Justin Bailey, Author at Justin Ariel Bailey

Book Reviews Books Christian Witness & Apologetics

Bearing Witness in a TLDR World: A Review of “Disruptive Witness”

Title: Disruptive Witness: Speaking the Truth in a Distracted AgeAuthor: Alan NoblePublisher: Intervarsity PressPublish Date: July 17, 2018Pages: 192 (Paperback)ISBN: 978-0830844838 There is an acronym that originated on the internet sometime in the early aughts: “TLDR.” It stands for “too long; didn’t read,” itself an abbreviation…

Justin BaileyJuly 13, 2018

Old Testament OT Poetry Psalms Sermons

Dissonance – Psalm 19

Psalm 19 does something similar for us: it is shock therapy for bored Christians sitting in church wondering whether we will hear anything new. Psalm 19 stops us in our tracks and invites us to listen to the music that is already playing, it drops…

Justin BaileyJune 24, 2018

Old Testament OT Poetry Psalms Sermons

Disorientation – Psalm 3

When our vision is unclear, we have this incredible propensity to walk in circles, to perpetuate cycles of selfishness, to pass the time without making significant progress in holiness and wholeness. And it is not a matter of sudden turns. It is the result of…

Justin BaileyJune 3, 2018

Costly Hope Gospel of John New Testament NT Narrative Sermons

“If You Had Been Here” – John 11

We rightly grieve over many things: over fractured relationships, frustrated hopes, and broken dreams. If we are honest, we often wonder why Jesus didn’t seem to show up at the time or in the way that we expected him to show up. Why does it…

Justin BaileyApril 1, 2018

Book Reviews Books

Surviving Secular Apocalypse: A “How-To” Book for the End of the World

Title: How to Survive the Apocalypse: Zombies, Cylons, Faith, and Politics at the End of the WorldAuthor: Robert Joustra and Alissa WilkinsonPublisher: EerdmansPublish Date: May 7, 2016Paperback: 208 pagesISBN: 978-0802872715 September 23, 2017, has come and gone, and we are still here. This despite the recent well-publicized yet widely…

Justin BaileyJanuary 2, 2018

Old Testament OT Narrative Ruth Sermons

Redemption – Ruth 3

Although the Bible is a grand story of how God brings healing to all of creation, it is also grounded in the gritty particularities of real times and places, and in the lives of real people. God does not bring antiseptic salvation separated from the…

Justin BaileyMay 20, 2017

Favorite Sermons Old Testament OT Narrative Ruth Sermons

Bitterness and Blessing – Ruth 1

The story of Ruth is a story of return, reversal, and renewal, of blessing that comes through bitterness, of unexpected kindness and unreserved loyalty. It teaches us that even in the times of emptiness, when prayers seem to fall lifeless to the ground, when it…

Justin BaileyMay 6, 2017

Gospel of Luke New Testament Old Testament OT Poetry Sermons

If Someone Dies, Will They Live Again? – Job 14, Luke 24

The anguish in the question is real. In modern times we are prone to look at earlier eras and think, you know those pre-modern people could believe anything. But the reality and finality of death has always haunted human consciousness. Preached in Memorial Park in…

Justin BaileyApril 16, 2017

Deadly Sins OT Poetry Proverbs Sermons Topical

Deadly Sins: Sloth – Proverbs 24, 2 Peter 1

Sloth is not fundamentally about being lazy with our work, but about being lazy with our love. Scripture speaks a powerful word to our struggle with sloth. It shows us that although we so often withdraw from the demands of love, God’s promises evoke our…

Justin BaileyMarch 26, 2017

Deadly Sins New Testament NT Letters Sermons Topical

Deadly Sins: Anger – Ephesians 4

All anger invites self-examination. What is making you angry? And is your anger sourced in life and love, or does it seek to humiliate and destroy? How does it feel? Does it fuel constructive action, or does it eat you alive? Alienation from God twists…

Justin BaileyMarch 19, 2017

Justin Bailey