First Congregational of Hamilton: Recent Episodes
First Congregational of Hamilton
Welcome to our church podcast and thanks for tuning in. We hope you will be enriched and inspired in your spiritual journey. Our church exists to rejoice in God, grow in the gospel, and point people to Jesus. Our vision is to be a house of refuge, a community of joy, and spiritual catalyst for personal and cultural renewal along the North Shore of Boston and beyond.
Sharing the gospel is one of our primary missions as Christians but it can be difficult and awkward. Our mission needs to be informed by proper motive. This Sunday, we will explore how as Christians, we share the gospel as approved by God, burdened by His mission, and out of compassion for the lost.
The Apostle Paul said, “We know that he has chosen you.” How could he say that? What were the indications that the Thessalonians had become true disciples? Last week we saw two marks: the gospel comes with power and we receive it; and this week we look at another handful of marks. Lord help us put our faith into action! See you Sunday, fellow disciples.
How can you tell if you are really a Christian? Afterall, none of us is perfect; no one follows Jesus flawlessly. Yet, the Apostle Paul was sure that God had chosen the Thessalonians. How could he tell? How can we tell? I remember the first time I doubted the reality of my own conversion. I was fourteen years old and could have used some teaching from 1 Thessalonians chapter one.
Our new series going through 1 Thessalonians, will underscore the beauty of this affection for one another as the church that flows from a shared love for the gospel and its power to transform us to live in the way of Jesus. A great way to prepare would be to read or listen through the whole book in one sitting (five concise chapters). It is such a privilege to serve as one of your pastors and to pray for you. Have a great day and we’ll see you on Sunday,
As we conclude our series, What We Believe, we have only scratched the surface of the depths of our faith, but I am so thankful for this season to be reminded of some of the core teachings of scripture and of our church. I am excited to join you all in worship to think about what God has given us to do as the church. We are in this together, we have good work to do, and our aim is to communicate to God and everyone else how amazing God is to, for, and with us! We will celebrate this unity and this mission as we take communion together. What a way to start September!
We are almost done with our summer series—What We Believe—and this week we look at the doctrine of the Church. Isn’t it interesting that the Apostles’ Creed makes the Church one of the articles of the faith, alongside things like the Trinity and the sacrificial death of Jesus? “I believe in the holy, catholic Church, and the communion of saints.”
The doctrine of Christ’s judgement can be difficult to unpack, but is crucial to the Christian worldview. It helps unveil God’s divine justice and abundant mercy for those who will believe. This doctrine also reminds Christians of their eternal hope and pressing mission at hand.
Our topics this morning are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We will be seeing how the baptism of Jesus reveals the meaning of our baptism, and the answer to this important question: “Who am I––in the sight of God? What is my fundamental identity?” We will also consider how the Lord’s Supper helps us answer the question, “Where is Jesus? Now––between the time of his resurrection and second coming? Is he with us––or absent from us––when we come to the Lord’s table?”
Our summer series continues this week with “the doctrine of salvation.” Last week we looked at “humanity” and saw that we were created in the image of God, but then we fell. How can the image be restored in us? As the Apostles’ Creed says, how can we receive “the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” I look forward to sharing the good news.
This week we will think about the doctrine of humanity. No subject fascinates us more. What does it mean to be human? Are we simply advanced animals, or complex machines? What does it mean to be created in the “image of God”? I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, my fellow humans. May God renew his image in us through the teaching of the Word.
This week we turn our attention to understanding the role of God the Father in the world, the church, and our lives. When we hear the word, “father”, a wide variety of experiences and thoughts come to mind, but the Bible provides a lot of clarity on how we know the Father. Join us as we continue to look at what our church believes as we further investigate the grandeur of our triune God. In preparation for Sunday's service read Deuteronomy 32: 1-43.
Even though Jesus returned to his Father after only 30-some years, he did not abandon us as orphans. He left the Holy Spirit to comfort, guide, convict, teach, and remind us of all things he taught. We now live in the age of the Spirit. In week five of our summer series, “What We Believe,” we tackle the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
In Week Four of our summer series, “What We Believe,” we will dive deeper into the work of Jesus. We will look to the Old Testament to see how God has prefigured the Messiah’s suffering and resurrection in the familiar stories of Jonah, Daniel, and Joseph and how this impacts us today.
In Week Three of our summer series, “What We Believe,” we come to the heart of our faith—Jesus. Who was he, and how can we describe his nature as both God and man? What did he do by living a perfect life and dying a shameful death? As Charles Wesley said,
’Tis mystery all: the Immortal dies.
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
The Trinity is not so much something we comprehend, but something we experience. Prayer is the intimate place where we experience the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dr. Adonis Vidu
Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Theology
Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary
Welcome to our summer series—What We Believe. This series is based on our church’s doctrinal statement. Our goal is to remind and instruct on “mere Christianity.” That is what C. S. Lewis called the essential biblical doctrines. The word “mere” does not mean anemic or watered-down; it means basic and indispensable. God has revealed himself to us, so we listen with open ears and hearts.
We have come to the end of our seven-week series from Micah. In the last verses of the book (Micah 7:18-20), the symphony comes to a climax as Micah asks, “Who is a God like you?” Of course, the answer is “No one!” because of the grace of the covenant-keeping God. The symphony could have climaxed by lifting up God’s power or holiness, but instead Micah puts grace on center stage. Aren’t you glad that you are the recipient of God’s mercy and kindness?
