Munger Place Church - Dallas, Texas

The most basic lesson I learned in Israel was something that everyone used to know but that we in the West have forgotten: we are more than intellect alone. Here are some ways to put your whole self into God’s world. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Matthew 6:6, Mark 1:35

Being at the Sea of Galilee and seeing where Jesus lived and worked has made me more confident in the claims of the Church. Scripture: Matthew 8:23-28

The richest man in the world is getting divorced.  See, there are some problems that money can’t fix; our deepest problems are spiritual problems. Scripture: Matthew 9:1-8

Jesus says there are 2 kinds of people: those who will survive life’s storms, and those who are destroyed by them. Here’s how to become a survivor. The Sermon on the Mount is the practical advice that Jesus gives on how to live in the reality of God’s Kingdom in such a way that it would be the equivalent of building a house’s foundation right into the bedrock. In this sermon we walk through the whole Sermon on the Mount to show how what Jesus said can actually be useful advice we can put into practice. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Matthew 7:13-29, and then Matthew 4:17-7:12. References: "The Sand Palace of Mexico Beac that Survived Hurricane Michael" https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/14/us/hurricane-michael-florida-mexico-beach-house.html

I can't stand hypocrisy, and I bet you feel the same way. THAT'S BAD NEWS, BECAUSE HYPOCRISY IS EVERYWHERE THESE DAYS. There may or may not actually be not be more hypocrisy than ever before—human nature doesn’t change, and how would you measure than anyway—but what I do know is that more than ever we are aware of hypocrisy. The Internet has made public what would before have been private or secret, and it has made that information available to anyone anywhere. So, you are going to encounter lots of hypocrisy in 2019. If you are going to have a great year, you are going to need to learn how to handle the hypocrisy you see everywhere. This is week #2 of our Best Year Ever* sermon series, and I want to give some tips on what to do when you encounter hypocrisy in politics, family, and the church. *Or at least a pretty good one. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5

There is ONE THING anyone can immediately do to make the year to come a better year. This ONE THING is the opposite of another thing that nearly everybody does these days—PLEASE STOP DOING THAT OTHER THING! The secret is to take Jesus…literally. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34

What would the world be like if Christmas never happened?

Sooner or later, everyone comes up against a circumstance he or she can’t change. Sooner or later there is a disease or a divorce or a death that you have to live with. The Good News? Christmas is about living within these sorts of limits. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Luke 2:1-12, John 20:5-7 “Reference: For what it means is this, among other things: that for whatever reason God chose to make man as he is—limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death—he [God] had the honesty and courage to take his own medicine. Whatever game he is playing with his creation, he has kept his own rules and played fair. He can exact nothing from man that he has not exacted from himself. He has himself gone through the whole of human experience, from the trivial irritations of family life and the cramping restrictions of hard work and lack of money to the worst horrors of pain and humiliation, defeat, despair, and death. When he was a man, he played the man. He was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought

What’s at stake if you say, “Yes”? You have a free choice to say yes or no, but saying yes will open a door and make a way forward that won’t come any other way. Mary was free to refuse the angel’s message, but her courageous agreement made the miracle possible. What might be possible in your life? What hangs in the balance? Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Luke 1:26-38 Reference: Here is the letter that Pastor Wang Yi wrote and asked to be made public if he didn’t return from prison. https://stream.org/letter-detained-chinese-pastor-wang-yi-anticipating-arrest/

What do you know when you don’t know what to do? When it seems all you have is bad options, how do you make a decision? The Christmas story offers a way. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25  

Gratitude Doesn’t Depend On Your Circumstances We think that if things are going well, we’ll be grateful. But that isn’t true. Here’s the good news: gratitude doesn’t depend on your circumstances. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I did a Google search for “How to Be a Better Lover.” You wouldn’t believe the results I got! Since the internet was no help, I’ve come up with my own list: here are my 5 steps that are GUARANTEED to make you into a better lover. (Seriously.) Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4

We’ve been talking about love—how it isn’t sappy or sentimental, isn’t primarily about romance at all—and what it’s really like. Love costs. Love is hard. So here’s what I’ve been wondering all week: Why would anyone CHOOSE the way of love? If it’s so costly, what is the point? Here’s my answer. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11

When he was 18 months old, my son dislocated his elbow. I’ve reflected back on that episode many times over the years, and it’s taught me a lot about love. See, love is not sloppy sentimentality; to love is to will the good of the other. Love has a hard edge to it. It hurts. And I’ve decided that to love means to be willing to be misunderstood. Let’s talk about it. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:4; 7:8-9

We’re kicking off a new sermon series on love by looking at a totally easy topic: politics! Here’s the question: what does it mean to love the people who are wrong? Imagine you were 100% correct in your political views: What would be your responsibility toward your opponents then? Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13 Reference: I found this article on C.S. Lewis, politics, and friendship to be helpful: https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2018/10/45852/  

What if you could flip the script on how you are supposed to react to bad things in your life? Most people are grateful when things are good and anxious when things are bad—what if you were thankful no matter what? What if you could flip all of your current pains into praises? Occasion: MungerFest 2018 (our 8th birthday) Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Romans 5:3-5

“You Can't Win the Lottery If You Don't Buy the Ticket*” *Let the record show that I’m not actually in favor of gambling in any form, but it really is true: you can’t win if you don’t play, right? Sometimes the most important thing is just the first thing. Take the first step, and let the Lord take care of the next steps. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Acts 8:26-40

What do we do with the people we’re afraid of? Go first. Acts: 9:1-19 Preacher: Andrew Forrest References: The Simpsons: https://youtu.be/-4MfVzpBXl0?t=1m

"He was a teacher and miracle worker who spent nearly all of his brief ministry in the tiny and obscure province of Galilee, often preaching to outdoor gatherings. A few listeners took up his invitation to follow him, and a dozen or so became his devoted disciples, but when he was executed by the Romans his followers probably numbered no more than several hundred. How was it possible for this obscure Jewish sect to become the largest religion in the world?"
        
    --Rodney Stark, from The Triumph of Christianity
 There are three simple words that provide part of the answer to Rodney Stark’s excellent question. (They are neither “I love you” nor “I am sorry.”) Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Here’s the truth: It’s easy to see other peoples’ blind spots, and hard to see your own. We each have things in our lives that should be SO OBVIOUS and yet, even though they are RIGHT IN FRONT OF US, we are blind to them.  We overlook them. In our Son of Man series, we’ve been talking a lot about fear and faith. If Jesus is who he says he is, then it means we have nothing to fear. But the truth is many of us struggle with faith—how can we know for sure that this stuff happened? There is something that we don’t see we don’t see that’s keeping up from trusting God. This week, we are wrapping up the Son of Man series by looking at one particular and pervasive thing that throws up a barrier to faith. If we could get over this barrier, then we’d have more confidence in the Lord. And less fear in our lives. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Luke 24:13-35