St. Moses Church

St. Moses Church

Sermons at St. Moses Church in Baltimore, Maryland.

  1. 1h ago

    First Love: Fighting for our First Love

    This lecture focuses on Revelation 2:1–7, the message to the church in Ephesus. Jesus commends the church for hard work, endurance, doctrinal discernment, and for rejecting false apostles and the evil practices of the Nicolaitans. The central concern is that the Ephesians have abandoned their first love. The speaker explains that the passage warns against a faith where service and orthodoxy remain, but love for Christ and others has cooled. The sermon then emphasizes Jesus’ call to remember, repent, and return. Believers are urged to remember their former closeness to Christ, repent of divided affections and spiritual drift, and return to the works they did at first, now rooted in love rather than duty. The speaker also connects this passage to the question Jesus asks Peter: “Do you love me?” He argues that Christianity is not mainly about performance, but about delighting in the Lord, with good works flowing from love. The lecture closes with practical suggestions: set aside time to remember one’s story, identify competing affections, confess spiritual drift, and return to practices that cultivate communion with Jesus.

    40 min

  2. 6d ago

    Ruth: Ruth Ch 4

    This lecture concludes the book of Ruth by describing Boaz’s meeting with the nearer relative at the city gate. Boaz raises the issue of Naomi’s land, and the relative initially agrees to redeem it. When Boaz explains that this also requires marrying Ruth so that the family line can continue, the relative declines, saying it would endanger his own estate. Boaz then publicly accepts the role of family guardian before the witnesses at the gate. The elders bless Ruth, comparing her to Rachel, Leah, and Tamar, and welcoming her fully into the community. The sermon emphasizes that Ruth is no longer identified as an outsider but is incorporated into Israel. The final scene focuses on Naomi and the birth of Ruth’s son, Obed. The townspeople celebrate with Naomi, and the sermon describes her caring for the child as a guardian or foster mother. Naomi’s earlier bitterness is contrasted with this restoration, and the child’s name is noted as significant. The lecture then develops two themes: God as restorer and God as the one who incorporates people into his larger story. Restoration is described as something that exceeds the original, and the sermon connects this idea to Scripture, human longing, and the book’s ending in the genealogy of David. The final section argues that meaning is found not through self-made legacy but through sacrificial service. Ruth and Boaz are presented as examples of being brought into God’s people through other-centered love, which is ultimately connected to Jesus, whose own self-giving death makes incorporation into God’s family possible.

    38 min

  3. Jun 22

    Ruth: Ruth Ch 3

    In this lecture, the speaker begins by using a recent boat rescue video as an illustration of risk and sacrifice for others. He then introduces the book of Ruth and frames the chapter around the question of how far biblical love goes in seeking another person’s good. The sermon reviews the situation of Naomi and Ruth. Naomi, once bereaved and empty, is now concerned for Ruth’s future in Bethlehem. Ruth has been providing for Naomi through her work in the harvest, and the speaker emphasizes that each woman is acting with concern for the other. The main focus is Naomi’s plan for Ruth to seek security through Boaz. The speaker describes the threshing floor scene as intentionally tense and ambiguous, and explains the cultural setting in which Ruth goes at night, uncovers Boaz’s feet, and waits for his response. Ruth then asks Boaz to “spread the corner” of his covering over her, which the speaker interprets as a request for marriage and for him to act as family guardian or redeemer. He explains this role as including responsibilities such as protecting family property, settling debts, securing marriages, and defending relatives. Boaz responds positively, though he notes that another relative has the first claim. He praises Ruth’s character, agrees to act, and sends her away with a large amount of grain so Naomi and Ruth will have food while matters are settled. The sermon concludes by connecting the story to Christian teaching on other-centered love. The speaker says biblical love risks reputation and sacrifice for others, and points to Jesus as the ultimate example of this kind of self-giving rescue and reconciliation.

    40 min

  4. Jun 17

    Ruth: Ruth Ch 2

    This lecture continues a teaching on the Book of Ruth by explaining where Ruth sits in the Christian Old Testament and in the Hebrew Scriptures. The speaker says both placements are meaningful: the Christian order links Ruth to the time of the judges and the rise of monarchy, while the Hebrew order places it among writings that reflect on life while God’s people are not yet home. The sermon focuses on two perspectives: people who are on the move, like Naomi and Ruth returning from Moab, and people who are established in the land, like Boaz. These two viewpoints frame the question of how God’s people should live in exile, or in a place that is not their final home. Chapter 2 is then introduced through Naomi and Ruth’s poverty and vulnerability. Ruth goes out to glean grain in the harvest field, a practice supported by Old Testament law that provided for foreigners, widows, and the poor. The speaker emphasizes that this law shows God’s care for those on the margins. The narrative is described as full of providential “just so happened” moments. Ruth ends up in Boaz’s field, and Boaz arrives at just the right time. This leads to a discussion of God’s sovereignty and providence, meaning that God has rightful rule over creation and is involved in events, even when they appear ordinary. The lecture also addresses suffering and the difficulty of understanding evil under God’s rule. It says the Bible does not explain everything, but it does call for two faithful responses: lament in times of pain and gratitude in times of provision. Naomi’s grief in chapter 1 is contrasted with her blessing in chapter 2. Boaz is then shown acting with unusual generosity toward Ruth. He protects her, allows her to glean, invites her to eat with his workers, and instructs his servants to leave extra grain for her. The speaker presents this as a model of kindness toward a vulnerable foreign widow. The sermon closes by connecting Boaz’s actions to Jesus, who brings outsiders near. It also links the passage to the present-day reality of global displacement and encourages attention to refugees and other vulnerable people, including through World Relief Baltimore.

