Viewing entries by
Paul Sadler
Many people who have walked away from religion have done so because they felt that the rules stifled grace and the people were marked by hypocrisy. This message looks at how Jesus sets people free when religion threatens compassion.
Luke 6:1-11
When people talk about the resurrection, some just speak of it as a metaphor for a new start or the hope that is born from the ashes. Jesus didn’t really rise from the grave, did He? Others accept that Jesus’ resurrection was real, but when they read about the resurrection of His followers, they picture spirits floating on clouds strumming harps. This message looks at what hope Easter really promises and the resurrection that is available to all who trust in Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:42-49
Good Friday is a uniquely Christian celebration, but it is rooted in a Jewish event full of symbolism pointing to its significance. This message looks at the Passover and how it helps us to understand the meaning of the final hours of Jesus’ life on this earth.
Exodus 12:1-13
We assume that if we do what God wants, our path will be smooth. Often, however, we face one obstacle after another. This message looks at what God provides to help us through the trials.
Exodus 5:20-6:9
Your credentials can be perfect, but you can still end up disqualified by your character. This message looks at how God guides us in the battle of faith and deals with our obedience before He leads us to achievement.
Exodus 4:18-31
Moses has been called by God and commissioned to deliver God’s people, but he immediately thinks of all the reasons why he’s not up for the task. The way that God reassures him shows how He might be seeking to work in our own lives when we find ourselves resisting a step God is calling us to make.
Exodus 4:1-17
Moses was a child of promise, saved miraculously, raised in spectacular privilege, but none of that was enough. He spent 40 years living out what felt like Plan B before he met God and was transformed by the encounter. What God reveals about Himself in the burning bush is what we all need to come to terms with.
Exodus 3:1-15
Events in Moses’ early adult life show that he has the makings of a great leader, but that isn’t enough. He’s been raised in privilege, and he has a passion for justice, but pride and self-sufficiency must be rooted out of him before he can be used by God.
When God feels absent in our trials, we face different kinds of temptations. Anger, doubt, and despair come easily to us. This message looks at how to deal with the silence of God and why we can trust Him when it feels like He’s not there.
The rules are being rewritten for what’s celebrated and what’s forbidden, and Christians are tempted to act out in anger. This message looks at another time when the rules were rewritten, and God’s people found themselves caught in the crosshairs. Consider the principles that guided His people as they coped with life in Egypt under the king who did not know Joseph.
Exodus 1:1-22
We live at a time when Christianity is facing increasing criticism and dissenting from our culture’s values brings consequences. Stephen’s martyrdom provides principles that dispel the myths that we have about how to cope when opposition looms.
We often think about the challenges that the church faces from the world. But sometimes the challenges are in the mirror. This passage looks at an internal problem the church faced and the priorities that guided its resolution then and should direct our churches today.
Peter is famous for being the disciple who denied Jesus three times. Later, however, he demonstrated incredible courage in the face of persecution and eventual death. This message looks at what changed him and how we can develop convictions and courage in our lives today.
Fears can keep us from following Jesus and serving Him. We fear what people might say. We fear what we might lose. We fear what we don’t know. This message looks at how Jesus meets us in our fears and how He builds His church in spite of them.
Bathsheba was plucked from her home by a king with a wandering eye who planned her husband’s murder. How could God redeem such tragedy?
Mary was looking forward to marriage with a good man that she loved, but an unplanned pregnancy brought her world crashing down. How would she find a path forward?
Matthew 1:5; Ruth 1:1-18 | outline
Ruth lost her husband and was uprooted to a foreign land where she felt the searing eyes of discrimination. What future would there be possible for her?
Matthew 1:5; Joshua 2:1-14 | outline
Rahab turned to prostitution to make ends meet in a city that was so far gone that it’s destruction was assured. What hope could there be for someone like her?
Tamar was a woman who faced the abuse of selfish men who used her instead of protecting her. How could God lift up someone so trodden down?
Regret is a common feeling people confront at the end of their lives. How do we live today so that we don’t experience regret tomorrow? This message looks at how it’s possible to seize life’s opportunities and the joy that God can give.
