Top 10 Sermons of 2015

Every Sunday we gather to celebrate Jesus. Thus, every Sunday somebody puts in a big chunk of time studying the Scriptures, crafting a sermon, and preaching with a desire to change people's lives.That's 52 Sundays with 52 sermons. Thankfully, most of them are pretty good -- I call them the sermons that "moved the chains." But some weeks stand out as special in terms of the impact they have, how memorable they are to people, or simply how fun they are to preach.With that in mind, here are my 10 favorite sermons from Redemption Gateway in 2015. This list is not scientific -- it's a mix of my personal preference, feedback I've heard from people, and stats of views and downloads. You can watch them below or click the links to download audio. Also, all of our sermons are available for free on our iTunes podcast.

10. Ask Anything (9/6)

This was a fun experiment we did on Labor Day weekend, where you submitted questions and I tried to answer a bunch of them. It went well and we'll probably do it again next year.

9. Lessons from Loss (12/27)

Joe Leavell preached this sermon just a few days ago, sharing about what he's learned over the last few months of processing his brother's terminal cancer and eventual passing.

8. The Imitation Game (2/1)

This message was from our The Other 167 series and focused on imitating God in our work. We say that all of life is all for Jesus -- and if that's true, work had better be part of the equation. I liked how it helped people see their work in a new way.

7. Fighting Sin (7/19)

This was the sermon I heard on the first Sunday back after my sabbatical. It gave me great joy to see how well Josh Watt preached, and high confidence that our church was well-fed all summer long.

6. The Great Exchange (11/7)

I received a lot of feedback from people who were helped by the book cover illustration I used to explain how Jesus took our place on the cross (Mark 15:1-15).

5. Two Requests & Two Responses (8/16)

This message on Mark 10:32-52 was one I had been excited to preach for about 10 months prior. I love the irony that the people who should be able to see Jesus can't, and the one who shouldn't be able to can.

4. Homosexuality -- Christian Conviction in a Changing World (6/28)

Matthew Braselton preached this the Sunday after the Supreme Court's Obergefell ruling. I heard it when I returned from sabbatical and was so encouraged by the combination of Matthew's conviction and compassion.

3. The Crucifixion (11/15)

The crucifixion of Jesus (Mark 15:16-39) is a big deal in the Christian faith. I loved getting to preach about how Jesus going under the flaming sword gives us access to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

2. What I Learned on Sabbatical (7/26)

The gift of sabbatical was a remarkable blessing to me and our family in 2015. Here I share what I learned along the way. This is the message I get asked about the most, as people are wondering if I'm still leaning into these lessons. For the most part, yes, I am.

1. The History of Redemption (4/5)

Easter was the second time I preached this message that tells the biblical story from beginning to end using only the Scriptures. The process of memorization was fun and challenging and delivering it four services in a row was taxing mentally and emotionally. But what a joy to preach God's word!