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Sermon on the Mount series message 9
Text: Matthew 5:14-16
Having just spoken of salt, Jesus now employs a complementary analogy: light. What is compelling about this is He confers on His disciples what He uses to describe Himself! We will develop what it means for Jesus to be the light of the world, and in turn, what it means for Christians (‘little Christs’) to take that role until He comes. We will also see how ‘salt’ and ‘light’ interface as descriptions of Jesus followers.
Sermon on the Mount series message 8
Text: Matthew 5:13
Last week we saw that every follower of Jesus should expect trials and that our response should show Christ to the world around us, to be ‘salt'. Our mission to the world doesn’t stop when life is painful. But what happens when we fail, even walk away under the circumstances? What happens if we lose our saltiness? While flavorless salt might only be good to be trampled by people, behold, God’s steadfast love in Christ means our flavor can be restored.
Sermon on the Mount series message 7
Text: Matthew 5:1-12
The final beatitude presents a remarkable concept: persecution for Christ's sake should evoke joy, not despair. Jesus bookends His teaching with the simple declaration: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. As we return to the Sermon on the Mount, we wrap up the Beatitudes, which speak to both the entrance into and essence of Kingdom living. Those who suffer for Christ's sake find occasion for exceeding joy as the genuineness of faith is affirmed and our heavenly reward ensured.
This week we hear from our missionaries to Togo, West Africa. They will update us on the ministry as well as bring a message on missions. You can find out more about the Gayles here.
Advent 2020 series message 6
Text: various
The whole Bible pulsates with Behold! statements. The goodness of God, the mercy and grace of God, the power of God, the personal presence of God...all shining brightest among us through Jesus. How should our lives reflect the outrageous propositions in God's Word that are now our birthright? It begins with retaining the sense of being wonderstruck by it all and avoiding the stains of the world. Specifically, being strengthened by the Spirit in our inner being, as Paul told the Ephesians. This Sunday we'll get practical and put feet to our faith in 2021 with our Behold! statements from Scripture.
Advent 2020 series message 5
Text: Various
In December we saw how the word behold directs, develops and punctuates many key aspects of Jesus' coming and ministry. We're extending our Behold! advent series to highlight our Lord and Savior this Sunday, and then His life in us the following Sunday. This weekend we'll look at the Son of God past, present and future - from creation to glory and from Genesis to Revelation. Throughout Scripture, the word Behold! prepares us to see something unique and majestic about Jesus Christ long before He appeared in Bethlehem and also through the ages as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Indeed, what better place to start this year than Christology, the study of Christ: the loftiest science, the noblest pursuit and the richest meditation!
Advent 2020 series message 4
Text: Various
We've seen the heart of God in the unfolding drama of redemption and we've seen the stunning statements foretold about Jesus' birth and ministry. Even in the light of this, those amazing truths about Jesus can be under-appreciated and lost in the shuffle if we don't see their context. God made a promise, and God kept His promise. And so, the New Testament was formed and written because God is faithful. Behold!...
Advent 2020 series message 3
Text: Various
Behold! is a most consequential word in Scripture, absolutely unrivaled in its usage and application. This week and next we'll focus on the Advent roadmap to redemption - so often, the word behold highlights an aspect of Jesus' coming and of the gospel. Last week we saw the heart of God as He literally entered our world - right into our chaos and heartache - to rescue us. This Sunday we'll highlight some lesser known Old Testament passages which speak to the beautifully unique advent and ministry of our Lord.
Advent 2020 series message 2
Text: Various
In this message and the next, we'll focus on the Advent roadmap to redemption; details of Christ's coming and ministry often follow the path of Behold! statements throughout Scripture.
This week we follow the heart of God as He brings healing to our pain. Salvation is certainly about forgiveness and reconciliation, but Jesus' coming reveals God's tender heart toward the weary and brokenhearted. We'll trace Behold! statements from Genesis to Revelation to see how God meets us in our pain with His great compassion and brings true healing through the gospel.