As we come to the penultimate week of our time in Micah, we will look at a well-known verse (Micah 6:8) that sums up our response to the goodness of God in our lives, a guidepost to living the good life. It is easy to put comforting verses on refrigerator magnets, but in its context, it is more challenging and ultimately more comforting. In preparation, take time to read all of Micah 6 and I can’t wait to be with you all this Sunday morning to worship the Lord together.
Discipline and deliverance, rebuke and restoration. These are the themes that keep coming up in Micah and this week’s passage, Micah 5:1-5a, is heavy on the second element: deliverance. Good news! But when will God deliver us? When will God’s kingdom become all in all? Micah 5 points the way toward an answer.
Hope springs eternal!
In the middle of Micah’s relentless attack on the ungodly and immoral choices of the leaders and people of Israel and Judah, God is planning a better future. Looking back we know that future is made possible through Jesus. How do you receive warnings? How do you think about the responsibilities we have as Christians? How are we as the church participating in building a temple the nations will stream toward? Are we a blessing or a curse? Take time to read Micah 3:9-4:13 in preparation for Sunday.
In Micah 1 we learned that idolatry angers the Lord, and this sobering message continues in Micah 2. What angers the Lord? Unethical business dealings and man-pleasing prophecies. But Micah 2 has hope also, because He is faithful to His covenant.
We start the Old Testament book of Micah beginning with Micah 1:1-16. Why Micah? Because the prophet knew God, loved him, and felt his passion. Micah can help us comprehend the heart of God.
We have come to the last sermon in our parable series—the Good Shepherd—and Luke 15:1-7 is a great place to stop: with a story about our Lord and Savior, Jesus. He knows, he cares, he owns, loves, seeks, finds, and celebrates. May FCCH walk in his steps by seeking the lost and introducing them to the Shepherd.
Jesus is called many things in the Bible: door, vine, shepherd, cornerstone, and so forth. Did you know that he is also called the “firstfruits” of the coming resurrection? We will explore 1 Corinthians 15:20-26 on Easter, resurrection day!
Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week and we will gather as the church to remember and proclaim all that Jesus did for us in our Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday services. As we come to worship together, consider what is most important to you? What do you proclaim with your life, what is the celebratory focus of your soul? This Sunday we will look at the passage that follows Jesus’ parable about the narrow door and consider how we include Jesus in our lives and our hopes. You can read Luke 13:31-35 in preparation and let me encourage all of you to go out of your way to attend as many of the services this week as you can, and if possible bring others with you. We know you will be blessed by these opportunities to worship together.
“Are only a few people going to be saved, or will there be many?” That is the question that drives Jesus’s parable of the Narrow Door in Luke 13:22-30. But he turns the speculative question into personal exhortation” “Strive to enter through the narrow door.”
In the kingdom of God, the way up is the way down. That’s a bedrock fact for disciples. As Jesus says in Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector—whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Lord, help us to put off pride and put on humility!
The topic of justice is a hot topic today, and it deserves to be because it is close to the heart of our Lord. But in our concern for social justice, something may be missing—prayer. In Luke 18:1-8, the parable of the Persistent Widow, Jesus teaches us to pray for justice, pray without ceasing, pray and do not lose heart.
Sometimes a first reading of scripture can make us scratch our heads, but when we take a closer look it yields spiritual riches that inform our lives. My hope is that our learning together this Sunday will remind us of God’s priorities for serving and investing in God’s kingdom for the benefit of others and for our good. It may be a bit of a head-scratcher because Jesus tells a parable using someone dishonest to reveal God’s good plan for his followers. As you prepare, read through Luke 16:1-13. I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday.
The parable of building on rock or sand in Matthew 7:24-27 - one message, two builders, two foundations, one storm, two outcomes—that’s how Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount. Will your house stand when the storm strikes?
The expert in religious law asked Jesus to define “neighbor” in Luke 10:25-37. Was he obligated to love only the Jews, or maybe his fellow religious scholars? Just who does God command us to love? When Jesus answered, he turned the conversation upside-down. He says that we are the neighbors. We make neighbors by acting neighborly with compassion.
Jesus explains to his followers in Luke 19:11-27, that their life's mission is to attentively listen to his words and put them into practice, which guarantees that he will entrust us with the treasure of eternal life in the new creation.
This week the World Economic Forum, a meeting of so-called elite business and political leaders, is taking place in Davos, Switzerland. The increasing global wealth gap is on their agenda. On Monday, Oxfam published a report that the wealth of the world’s five richest men had more than doubled in the last two and a half years from $405 billion to a staggering $869 billion! Jesus had compassion for the poor. He also was concerned for the rich. This Sunday we will listen to Jesus’ teaching in the Parable of the Rich Fool, Luke 12:13-22. In this parable, Jesus issues an unambiguous warning and a tacit admonition – for all of us. Let us listen carefully and grow rich – towards God!
We eagerly begin our new series focusing on Jesus’ parables. Each week we will examine the way Jesus used stories and puzzles to remind, challenge, and teach his listeners about the Kingdom of God. This is the “told” part. We will also look for the ways these parables remind, challenge, and teach us today. This is the ongoing gift of our savior’s teaching, the “tells” part. To start getting your mind prepared to think through the parables, read Matthew 13, where you will see long and short parables pointing to the reality of the Kingdom of God in the person of Jesus.
Christmas has come and gone, but I hope you won’t mind thinking about Jesus again and how he humbled himself when he took a body . As the old hymn says, he “went out of the ivory palaces into a world of woe.” As we prepare to look at this on Sunday please read Hebrews 10: 1-14.
The birth of Jesus is not a story, in the sense of a narrative that is either true or fictitious, mostly told to maintain the interest of readers and listeners, to amuse, and perhaps to instruct. The birth of Jesus is told by Luke and Matthew as a historical event that took place in a specific location and at a specific time. The birth of Jesus was, for Jesus’ followers in the first century, a unique birth and the most significant birth that ever took place, a birth leading to a life and to a death and a resurrection that impacted millions upon millions of people. This is a great Sunday to invite family, friends, and neighbors to hear from our friend, Dr. Eckhard Schnabel, on this amazing event as we worship Jesus together.
People talk of the Spirit of Christmas and they mean the good cheer and kind expressions that happen around the holidays, but this Advent we have been focusing on the Spirit at Christmas, looking with fresh eyes at the role of the Holy Spirit in the Messiah’s coming. Join us this week as we see the Holy Spirit’s work in a variety of people’s lives preparing them for Jesus’ birth. As you prepare to join in worship, read through Luke 1 and look for all the places the Spirit is mentioned.
Our Advent series continues with, ‘The Spirit at Christmas: The Prophetic Overture’. In preparation for worship, please read Isaiah 11:1-5 and Ezekiel 36:24-29.
We begin our Advent series, ‘The Spirit at Christmas’ with a sermon entitled, ‘Waiting in the Wings’. We will be taking a bird’s eye view of several passages which speak to the work of the Holy Spirit in creation including: Genesis 1-2; Psalm 33; Psalm 104; Genesis 6-8; Exodus 1-2; and Exodus 14.
Friendship is one of the most important things in life. It’s also a crucial theme in the ministry of Jesus. We will think about it together this Sunday as we look into .
This week we will begin a two-part mini-series from John’s gospel on what Jesus does and says the night before he died. This week we will look at three key questions connected with Jesus washing the feet of his disciples in John 13:1-17. Please join us this Sunday to learn what those questions are…and how we can answer them.
We all face uncertainties, struggle, and change, but are hoping for peace. This search for security and peace in the midst of transitions and change is the reality of life in our world, neighborhood, and home. We trust in a variety of people or ideas to cope, but so often they can’t stand the stress test of real life. Thankfully, God has a track record we can depend on and a commitment to caring for us that is worthy of trust. If you are like me, it is easy to forget this. I hope you’ll join us as we look at Psalm 125 to be reminded of the peace that comes from putting our trust in the Lord.
As we face various trials and transitions in life, it's especially in these times that we need an unshakeable hope—something secure that we can hold onto. In this final sermon as your current Senior Pastor, I want to share a message of hope that has been on my heart. This short benediction in the book of Romans is packed with spiritual principles on how to understand the biblical dynamics of hope and experience the life-shaping power of hope. This verse is my prayer for all of us as we seek to navigate the many uncertainties and changes of life with a deep and abiding hope in our hearts.
Join us for the concluding message in our study of the Lord’s Prayer. We’ll be considering some vital principles on how to live the Christian life that we can learn from this final petition. These spiritual principles will answer common questions like —How does the gospel relate to our ongoing temptations? How do we recognize various temptations? And how does God help us to avoid temptation? We look forward to seeing you and celebrating our great Savior together!
The migration of unreached people groups to cities, seen through the lens of Scripture and God's revelation through Christ, has provided opportunities for the Body of Christ to engage in his global mission in new ways. Chris Clayman, Co-founder of Global Gates will be preaching a sermon based on Acts 17:26-27 entitled, Cities in God's Global Purpose.
We continue our series in the Lord’s Prayer and kick off Engaging Missions Week. We will consider the fifth petition and the evergreen topic of forgiveness. We’re told in Scripture (Luke 24:47) that the message of God’s forgiveness is to be proclaimed to all the nations. But what about our daily need for God’s forgiveness? This week we’ll look at how the power of forgiveness is meant to operate in the daily life of the believer, both as a gift to receive from God and a gift to share with one another and the world.
As we continue in our study of the Lord's prayer we come to the second half of the prayer which is dealing with our needs and our agenda. We’ve looked at the first three petitions which are focused on God's agenda—God's glory, God's kingdom, and God's will. Now, in light of this God-centered view of life, we come to our need for God's provision. Join us as we consider the privilege and importance of asking God for help and trusting God to provide.
Last week, we explored the nature and coming of God’s kingdom in our lives. But what does it look like for us to be kingdom-first people? The next petition in the Lord’s Prayer, “your will be done”, gives us the answer. We are called to do God’s will and model our lives after the King’s heart and the value system of heaven. Yet, how can we discern God’s will for the big and small decisions of everyday life? With all the commands in the Bible, considering God’s will can often feel overwhelming. Where do we even begin? This week we consider the two wills of God and how to relate to each of them.
When we pray, “Your kingdom come…on earth as it is heaven”, what are we actually praying for? What are we hoping will happen? What does this part of the Lord’s Prayer mean for our lives, our church, and the world? And why is praying it so important? We hope you can join us this Sunday as we consider the nature of God’s kingdom and the coming of God’s kingdom. We’ll discover the revolutionary importance of understanding and praying this second petition for ourselves and for one another.
Last week, we looked at a general overview of the Lord’s Prayer. This week we consider the first main theme of the Lord’s Prayer, God’s glory. What is the meaning and everyday significance of “Our Father in Heaven”? What are we asking for when we pray, “Hallowed by your name”? And what would it look like for God to answer that request in our lives? There’s so many transformative lessons packed into these two lines that I can’t wait to share with you.
Jesus knew the everyday value of prayer. We're told in the Bible that he would often draw away by himself to pray. His disciples saw the power and importance of Jesus' prayer life, but like all of us, they recognized they needed help. When they asked Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray," he gave them a model prayer to follow. What a gift! The Lord's Prayer is like handrails for when our prayer life loses it's balance. But it does more than that; it reassures our hearts, realigns our priorities, and restores our fellowship with God and one another. Join us this Sunday as we begin a new teaching series through this timeless and sacred prayer.
In the section of Scripture we'll be looking at together this week, Jesus encourages his disciples in the priority and practice of prayer. We'll be looking at four specific sections that center around four distinct sayings: 1) The One Thing Necessary, 2) When You Pray Say This, 3) Ask, Seek, and Knock, and 4) How Much More. Each section builds off of one another and works to encourage us all in the daily practice of prayer.
As we face this difficult transition in my ministry here, our daily need for personal and community strength is certainly accentuated. We know the Lord is our unchanging rock and source of strength, but how do we experience God’s strength in the trials of life? What threatens our strength? And how can we become stronger as a community during this challenging time? I hope you can join us this Sunday as we fix our eyes upon our all-strengthening and all-sufficient Savior.
One of the most underestimated parts of our lives and tools that we have are the words that we speak. Our words are often underestimated in the way they reveal our hearts and the way they can influence the hearts of others. So, how do we better appreciate the power of our words and learn to steward that power well? How do we speak wisely? What characterizes the words of the wise? According to Proverbs, what are wise words?
How does Jesus relate to your job? Too often times, we can look at the Christian life as very separate from our everyday work life. When this happens, getting involved in “the work of the church“ can be narrowly perceived as doing things directly related to the ministry that takes place on the church grounds or intentional outreach efforts. As important as that work is, how can we reconnect our Sundays to our Mondays? In this message, we continue in our study of Proverbs, and consider a biblical and practical theology of work.
As we continue our study in the Proverbs, we come to one of the most underrated and unconfessed sins of the heart—envy. What is envy? How do we diagnosis it? Why is it so dangerous? And what are some of the gospel remedies that we’re given to treat it?
Each week, we've been looking at a particular topic or aspect of life that the book of Proverbs highlights. In this message, we consider the heart and practice of generosity. We learn that the joyful life is the generous life. But how do you reconcile frugality and generosity? Careful saving and generous giving? Through a series of proverbs, this message seeks to tackle these questions while discovering a handful of key principles when it comes to living generously.
The lack of integrity is a growing issue in our culture today. We hear of issues with academic integrity, election integrity, journalism integrity, and so on. But what is integrity, and why does it matter so much? What is the relationship between the gospel and our integrity? In this message we continue our study of Proverbs and discover the nature, the benefits, and the hope of integrity in our lives.
Wisdom, essential to successfully walk through life, shows us morally what we should say and do. Wisdom also shows us how and what to make and create. This Sunday, we will look at the role of wisdom in the creating and sustaining of the universe and the enormous implications it has for our own making and creating.
Self-control is at the heart of the book of Proverbs; as Proverbs 16:32 puts it, “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city." Yet we often associate this self-control with drudgery or ‘repression’. Join us as we get a fresh take on self-control, and see how it is key to living a beautiful life with God, other people, and the whole creation.
Have any of you dealt with conflict this week, this year, this life? Conflict is like that annoying toilet paper stuck to your shoe. You want to leave it behind, but you don’t really want to touch it. Conflict arrives early in our lives and shapes our souls and relationships as it is related to trust, desire, and fear. We will look at some of the proverbs that give advice on how to think, speak, and act as we encounter the many faces of conflict. My hope is that we will see how our struggles with conflict are best addressed by an ever deeper trust in what God has done for us in Christ.
One of the key questions in life, and in the book of Proverbs, is—who will we trust? Will we trust in ourselves or in our God? This week, we’ll be considering one of the most famous verses in the Bible (Proverbs 3:5-6) and exploring the nature, evidence, and result of trusting God. Trust is one of the most important ingredients to any good relationship, but are we really trusting God on a daily basis? How can we tell? Join us as we learn how to trust the goodness and promises of the Lord more in our lives. -
We continue our summer series called “Gaining Wisdom: A Summer in the Proverbs” by looking at our first major topic of counsel. Our Youth and Young Adult Pastor candidate, Matt Schuberth, will be teaching on the importance and source of wise counsel in our lives. Why is hearing and heeding advice so important? How do you know who to listen to? And how do we grow in this important discipline?
Do you feel a need for wisdom in your life? I know I sure do. We begin our new summer series called: “Gaining Wisdom: A summer in the Proverbs.” As we face the complex problems of living life in a fallen world, in many cases, the solutions we need are beyond us. But the good news is that we’re not left to ourselves. God wants to give us wisdom more than we want to have it. The Lord longs for us to understand the true nature of the world, the situations we face, and to possess the skills to implement his will in those situations. Starting this Sunday, we will be looking at a key topic each week that relates to applying God’s wisdom to our everyday lives.
How can we tell if we are growing in our prayer life? One of the ways is to consider what we’re praying for. Are we "seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness" in our daily prayers? Kingdom seekers pray according to the prayer pattern that the Lord gave us. For them, the top priorities are His Name, His Kingdom, and His Will! Then comes "our daily bread." While our “daily bread" is important and essential for life on earth, too often we can get stuck there. Join us this Sunday as we grow in the practice of praying "God-sized" prayers. - Uncle George, Founder of Good News for India.
This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday when we remember the Holy Spirit’s presence to fill us with the life of Christ and give us spiritual power to speak and serve like Jesus. Maybe you haven’t considered the Holy Spirit’s work in your life because you are feeling weighed down with all of life’s decisions, struggles, doubts, and sins that seem to crush us. It doesn’t have to be this way! Come be reminded that trusting in Jesus frees us and gives us rest.
We’ll be studying one of the most interesting characters and encouraging stories in all the Bible. We’ll consider King Nebuchadnezzar’s surprising turn to God, how it happened, and what this can teach us about the nature, importance, and development of humility in our lives.
Does God really see my needs? Does God really care? Will God really provide? How do we grow in our faith in the faithfulness of God? These are the questions that we often find ourselves asking as we navigate the perplexities of life. On this Mother's Day, we'll tackle these questions from the famous, yet often misunderstood story of Abraham and Isaac. Please join us as we consider the life-changing promise that the Lord will provide.
The Bible speaks a lot about our conscience. But if you were forced to describe the conscience and how it works, what would you say? How do we live with a clear conscience? What can we do if we have a guilty conscience? What's the difference between the voice of the Holy Spirit and the voice of conscience? Should we let our conscience be our guide? These are just some of the questions we'll be seeking to answer as we consider the vital subject of the conscience.
Just as God is a "God of Hope", so we as his people are to be "People of Hope". At this time in history, when our society and much of the world is experiencing uncertainty and anxiety, we are both the recipients and the benefactors of Hope. Our hope is not by the power of positive thinking. Rather, it is based in the character of our sovereign God, made real to us by the power of the Holy Spirit, and characterized by joy and peace. Our lives are meant to serve as signposts pointing to a greater reality, a once and future Hope!
With the joy of Easter still lingering, join us as we revisit what encountering the risen Jesus brings into our lives. As followers of the risen Jesus, we'll see how our fear is transformed into joy and how our joy results in peace. When these things are living realities in our lives, we'll want to tell others about the authentic joy and lasting peace that we have found in Jesus.
If you hang around Christian circles for any length of time you may hear the phrase “walking with God”. Someone may even ask you, “How’s your walk with God?” But what does all that really mean? How do you take a walk with someone you can’t even see? Join us as we unpack this important subject of “walking with God” and explore the nature and day-to-day dynamics of having a close relationship with God. The personal God of the Bible wants us to experience fellowship with Him.
Pastor Jeremy shares on Reawakening to God’s Grace focusing on the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
Join us as we contemplate the redemptive suffering of Christ for us. Pastor Jeremy and Pastor Kevin share on Reawakening to God’s Forgiveness touching on the heart, justice, and power of God’s forgiveness in our lives and how we can extend that same type of forgiveness to one another.
There are moments in life when it is good and right to pause and reflect upon significant events and to celebrate their meaning and implications. Our Christian Holy Week is certainly one of those times. The word ‘holy’ means set apart. This week in our calendar year is set apart to intentionally commemorate and celebrate the gospel of Jesus together.
When I was little, I often wondered what Palm Sunday was all about. It was fun to get palm fronds, to think about Jesus riding on a donkey, and to remember him as our humble King, but for the longest time I missed the real day-to-day significance of this yearly celebration. Join us as we continue our Lenten series and rediscover the theological importance and several practical implications of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
We all have plans and rely on our intuition, experience, and abilities to pursue the life we see for ourselves. This is the way most of our friends and family live as well, but we all run into the same problem. We have limited understanding, limited time, and limited power to accomplish all we desire. This week, we’ll look at one of the gifts the gospel gives, access to God’s vision for the world and for us. He is not limited in the ways we are, so understanding what he sees will help us to love him more, and to pursue the better life he sees for us. Reawakening to God’s Vision reorients our lives to see a different and better way to be every day.
We all need help in life but where do we find it? Too often we live as if we’re alone in this world and left to face our problems without the availability of God’s divine help and resources. But this is not the picture of reality that Jesus paints for us. Over and over in the Gospels, he describes God as our loving heavenly Father who is willing and eager to lift us up and empower us for the task at hand. Join us as we continue our Lenten series and seek the Lord for a “Reawakening to God’s Help."
It’s no secret that we live in a time where the Bible is either actively rejected in our wider culture or just passively ignored, even by professing Christians. But what happens when we become reawakened to the truth and power of God’s Word? In every revival, or period of profound spiritual renewal, the Bible begins to be read and taken seriously again. Join us as we consider one of Jesus’ most challenging stories with the goal of jarring us into a more reverent attention to the Scriptures.
It is in our very makeup as human beings to point out greatness and to celebrate it when we see it. As we continue our Lenten series, we’ll be looking this week at the story of Mary’s extravagant anointing of Jesus. What was it that led Mary to this beautiful act of devotion? How do we, like her, become awakened to the greatness of Jesus? And what can we expect when we do? Join us as we seek to behold the greatness of Christ together.
What does God get angry about? Does anger fit in with his character? Does God use anger in our lives in any positive ways? How do we see anger expressed in our world? What do we do with our anger as Christian people? These questions might lead to some surprisingly fruitful discoveries that shape our concerns and actions as we follow Jesus.