    51 min

  5. Jun 8

    Windswept: Spirit-filled Living

    In this lecture, Sam introduces the closing message in a short series on the Holy Spirit using Galatians 5:22–24, which describes the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He explains the fruit of the Spirit as evidence of something unseen, comparing it to a pinwheel moved by wind and to other invisible realities such as gravity, electricity, sound, thoughts, and emotions. In each case, the effects are observable even when the source is not directly seen. Sam then places the passage in the context of Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia, noting that the church had serious problems. He highlights Paul’s warnings against conceit, provoking one another, and jealousy, and connects these behaviors to life that is not led by the Spirit. He emphasizes that the fruit of the Spirit is a single picture of Christian character, not separate achievements to collect one by one. Each trait shapes the whole profile of a life led by the Spirit, and Paul’s list serves as a boundary for how believers are to live together. The lecture closes with an invitation to reflect on which of the nine traits may need to be cultivated more fully in each person’s life, followed by a prayer asking God to work through the Holy Spirit to develop these qualities and to help believers express them toward one another.

    16 min

  6. Jun 8

    Ruth: Ruth Ch 1

    This lecture introduces the book of Ruth as a story that asks whether God’s love can reach people in grief, displacement, and loss. It contrasts Ruth with a tragedy and notes that, very early in the narrative, the stage is emptied of men and the focus falls on three women. The speaker outlines the setting as the period of the judges, described as a time of rebellion, violence, and instability in Israel. Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons leave Bethlehem because of famine and go to Moab, where Elimelech dies and later both sons also die after marrying Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. The lecture emphasizes the depth of Naomi’s loss: she is left in a foreign land without husband, sons, or grandchildren, after years of childlessness and waiting. The speaker highlights the biblical honesty of the story, which places suffering and blessing side by side without resolving the tension. A major theme is the Hebrew word chesed, translated as lovingkindness or steadfast love. Naomi uses this language to bless her daughters-in-law, and the speaker presents Ruth’s loyalty as a striking example of clinging commitment, especially in a context where marriage and children were normally seen as a woman’s security and future. Ruth’s speech to Naomi is presented as one of the book’s central moments: she pledges to stay with Naomi, adopt her people, and share her future and burial. Naomi returns to Bethlehem in bitterness, saying that the Lord has dealt harshly with her, and the speaker notes that Scripture often gives space to this kind of lament. The lecture closes by pointing forward to God’s continued work through human relationships and to Jesus as the fullest expression of all-in love. It concludes with an invitation to bring prayer for oneself or for others who are in a Naomi-like season of loss.

    37 min

  7. May 18

    Windswept: The One Who makes us One

    In this lecture, the speaker reflects on Acts 2 and the Pentecost event, where the disciples are gathered in Jerusalem and are filled with the Holy Spirit. A rushing wind, tongues of fire, and the ability to speak in other languages draw a crowd of Jewish pilgrims from many nations, who hear the believers proclaiming God’s works in their own languages. Peter responds to the crowd by explaining that this is not drunkenness, but the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. He emphasizes that God will pour out his Spirit and that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. The speaker connects this promise to Jesus, saying Peter identifies Jesus as the Lord whom people should trust. The lecture then focuses on how Pentecost represents a new kind of unity in the people of God. The speaker describes two main themes: democratization, meaning the invitation is open to all who trust in Jesus, and laicization, meaning spiritual participation is no longer limited to a small group of religious leaders. He points to examples such as the Spirit coming on elders in Numbers 11 and says the New Testament church reflects this broader outpouring. The speaker also describes how the Spirit maintains unity through several means. He says “spirit recognizes spirit,” giving examples from Luke’s Gospel and from Christian fellowship across differences. He also explains that the Spirit produces the fruit of love, patience, kindness, and related qualities, and gives interdependent gifts so believers can serve one another. Finally, the lecture turns to communion and the image of one shared door to the Father through Christ and the Spirit. The speaker says this removes false grounds for confidence and creates a new family in the church across ethnic, social, and economic differences.

    40 min

  8. May 13

    Windswept: The Holy Spirit and the Presence of God

    In this lecture, the speaker begins with two announcements: progress on planting a second location of St. Moses Church, including news that Pastor Sharon DeVale has received her visa and will join the church in Baltimore in early August, and encouraging reports from a gathering of Alpha leaders in the UK. He describes stories of spiritual openness among young people in the UK, including accounts of people with little or no church background coming to faith through dreams, visions, and other unusual experiences. He uses these examples to encourage the congregation to pray for God to work similarly in Baltimore. The sermon then turns to a series on the Holy Spirit, focusing on God’s presence. Using Exodus 33 and 40, the speaker explains that Moses asked God to go with Israel, that God’s presence filled the tabernacle, and that this presence guided the people on their journey. He contrasts this with the later filling of Solomon’s temple and says that God loves to dwell with his people. He then traces the Old Testament pattern in which repeated covenant unfaithfulness leads to the departure of God’s presence, described in Ezekiel’s vision of the glory leaving the temple. In response, Ezekiel later prophesies that God will cleanse his people, give them a new heart, and put his Spirit within them so they can obey him from the inside out. The speaker says this prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus, who makes cleansing from sin possible and gives the Holy Spirit to those who trust him. He explains that believers become the temple of God through the Spirit’s indwelling presence. Finally, he gives three applications: the Spirit helps believers experience God’s love, pursue holiness, and live with courage. He closes with prayer for the congregation to be marked by God’s presence.

    40 min
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About

Sermons at St. Moses Church in Baltimore, Maryland.

Information

  • Creator
    St. Moses Church
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    344
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright St. Moses Church
  • Show Website
    St. Moses Church

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