Gospel for life with Nathaniel Timmermann

Real Christmas: The manger shows our lack

For Christmas to be real for you and me, we have to see we lack. We might want all kinds of things. But the fact that God sent his Son, not a pot of money, not a new set of laws, and not a new family, means that we don’t just want all kinds of things. We need something that we have no idea what it is. Real Christmas means you say I lack. I lack and only God can give what I need. A sermon on December 1, 2024 based on 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Thankful for you

It can be easy to be thankful for the good and easy people in our lives. Most of us have to plenty of project people - imperfect people who we work and live with. Can we be thankful for them too? Sermon on November 27, 2024 for Thanksgiving 2024

Forever: A difference

There's 8 billion people on this planet, and he is calling each of them to himself in his own way, there's been many billions more in the history of all humanity. God has not forgotten each of them, either. He makes a difference in their life, just as he did in Abraham and in Noah and in Isaac and in Jacob and in David and in Solomon and Saul and Elijah and Elisha and Peter and Andrew and James and John and Paul and Augustine and Martin Luther and Calvin and John Wesley. And in you and in me, he's the God who makes a difference for all eternity. I pray that he would be your God. A sermon on November 24, 2024 on Revelation 22:1-5

Forever: Shine

Whether we know it or not, recognize it or not, we want to be right. We are desperate to be right. We are eager for the day when we will be right forever and shine. A sermon on November 17th, 2024

Forever: Happy

Do I actually want to go to heaven? For so many people, heaven doesn't actually seem like a good place to be. We have to learn to long for a distant country that we've never been to and have no idea what it is like. If it is a great place, you can learn to like it. Sermon on Isaiah 35:1-10 on November 10th, 2024

The ruled can rule

We need to know that the real path to ruling is the one who came to serve. We will place ourselves beneath others because there is a throne waiting for us.  We need to be prepared for that throne someday. The only way to be shaped and made into that person who can sit and rule on that throne is that we are ruled today.  A sermon on Revelation 20:4-6. 

Restore to Reform

Although we are really good at restoring certain things like cars, generally we struggle to restore things in life. We are much better at tearing things down. This is part of our cultural moment. A better way is to realize that to restore things will mean to reform them into something new and often better. A sermon on Galatians 6:1-10 for Reformation 2024, October 27, 2024

You have a call from a king. You have a vocation.

Whatever job or work we do, we can't just do kingdom work some of the time or part time. We have a high and holy calling. We have a vocation to help fight sin. A sermon on Mark 10:32-45 on October 20th 2024

Marriage and families, for most people, are the path to flourishing

I've seen plenty of examples of the destructive effect of marriage. Nevertheless, God says and shows that marriage is the path to flourishing, for most people. A sermon on genesis 2:18-25 on October 13.

Loved: pastor and people

Every believer should work for the good of neighbor. Through the work of Jesus, we have been made priests of God. That doesn't minimize or eliminate the work of pastors. We benefit each other when we work together in love. Sermon on September 29th, 2024.