Sermons

Biblical messages that inspire faith, strengthen your walk, and speak truth into everyday life.

Persecution and Protection Part 1

This is Memorial Day Weekend, as we come together to spend time in worship and reflection, we take a moment to honor those who have laid down their lives in service to this nation. Memorial Day is more than a holiday—it is a sacred remembrance of sacrifice, courage, and love for one’s fellow man.
Scripture tells us in John 15:13, “No one has greater love than this,
to lay down his life for his friends.” (CSB). On this day, we recognize
the men and women who embodied that love, who fought and fell so that others might live in freedom.

Persecution and Protection Part 2

We have been on a journey looking at Jesus instruction to the
Disciples (and ultimately to us) during and after the Last Supper.
The earthly ministry of Jesus is coming to a close, and things are
about to change. This change is necessary. Jesus has been
speaking about “these things” (16:1) to prepare the Disciples and
keep them from stumbling (changing course or being distracted).
Pastor Chuck Swindoll said this, “These things” refers to everything
Jesus had to say about the believer’s relationship to the world,
which is strained at best, hostile at other times, and can become
deadly.

Joy

What to do? What to do? Struggling to figure out the next steps is something we all face at one time or another. Being overwhelmed can lead to hopelessness, it can easily throw one into some kind of funk. It sounds like this is what the Disciples were facing as Jesus continued to reveal where His path was leading. From the time they had gathered for Passover (the Last Supper) until this moment, Jesus had been given them instruction and examples on how to live.

Truth

I am going to jump right in and give a synopsis of some of the events recorded in John 18. There is a portion of this chapter that I want to focus on after laying the background. From where we left off at our last time together in John’s Gospel, things are beginning to move quickly. Think of it this way … there were 3 separate scenes of a play taking place at the same time. The action in one scene takes place while the other scenes are going on. It all comes to a dramatic conclusion seen in the choice the audience (crowd) makes.

Justice Part 1

We are currently examining a portion of John’s letter that references the well-known narrative of the trial, punishment, and crucifixion of Jesus. This account of grace is recounted each year around Easter and signifies the purpose of Jesus’ arrival. John’s perspective differs slightly from other Gospel writers, helping those of us who were not there understand the significance of this historical event. It is crucial to our faith journey.

Justice Part 2

For the last several weeks the thought that “truth matters” has been echoing in my head. It took me so far as to begin to read 2 books about the subject … Truth Matters by Andreas Kostenberger. Darrell Bock and Josh Chatraw (2014) and Excellence (2011) which is also by Andreas Kostenberger. I know that this is the beginning of a journey for me, and I get to include you in the first steps

Hope Part 1

We live today with 20/20 hindsight. Some of the moments we look at in Scripture must have been incredibly stressful and confusing. We are about to look at one of them. Jesus has been crucified – the Disciples world has been turned upside down. They were dealing with confusion (what do we do now?), fear (are we next to be killed because of our association with Jesus?), and grief (the One they loved and devoted their lives to had just been killed).

Hope Part 2

Life is a journey, not a destination. I’m sure that you have heard that before. Our journey is one that is filled with joy and happiness, with twists and turns, with bumps and bruises. That’s what life is. If you typed into Google or Bing search, “what is life?” There would pop up all kinds of scientific ways to determine what was living and what was non-living. Eventually, you would find the philosophical – “what is the meaning of life?” And that can lead us into an entirely different conversation.

Change

We are coming to the end of an incredible journey. We have been walking through John’s Gospel for quite some time. It has been eye-opening and encouraging. I hope that the lessons have spoke to your heart and helped you in your faith walk. The goal at the beginning of this journey was to help us grow in our knowledge and understanding of who Jesus is and what He taught us.

Prayer

Have you ever been to an all-night prayer meeting? They used to be commonplace when I was growing up. Four or five nights a year would be set aside to come together and pray through the entire evening. It’s difficult for many to pray for more than a few minutes. Praying for an entire evening is a commitment. Prayer is about drawing close to the Lord God … about sharing our lives with Him and listening to what He has to say. We read in James, “Come near to God, and God will come near to you.

Romans

In times of difficulty and distress, what comes to mind? I know that most people’s knee jerk reaction who be to say, “God,” but that is not what I’m looking for. I have those “go to” chapters in the Bible that I turn to when I need to deal with something, need a time of rest and refocus, or when I am just looking for inspiration and answers. Psalm 46, Isaiah 40, and Ephesians 4 are places where I find comfort and connection. There is another few that can be included this group, One of them we will talk about today.

Prodigal

In one way or another we have experienced injustice and mercy at various points throughout our lives. Being treated unjustly leads to hurt, despair, and a sense of worthlessness. Being touched by mercy and grace is transformative, in many ways it is empowering. To know that you are valued, that love is always there, and that support is unwavering brings hope and motivation to even the most difficult circumstances. We live in a world that demands accountability, which is quick to assign blame. And because of that, many try to shift the focus elsewhere. It’s not my fault is a common theme in one way or another.

Purpose

For the last few weeks, we have been taking a journey to change our viewpoint of discovering truth in life today. Justice and love arehuge concepts that go much deeper than we can cover in a few weeks. I am sure we will revisit this topic in the future. That being said, have you ever found yourself at a loss for words—not because you had nothing to say, but because the weight of life made it hard to speak? I think that this is something we’ve all endured at one time or another.

Suffering

Suffering is one of the most intensely debated topics when talking about God. Many people default to the question, “If God is good, why does He allow suffering?” Which is a loaded question. Too often, when a “why” question is asked it’s an opening for a debate. This debate can take many forms. And I am not starting this way as an opening to define and debate the theology of suffering.

Waiting

Our world is in pain…: (Annalena Baerbock, President, United Nations 80th General Assembly). I’m sure that this is something that is obvious to many who are listening (or reading) this message. There are grim realities facing millions across the globe – from children starving in Gaza and Afghan girls barred from school – to families in Ukraine hiding from missile attacks, and Pacific Islanders watching their homes swallowed by the sea. In this nation, violence is on the rise.

Mission

Isaiah 40:31 stands out as a verse that continually offers strength and guidance, forming a foundation for the life of a disciple. It emphasizes the significance of waiting on the Lord and relying on His promises each day. During personal prayer and devotion, reflecting on this passage encourages a deeper trust in God, who is always faithful. Choosing to trust God may not always be easy, but it is consistently the right decision.

Beginning

Following the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) is a big task. One to be understood and lived out to the best of our ability. It’s a call that we get to grow into and then duplicate in our lives. Be a disciple that makes disciples … most relegate this to a church or the pastor. This leads to a lack of discipleship. Let’s answer the first question – what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? Biblical discipleship is a lifelong journey that begins with a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord.