1 Timothy 6:11-16
At this time of year, it's not uncommon to see signs that say "Thankful, Grateful, Blessed." We are told to count our blessings, but what does it mean that God is "blessed"? What does it mean for the blessed God to bless us?
Knowing God: The Beautiful God
Psalm 27:1-14
We often hear that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." While people may not always agree on whether something is beautiful or not, scripture speaks of the beauty of God which surpasses all else. When we encounter the beautiful God, we gain real perspective.
Knowing God: The Only Wise God
Hebrews 12:1 - 13
How often do we find ourselves questioning God’s wisdom when life gets hard? Hebrews 12 offers us three ways of understanding the role He takes in the difficult times so that we can see He is the only wise God.
Knowing God: The Righteous God
Psalm 19
If we want to live in a right relationship with God, how do we know what that looks like? Thankfully, He doesn’t leave it to us to figure that out. He offers us a perfect revelation of that right-relatedness which impacts every aspect of our lives.
Knowing God: The Just God
Matthew 11:20-30
When people say, “That’s not fair!” they assume we all know what ‘fair’ is. Who decides ‘fair’? You or me? Or only a just God? Jesus speaks to the reality of justice, and it’s a reality we can rest in.
Knowing God: The Holy God
Isaiah 6:1-13
The one true God, the holy God, rules over all, but he also works in our lives to prepare us, like he does with Isaiah, for ministry. Most importantly, despite our failures, He provides a way for us to get right with him.
Note: There are a few seconds of audio missing from the first few minutes.
Knowing God: The God Who Loves
Hosea 3:1-5
God keeps his promises—that we can count on. But there are times in the Bible, like with Abraham, where God makes a covenant with an oath even greater than a promise. God’s covenant shows just how much we can trust Him.
Knowing God: The God I Can Trust
Hebrews 6:13-20
God keeps His promises, that we can count on. But there are times in the Bible, like with Abraham, where God does makes a covenant with an oath even greater than a promise. God's covenant shows just how much we can trust Him.
Knowing God: The Majesty of God
1 Chronicles 29:10-16
When we make God small in our lives, everything else gets really big. In 1 Chronicles 29, David prays a prayer to a BIG God and everything else is kept in its proper perspective. How big is your God?
Knowing God: God with a Name
Exodus 3:1-14
Exodus 3 is a great place to start a series on Knowing God. Time and place matter to the Living God as He gets Moses's (and our) attention. And who He reveals Himself to be is foundational for us all.
Living. Faith.: Prayer and Care
James 5:13-20
James says that life is hard. We’ll look into prayer, healing and faith and find insights into a new perspective on life. How we respond to this different perspective will influence the people around us and determine our future. God’s Word will show us how this perspective can be ours.
Living. Faith.: Patience in an Impatient World
James 5:7-11
How patient a person are you? It seems ours is an increasingly impatient society and it's so easy to get caught up in it. And yet as followers of Christ, we're called to be patient. It's a fruit of the Spirit in us! James offers three ways we can grow in this key aspect of Living Faith.
Living. Faith.: The Bad and Good of Following God's Will: Does That Include Our Money, Too?
James 4:13 - 5:6
Living. Faith.: He Gives More
James 4:1-12
James 4:1-12 is another section where he begins by addressing a behavior issue (quarreling) but continues to go deeper until he identifies a root cause. Look in your own heart and you’ll see a lot of root cause. The antidote needs to be more. Thank God He gives more!
Baptism Service: Crossing the Starting Line
John 1:35-42; 15:4-5; 20:17
Baptism is often described as a 'public declaration of a personal decision.' But in baptism, we're not declaring that we’ve crossed the finish line. Baptism is actually declaring that we’ve just started out. When Jesus's disciples start out with him, he says, "Come and you will see." And the decision declared in the waters of baptism never anticipates all that will be seen.
* This sermon was presented at our annual park service. As such, the recording quality is not on the same level as some of our other sermon recordings. Also, the first couple minutes were not recorded.
Living. Faith.: Wisdom Works
James 3:13-18
After having looked at the damage our words can do (vv. 1-12), James now shows us how the meekness of wisdom works. Meekness of wisdom? That's quite a contrast from the behavior that's making headlines nowadays. Yes, and that's why it's desperately needed.
Living. Faith.: Words Matter
James 3:1-12
As we seek to live out what we believe, James calls our attention to a key area where we get tripped up: words matter. Our tongues get us into trouble. But more than just looking at the damage our tongues can do, James directs our attention to the source of the problem. Will we resolve to live what we believe?
* We experienced some technical difficulties with this recording. There is a section partway through where a few minutes of the recording are missing.
Living. Faith.: Like a Screen Door on a Submarine
James 2:14-26
Today's sermon title is from a song written by Rich Mullins, where he writes, "Faith without works is like a song you can't sing / It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine." Do you find yourself wondering why your experience of faith falls flat? Maybe you need to change some doors on your submarine. Listen to the message to find out how.
Living. Faith.: A Community of Kingdom Justice
James 2:1-13
When we think about the attributes of God, does his impartiality ever make the list? We often recognize His omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence, etc., but do we recognize that He is not a respecter of people, in that He blesses and judges impartially?
Living. Faith.: Testing the Reality of Our Life in Christ
James 1:19-27
In today’s passage, James hits the bullseye with his pointed questions and commands. Ouch!