One of the images of suffering that we’re given in the Bible is “going through the valley.” In the valley it’s easy to lose heart and lose our way. In the valley it’s easy to feel abandoned by God. In the valley it’s easy to feel angry at God and all alone. Peter knows this, and like a faithful pastor, he counsels us and guides us in a handful of ways to experience God’s grace as we go through the valleys of life. Join us for our final message in our 1 Peter study, “God’s Grace in the Valley."
There is no shortage of books, podcasts, and other resources available on the subject of effective leadership. It can be a bit daunting knowing where to turn and who to listen to when there are so many differing opinions and strategies. Thankfully, we can always turn to Jesus. As we near the end of our 1 Peter study, Peter draws upon the shepherding heart of Jesus and teaches us some key qualities that makes Jesus’ leadership so effective. Join us as we learn to lead like Jesus.
It can be easy when you’re criticized for following Jesus to feel social shame, to feel discouraged and begin to retreat. What do we do when our faith is mocked by others and we’re socially rejected because of it? Peter knows that in these moments, too often Christians can live with a defeated victim mentality and begin to lose heart. Join us as we consider some key guidelines for shame resilience and how to lean into these moments with courageous joy.
What are your main priorities in life? There’s no way around it. If we want to effectively manage certain areas of our lives, then we need to ascertain and uphold the appropriate priorities. The same goes with caring for one another well. With all the distractions of life, how do we give focussed and influential care for others? Join us this week as we continue our study of 1 Peter and discover the three priorities of Christian interpersonal care.
This week let’s think about humble hospitality as it relates to the generosity and welcome we receive from God and extend to others. Jesus shares, around a dinner table, key instructions for our hearts and hands to challenge (in the best of ways) each of us in the year ahead.
The holidays are a time of gathering, gift-giving, and…baked goods. We sometimes think of these – especially the last one -- as purely secular matters, but we will see that the Bible is a lot more interested in baking than you might imagine.
Life is full of decisions. Each day, you and I are faced with mundane and momentous decisions that can significantly impact ourselves and the lives of others. When confronted with what to do or not do, we all want to make wise decisions. But how do we do that? This Sunday, as we begin a new year together, we’ll look at the life of Moses and discover some universal biblical principles in wise decision-making.
When you think of eternal life, what comes to mind? The tendency is to simply think of eternal life as an existence that goes on forever. But is that all that God offers to us in Christ? Just a permanent existence beyond death? What about the here and now? On this Christmas Day, we’ll look at the final part of John 3:16 and discover the meaning and experience of eternal life, the new life that Christ came to bring.
In our world of sad news, bad news, scary news and critical news, the good news of God’s love for the world is so needed. But what type of love does God give to us? What is God’s love? How can we spot it? Model it? And how can this love change our lives and world? Join us on this fourth Sunday of Advent as we look at John 3:16 and discover “The Love God Gives.”
The season of Christmas is often described as the season of joy. But why is that? And what is joy? How does joy differ from happiness or pleasure? And how does the birth of Christ offer us a joy that can survive the worst of times? Join us this Sunday as we consider the Advent theme of joy and learn how to experience a “Joy before the Resolution".
On the second Sunday of Advent, we consider the gift of peace. The word ‘peace’ is used by people from all religious backgrounds and walks of life. After all, who doesn’t want peace? Peace is one of those things that characterize a wonderful life. But what is peace? What are the different types and aspects of peace? And most importantly, how does the arrival of Jesus and his work in our lives bring an increase of peace as God promised it would. We hope you can join us this week as we remember the significance of peace and rediscover how to experience the increase of peace in our lives and world.
Join us as we consider how we as Christians influence our world. Our guest speaker will share insights from Christians in other countries to help us recover a biblical approach to life and ministry that is more interested in the fruits of the Spirit than worldly success.
We all need encouragement. We all need a fresh imparting of courage and resolve to handle the various trials of life. But where do we get it? As we continue our study of 1 Peter, we’ll rediscover the unshakeable source of encouragement that we have in Christ. Join us as we learn how to draw upon the resurrection life of Christ to face our everyday struggles in the Christian life.
Last week, we looked at the recipe for the good life. As Peter continues with his instructions for Christian living, he now gives us the recipe for handling mistreatment. How do we winsomely handle unfair criticism or intellectual challenges to our Christian faith? How do we face unjust suffering in a way that points people to Jesus? Join us this week for another one of Peter’s recipes for effective gospel living.
Are you living the good life? How can you tell? Advertisements suggest that better possessions, better circumstances, or better experiences are the key to living the good life. You just need to own this, or experience this, and then you'll live life to the full. But if that’s the case, then why are so many people who seem to have everything still miserable? Join us as we pick up our study of 1 Peter, and discover God’s recipe for living the good life. It's not a secret recipe! It’s published and available for anyone who wants to try it.
Refugees are just a part of many vulnerable communities in our midst who are some of “the least of these” that Jesus calls us to care for. How we care for “the least of these” will someday be affirmed by Jesus. It may surprise us, because we did not even recognize these acts of kindness as anything out of the ordinary, nor that it was in a way, Jesus himself! Whether here, or on the other side of the world, caring for “the least of these” is often the first step towards sharing “the reason for the hope that is within us” (1Peter 3:15). If we want to reach the world for Christ, we need to consider how to care for “the least of these” whom God has brought to our doorsteps.