2020 Advent series message 1
Text: Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 52:13 - 53:1
"Behold" is not used much these days but, in the past, it was used to arrest attention and point out something significant; something worth of paying close attention. I love how often this word is used in conjunction with the coming of the Lord, His ministry, and the gospel. It's my prayer that, as we highlight the usage of behold! during Advent season, we'll draw strength and again be wonderstruck by the power and uniqueness of the good news of Jesus Christ during a time of pandemic fatigue and stress.
Sermon on the Mount series message 6
Text: Matthew 5:1-12
In this message we'll cover Jesus' statement: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Jesus continues to demonstrate that God's Kingdom work involves matters of the heart.
Sermon on the Mount series message 5
Text: Matthew 5:1-12
Jesus continues to give ground-breaking teachings, as He describes inner transformation and Kingdom living. We'll cover one of the most stunning statements in God's Word: Blessed are the pure in heart... The prophetic voices of the Old Testament are set against this notion - who could possibly be truly pure in heart? New Testament theology precludes such a possibility, for we are all dead in our trespasses and sins. However, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. Praise the Lord for the new birth and for the very gracious promise He gives: ...they shall see God.
Sermon on the Mount series message 4
Text: Matthew 5:7-9
Rich truths!
Sermon on the Mount series message 3
Text: Matthew 5:6-7
In Jesus' first recorded discourse, He drops tremendous Kingdom principles which were entirely counter cultural both then and now. A hunger and thirst after righteousness is a powerful confirmation of the Spirit's gracious work in our hearts - we don't naturally possess that disposition! His call to show mercy parallels Paul's similar call in Ephesians to forgive as God in Christ forgave you.
Sermon on the Mount series message 2
Text: Matthew 5:1-12
As we continue to examine Jesus' teaching in the Beatitudes, He teaches much about life in His Kingdom: those who mourn, who are meek, and who hunger and thirst after righteousness - truly, His Kingdom is like none other!
Sermon on the Mount series message 1
Text: Matthew 5:1-6
Jesus spoke to the heart. Knowing and following Him is not about checking off boxes in your religious checklist. Thriving in grace flows from a disposition of the heart. Jesus' first recorded discourse is both profoundly exhilarating and convicting. During these trying times, we should pay close attention to what He says!
Ephesians series message 47
Text: Ephesians 6:21-24
As we wrap up this compelling letter, it's good for us to pause and think about it. Paul gives rich gospel doctrine. He wants us to know who we are in Christ, then he tells us how to live in light of said truths, and then also tells us to armor up in those very truths. A key concept in counseling is to recognize that emotions most often follow our thoughts or beliefs. We'll apply that concept on Sunday. Remember all those verses that tell us to renew our mind, to ponder God's Word, and to think on those things that are excellent? They are there because God knows our mind is the key battleground. We need to replace negative or harmful thought patterns with His life-giving and liberating truths - that which is true about us because we are in Christ.
Ephesians series message 46
Text: Ephesians 6:10-20
Our final message on God's Armor will focus on the only piece that is a weapon of offense - the sword. It is tied to the Word of God and thus, aptly named the sword of the Spirit. The power, practice, and preeminence of prayer is the perfect ending to this unparalleled passage on spiritual warfare. The goal is for us to be prompted to skillfully wield the sword of truth against Satan's lies and truly be a people of prayer.
Ephesians series message 45
Text: Ephesians 6:10-20
In this message, we focus on the helmet of salvation. The helmet protects a most vulnerable and important part of our body - our brain, our mind! This is such an important piece of armor, a blow to the head can easily be fatal! We've touched on feelings and emotions, now it's time to talk about our mind - our thought processes (of course, they're all connected). Scripture has much to say about our mind - renewing our mind and how our adversary is a master at deception. Think of the world views permeating society today - most of which are contrary to the gospel. Paul is very concerned that we guard our mind, and he connects this piece to salvation. So much is in view here, and so much is lost when we do not use the helmet of salvation!