In the reading, there are 2 people very desperate for healing. God provides healing according to his timing, not theirs. Through this, he strengthens their faiths. And the same is true for us.
Put Your Heart Into It | Matthew 5:17-37
This week we take a look at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Again and again Jesus reveals the original intent of God’s Law. Over the centuries, it’s been weakened repeatedly by sinful human beings looking for loopholes. Today we also love a good loophole, especially when it allows us to avoid a difficult aspect of God’s Law. This love for loopholes reveals a heart condition. We may go through the motions of obedience, but is our heart into the act of truly following God’s will? We will examine our own heart condition, as well as rejoice in the fact that God Himself has a heart condition that leads Him to fulfill the Law Himself and save us.
For God So Loved | Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:14-21
Why did Jesus come? A lot of people think God is a vindictive God, looking for opportunities to zap people to hell. People who look at it this way look at God completely backwards. God did not come as a way to say, “Gotcha! I’ve caught you in sin, now I can condemn you.” But came to give life. And he came to give us freedom from the guilt of our sins.
Dead Man Walking | Isaiah 53:7-12; John 1:19-34
Christmas Day | 10am Traditional
Christmas Day | 10am Traditional
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Christmas Eve | 11am Traditional
Christmas Day | 11am Traditional
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Christmas Eve | 3pm Contemporary
Christmas Eve | 3pm Contemporary
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The Relatable Reversal | Luke 1:39-56
Some things that you experience in life are so strange and unrelatable to most people. Usually we try to seek other people out who have gone through similar life experiences. Mary and Elizabeth are both going through unique circumstances. Both have received outlandish news from an angel and both are now impossibly pregnant! This is unrelatable to the rest of humanity. Mary eventually sings a song of praise, known as the Magnificat. In this song, she describes how God reverses the world’s expectations in the way He brings salvation. What she sings about will be relatable to all people: the proud and arrogant and ungodly will fall from their seemingly secure positions, while the humble, lowly ones who trust in God will be raised up and graciously blessed. All people will be able to relate to these experiences.
The Shepherd Who Brings Security | Micah 5:2-5a
The prophet Micah was sent to give a similar message that Isaiah gave to God’s people. Judgment and destruction are coming justly in response to your sin. But grace and mercy are also coming close behind! Micah speaks to a people who have little security and peace because of their sin, and also because of the sinful, oppressive rulers and priests who are over them. These beaten down people need some good news! And they receive good news about the coming Savior, the one who will make them dwell secure and who will be their peace. In this sermon, Pastor Smith especially focuses on how trusting in Christ brings you true, lasting security. He saves you. In Him, you are safe right now.
Hope is on the way | Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
God’s people felt hopelessness in exile. But God had prophesied that they would be in exile, but also that he would bring an end to their exile. We too experience some level of hopelessness living as exiles in the world we live in, but God has promised us that he would act in power and bring an end to our exile as well.
I Don’t Belong Here | Isaiah 6:1-7
In Isaiah’s vision, he rightfully is terrified to be before God’s presence. He is sinful, God is perfect. That is not a situation that goes well for sinful people. But God takes away his sin and guilt, allowing him to be in his presence. Join Pastor Josh as he talks about how we are brought into the presence of God, but don’t have to fear.
I Wanna Go Home | Daniel 3:8-18
Our readings this week focus on God’s people in exile in the land of Babylon. In reality, God’s people have always been in exile. From the time of exile from the Garden of Eden, up to our current day, we are exiles in a strange land. We long to go home! As we live in exile, we have several different choices for how to live. We could compromise. Or we could revolt! Or, we could choose a third way, which is the way Daniel and his friends live in exile–they are loyal as far as they can be, but they are also subversive. This is also the way of Jesus in the Gospels. This is the way we are called to live today. And as we struggle as strangers in a strange world, Christ is with us. He is with us in the fire and in the lions’ den. And eventually He will lead us to our home in His eternal kingdom.
King Cleaning | 2 Kings 23:1-8; 19-20
Throughout Israel’s history, most of the kings- even the good kings- failed to do one thing: completely remove idolatry from the nation. King Josiah was the one to do this. To live a God-pleasing life, not only must we recognize the idols in our hearts, but we also must do something to remove them. Join Pastor Josh as he discusses this important teaching for Christians.
Don’t Give Up | 2 Kings 1:1-18
The more you read about Israel in the books of 1 & 2 Kings, the more troubled and disturbed you become. All around is corruption, conflict, and sin. The kings are supposed to be godly leaders, yet they give up the one true God for false gods. They give up truth for foolishness. They give up worshipping the Creator to worship created things. It seems to be hopeless. In this text, King Ahaziah is a troubled leader of a troubled nation. Yet, the prophet Elijah is still around, remaining faithful to the Lord. There are many similarities between ancient Israel and our modern world. Join Pastor Smith for this sermon as we see how dangerous it is to give up God. You may want to give up all hope when you see the extent of our troubled world. But there still is a God–keep holding onto Him in hope, and He will save you!
Think with your Head not your Heart | 1 Kings 11:1-8
You Are the Man! | 2 Samuel 12:1-10; John 19:1-11
As we continue to read about David’s life and reign as king over Israel, we start to see sin and failure, even from the man who is “after God’s own heart.” God warned Israel about how an earthly king would be far worse than Himself as their king. This was obvious when it came to King Saul, and now King David falls into some of the same sinful pitfalls. When you are successful and powerful, it is easy to hear people say “You are the man!” and agree, and think you are entitled to whatever you want. But sooner or later, God will reveal that “You are the man!”--a sinful, guilty man. When we, like David, realize we need someone else to really be “The Man” for us, then we behold The Man–our Lord Jesus. In this sermon, Pastor Smith directs us to The Man Jesus, who comes to save us from our sin.
A Stone’s Throw Away | 1 Samuel 17
Thank God for his ‘no’s’ | 1 Samuel 8
No one likes being told “no.” We want to get the things we ask for, and it’s not fun to be told no. But as a parent tells their child no to things that will cause harm, God does that to his children. Join Pastor Josh as he discusses 1 Samuel 8 and how, when God tells us no, it’s often for our own benefit.
Baffling Things Believers Do | Joshua 24:14-18
The book of Joshua shows the process by which the Lord gives the Promised Land to Israel. God’s people are entirely passive in this process. It is only by following God’s commands, fully believing and trusting in Him, that they receive the land. Whenever they try to act according to their own power or wisdom, the result is total failure. At this point in our “Growing Through the Bible” journey, we have enough information to see that God’s people are called to believe and do things that are completely different from the rest of the world. God strongly warns Israel against allowing themselves to be influenced by the nations. He knows they will start following their ways and they will fall away from His righteous way. Interestingly, there are many parallels between the situation in which God’s people found themselves in the book of Joshua, and the situation in which God’s people find themselves today. This sermon explores which way to choose–God’s way or the world’s way. We will discuss how baffling the actions of believers may seem to the world, but how these “baffling ways” are the ones that lead to life.
Everyday Thing | Exodus 32:1-16
The first commandment, “You shall have no other gods,” seems like a pretty easy commandment to keep, right? After all, you probably don’t have idols in a shrine that you bow down to every night. But Pastor Josh takes us through the story of the Israelites with the golden calf to see how: a god is not just a physical object, it’s where we find our identity. And where we find our identity is a daily struggle for us to wrestle with.