When you discover the joy of knowing God and receiving God’s grace in Jesus, you want others to have the same experience. But what do we need to effectively reach others for Christ? Especially in this time where secular humanism is influencing so much of our culture and world, what do we need to effectively advance the gospel? Join us this Sunday as we kick off our Engaging Missions week by considering this critical question.
One of the unique things about the gospel is that it is all-encompassing—it relates and speaks to all of life. This includes the common relationships within human society. In this message, we continue our study of 1 Peter and discover how the gospel is meant to shape the husband and wife relationship. Moreover, we’ll look at the importance of encouraging and empowering women in ministry.
Dr. Sean McDonough considers the hope of reconciliation in the Old Testament accounts of the feuding sons of Abraham and Isaac who come together to mourn and bury their respective fathers.
There is a fear among many people, that if they say “yes” to God, they will lose their freedom. This is the exact opposite of what Jesus offers us in the gospel. In fact, for those who change their mind about Jesus and follow him, the result is more freedom, satisfaction, hope, and security. Join us this Sunday, and if possible bring a friend, as we look at this parable from Matthew 21:28-32. Until we meet, trust the Lord and serve him with all your heart.
Join us this week as we conclude another chapter in our study of 1 Peter. I’ve titled the message, “The Cross and Spiritual Formation,” because Peter teaches us a significant meaning and purpose of Jesus’ cross and also provides helpful imagery for understanding our spiritual growth—a daily rising, repairing, and returning in Christ.
As we return to our study of 1 Peter, we consider the beautiful but difficult call to follow Jesus down the path of selfless, others-first living. Peter reminds us that this path will often involve unjust suffering, but it is a suffering that can be purposeful and redemptive in people’s lives. Join us as we grow in our practical theology of suffering in the service of others.
Emotions are an important part of being human. And finding church to be a safe harbor to bring our emotions in, is critical to our spiritual well-being. But how can we understand our emotions and handle them in healthy ways? We don’t want to play on the emotions or downplay the emotions. We don’t want to make the emotions all-important, but we don’t want to make them unimportant either. How can we legitimize our emotions without succumbing to emotionalism and manage our emotions without reverting to stoicism? Join us as we learn about two critical aspects of emotional health from King David.
How do we practice the presence of God at work? As apprentices of Jesus, how do we face the various difficulties of work with his heart of deep respect and godly wisdom? How can a Christian begin to see their work environment as holy ground? Join us as we continue our study of 1 Peter and discover how to effectively and spiritually engage the everyday challenges of our working lives
How can Christians make a positive difference in our post-Christian culture today? What can we actually do to bring the truth and beauty of God’s kingdom into the spheres of authority and influence we find ourselves in? And what is the role of the church as it relates to our government, laws, and political leaders? Join us as we continue in our study of 1 Peter and rediscover an often neglected approach in the pursuit of making a positive difference.
How well do you know yourself? There is much talk today on discovering your most authentic self. But how do we go about that self-discovery? And what do we do about the things that we see in ourselves that need to change? As we continue our study of 1 Peter, we come to a verse that sheds profound light upon the nature of fallen humanity, the internal struggles that every Christian experiences, and the one hope for lasting change.
It’s been said that one thing you can always count on in life is change. Our lives are filled with small and significant changes and transitions. During these times, how do we experience a sense of inner stability and abiding peace? We’ll be taking a break from 1 Peter this week, and walking through the 23rd Psalm together. This psalm is not particularly a funeral psalm; it’s a transition psalm. It teaches us how to navigate change and what we can expect from the Lord through every transition in life.
There is so much talk today around the subjects of identity and purpose. Who am I and what am I here for? Where do we get our sense of self and sense of call from? In our culture of identity confusion, how do we go about identity formation? And what difference does God make in all this? As we continue our study of 1 Peter, we run right into the subject of our identity and purpose as the church. Our passage this week will help us to consider how the grace and calling of God shapes the way we think about our identity and purpose in life.
How do we face rejection? All of us, at different moments in our lives, experience the pain of rejection. Once this happens, it’s easy to allow the fear of being rejected again to paralyze us and to keep us from doing or saying what we know we should. How do we handle these moments, especially as it relates to the rejection that can come because of our faith in Christ? As we pick back up in our study of 1 Peter, we discover some key liberating principles for facing and handling rejection in our lives.
There is much confusion in our world. Confusion abounds equally on the international, national, state, and local levels. If we add to this our own personal and internal confusion it is easy to see how mistrust, conflict, anger, and disinformation abound. What we need more than new ideas and new solutions is true wisdom. Wisdom is grounded in knowledge, experience, and truth. Paul’s encouragement to the Colossians to experience the rich encouragement from knowing Christ and relying on his wisdom is the most relevant message for us today.
We are Christians because we belong to God the Father and because we are committed to Jesus Christ, to the proclamation of the gospel, and to loving our fellow believers and our neighbors, even our enemies, irrespective of their ethnicity, nationality, or language.
We live in a time where the very foundations of our Christian faith are being severely questioned. One of the things that is being questioned and reconsidered by many is the nature and role of the church. Why should we bother with the church? What unique role does the church play in our world today? Join us this week as we continue our study of 1 Peter and rediscover the precious and permanent nature of Jesus’ church.
Life is hard and the entanglements, trials, and difficulties can weigh us down and cause us to become very weary. We’re often told to “read your Bible,” or “get in the Word” in order to help. But how do we do that with real effectiveness? How do we spend time with God and receive the spiritual nourishment we need? As we continue in our study of 1 Peter, we’ll be considering several principles of spiritual nourishment and how to apply them to our lives.
