The goal, motivation, and power of Christian ministry are radically transformed by Jesus. This message considers how.
Colossians 1:24-2:5 // [outline]
The goal, motivation, and power of Christian ministry are radically transformed by Jesus. This message considers how.
Christians should want to get closer to God, be more holy, and strengthen their spiritual lives. But the only way to do that is to delve deeper into Christ's love and grace. In this sermon, we are reminded why there is no way to improve on Christ's person and work for us.
Prayer is a universal phenomenon that can be seen in almost every culture. Even many atheists pray. The question is how? How should a Christian’s prayers differ from the world? This message looks at principles to guide our prayers from the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the Colossians.
It’s easy to be smug when we read headlines or see examples of people around us caught in sin. But the fact is that we all have a tendency to deny the seriousness of our sin. This message looks at the consequences of holding onto sinful habits and how God helps to set us free.
Today, people are quick to take each other to court and fight to get what they think they’re owed. Often, there’s much injustice done in the attempt to get justice. How should a Christian deal with their grievances? What should our attitude be toward lawsuits? This message looks at how Jesus’ followers can follow Jesus’ ways when they are wronged by fellow believers.
As cases of church coverups of sexual abuse continue to make the headlines, the world wants the church to do better. This message looks at how the church should deal with its sin and examines the practice of church discipline.
Most people assume that they’ve got things pretty much figured out. When they begin to learn about God, they figure with a few tweaks they’ll be good to go. Jesus explained why far more drastic adjustments are often needed. This message looks at when those changes are needed and the joy that can motivate them when they are.
When we hear of Jesus’ miracles, we can either feel cynical or disappointed if we don’t see Him respond in the same way in our lives. This message looks at why Jesus healed people and why He doesn’t always heal people today.
Sometimes we can feel so beaten down and rejected that it feels like God’s against us. This message looks at a person who hoped in Jesus but wasn’t sure whether Jesus had any hope for him. It shows us how we can know that Jesus cares no matter how hard life feels.
Jesus chose to humble Himself, eschew His own divine power, submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and rely upon His empowerment to live a holy life, in total obedience to His Father. This message will look at how to be filled with the Spirit, how to welcome the Spirit into our lives, and why the Holy Spirit chooses to come.
Jesus chose to humble Himself, eschew His own divine power, submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and rely upon His empowerment to live a holy life, in total obedience to His Father. This message will look at how to be filled with the Spirit, how to welcome the Spirit into our lives, and why the Holy Spirit chooses to come.
Peter’s transformation from bystander to follower provides a case study in how Jesus seeks to work in our lives.
Luke 5:1-11 // [outline]
Jesus made some remarkable claims that people, at first, struggled to accept. He went on, however, to prove those claims with incredible miracles and acts of power. This message looks at how we should understand those miracles today and what we can learn from them.
In His famous hometown sermon, the good news is rejected, and Jesus is almost killed because of the crowd’s preconceptions. This message looks at the good news about Jesus and the obstacles that keep us from receiving it.
Most Bible scholars today are convinced that the last 12 verses of Mark’s Gospel were added by a scribe trying to fix what seemed like a strange ending. And yet, because they’re there, most people read them and miss what is likely the actual ending of Mark’s Gospel. This message looks at the incredible message in this ending that history almost erased.
On one hand, we complain when people do terrible things and God ‘doesn’t do anything about it.’ On the other hand, we struggle with the idea of a God who judges the world. The vision of the 7 bowls helps makes sense of God’s judgment and how we should live in light of it.
Today, it’s popular to talk about ‘living in the moment,’ ‘living one day at a time,’ and ‘living for the weekend.’ The problem is that tomorrow we have to live with the decisions we made today. This message looks at why it’s so vital to live in light of eternity and how we can do that.
When we ignore Satan’s influence, there’s much of our world that doesn’t make sense, and we’re left vulnerable to his attacks. This message looks at how the devil seeks to tear us down and the help that God has given us to overcome him.