you can find. Accumulate all the wealth you can.

But Jesus gives us a very different perspective.

One of the challenges of work, often, isn't the work itself. It’s prioritizing the right tasks. Task triage is always harder than the tasks themselves. It’s true for our careers, our personal lives, and the church as well.

Acts 2:42-47 is such a beautiful passage because it encourages and reminds the people of God to put first things first. To continue to prioritize the right things.

For the first six weeks in January, I’ve been preaching through the Psalms of Ascent at the Sunday evening worship services at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Roanoke.

This sermon is the last from the series. You can listen to previous sermons here.

For the first six weeks in January, I’ve been preaching through the Psalms of Ascent at the Sunday evening worship services at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Roanoke.

This sermon is the fourth from the series. You can listen to previous sermons here.

For the first six weeks in January, I’ve been preaching through the Psalms of Ascent at the Sunday evening worship services at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Roanoke.

This sermon is the third from the series. You can listen to previous sermons here.

For the first six weeks in January, I’ve been preaching through the Psalms of Ascent at the Sunday evening worship services at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Roanoke.

This sermon is the second from this series, but the first one recorded.