Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | After the people of God enter the land and conquer the land, chapters 13 and 14 mark a new phase in the storyline: their time to inherit the land. As each of the twelve tribes stands by to receive their apportioned territory, one man steps up: Caleb. And based on what little we know about him from the wilderness, we see even more: a faith that hasn't waned one bit.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | In Matthew 22, the political and religious groups of the day band together to question Jesus of the very thing many political and religious groups question Christians of today: defining the right relationship of "church and state," if any. Oftentimes, the question is not sincere, but manipulative - intended to trap the individual instead of to clarify a complexity. Jesus' answer, however, breaks through their rigid categories and provides a better way.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Dual citizenship can oftentimes feel like 'dueling' citizenships - because there will come a point when the authorities and expectations of one kingdom will conflict with another. In Jeremiah 29, the people of God find themselves in a new land, under a new king, for a limited time. How will they live in it? And as believers today, how will we live in this tension as well, being both citizens of heaven and earth?

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | The book of Joshua opens as the people of God reach a definitive end of one era and a very beginning of another. How will they move forward? God speaks to them, 8 words of encouragement for them to take their next step.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Matthew's gospel puts forth two main themes: prophetic fulfillment and God's kingdom. Over the first 26 chapters, those themes unfold like parallel tracks — mirroring one another, carrying the freight of the plot line, and carrying the readers on a journey towards a clear destination. But by chapter 27, those tracks powerfully converge, where the prophetic and kingdom themes come together in one moment: the cross. There, we see God's ancient symbols come to substance. And then we see how everyone responds.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | For the people of Israel, everything has come to a head - and they now find themselves at a life-defining point. For 54 chapters, they have tried and trusted everything except God. Now at chapter 55, God meets them in their exhaustion with invitation - where only life can be found.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | In Matthew 24, Jesus provides His disciples with the main signs of the end times. What are they? And how are we to live in light of it?

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | In Isaiah 30, God speaks to His people about a coming crisis and their godless response. Just like His people back then, crisis often reveals who we are, where we run to, and what we cling to. Will we spin more webs of our own making, or will we abide in the Rock of Ages?