NOTE: We apologize for the poor audio quality of this recording. Our regular feed went down so we needed to use the backup recording that was captured by a phone.
Part of our mission statement as a church is “growing in the gospel.” But what does that mean? What exactly is the gospel and how does it practically change our lives? What's the difference between Christian growth and your average self-improvement program? How do we make sure that we are growing in the gospel? Join us as we continue our study of 1 Peter and explore these vital questions together.
Something we hear a lot today is the expression, “Love is love.” As catchy as that phrase is, it doesn’t help to define what genuine love actually is and practically looks like. As Christians, we believe that real love finds its source in the very being of God, is exemplified in the life of Jesus, and is defined for us in Scripture. Join us this Sunday as we continue our study of 1 Peter and consider the relevant and critical question, “What is Christian love?”
Faith and fear can be very counteractive. Where faith is freeing, fear is crippling. Our passage this week, delves into the opposing natures of these two forces, and shows us how our faith can free us from the storms of fear that so often rage across our lives.
What comes to your mind when you think of holiness? What does a holy person look like? In our culture today, the words ‘holy’ or ‘holiness’ can have a negative connotation. For many, living a holy life isn’t just seen as a dull thing, it’s seen as a dangerous thing because it means three things—I retreat from the world, I lose my freedom, and I sacrifice my happiness. As we step back into our study of 1 Peter, we find the opposite to be true. Join us as we discover a positive view of holiness.
We use the word ‘scapegoat’ all the time, but few people know that the term comes right out of the Bible. Tracking down how we got the word is a fascinating quest, and one with surprising relevance to your everyday life.
A special message from Dr. Patricia Batten, professor of preaching and Associate Director of the Haddon W. Robinson Center for Preaching at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. She’ll be sharing on the new paradigm for greatness that Jesus gives to us and how that should shape our everyday lives.
Pastor Jeremy shares at Spring Men's Breakfast on the struggle with sin and the difficulty of the Christian life using the metaphor we find in Hebrews on running a race.
How do we explain the current state of humanity? How do we begin to explain the state of our own souls and personal struggles? How do we discover our true authentic selves? These are just some of the questions we'll be considering as we continue our study of 1 Peter. We’ll be looking at the Christian’s inner conflict between the new self and the old self. How can we better understand the conflict and how can we begin to win it?
If the Christian life is a different life, then what makes it so different? What are some of the key principles that characterize the new operating system of a Christian? As we return to our study of 1 Peter, we find ourselves in a new section—a section on Christian living. I’m very excited to share some of the essential dynamics of living the Christian life that we find in this section.
In times of great pain and loss, we can often feel abandoned by God. How can we know for certain that God is with us? And in what ways can we expect Him to draw near and help us?
In times of great pain and loss, we can often feel abandoned by God. How can we know for certain that God is with us? And in what ways can we expect Him to draw near and help us?
In times of great pain and loss, we can often feel abandoned by God. How can we know for certain that God is with us? And in what ways can we expect Him to draw near and help us?
On Palm Sunday, we focus our attention on the kingship of Jesus. But if Jesus is King, why is the world in the mess that it is? The suffering that we face in this world raises many questions. And one of those questions and cries of our heart is, “Where is God?!” In a world where God can seem so distant and detached from our pain and suffering, are there any beams of hope to light our way? Join us as we start our Holy Week teaching series, with our first question - “Where is God in our world?”
The term ‘salvation’ has fallen on hard times. Many people today can tend to view the Christian message of salvation, or our universal need for salvation as a primitive way of thinking. In our self-sufficient culture, being ‘saved’ can feel unnecessary or a cop-out for our irresponsibility. But in our passage this week, we’re going to see how the story of salvation is the most up-to-date and transformative message we could ever hear.
Christians are people who “walk by faith and not by sight.” Our faith is not contrasted with reason; it’s contrasted with sight. A few ways this works itself out is our love, faith, and joy in the unseen Jesus. Love, faith, and joy—these three characteristics are meant to mark our lives as Christians but what do they really mean, and how can we grow in them? These are the subjects and questions we’ll be exploring together as we continue our study of 1 Peter.
In a world of a thousand things that can lead us to grief, how can we journey with grief and also take joy along with us? Can grief and joy actually hold hands and coincide? Join us as we continue our study of 1 Peter and discover how we can journey through the difficulties of life with both grief and joy beside us.
What assurance can a Christian have in confusing and difficult times? One thing we’re meant to have is the assurance of our salvation—the assurance of God’s love and the grand future that awaits us. But in reality, many sincere believers find themselves at times doubting their salvation. In the midst of personal failures and outside pressures, we can often wonder if God still loves us and if we’ll persevere in faith. Join us as we continue our study of 1 Peter and rediscover how every Christian is “Safe in God’s Keeping.”
As we begin Lent and celebrate communion together, we will look at how Jesus is enough. Many times in our day to day lives we forget the impact of all that Jesus accomplished and we may falter in seeking him, but when we meditate on all that he has done it draws us to worship and trusting dependence.
One of the key motivational truths that we come across in the Bible for living the Christian life is the great inheritance that is set before us. Yet, we often misunderstand it or tend to underestimate the liberating power this can have in our lives. What is this inheritance, and how should it shape the way we live on a day-to-day basis? Join us this Sunday as we continue our study of 1 Peter and discover the freedom and hope that comes from being heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.
As we approach the two year mark of the pandemic, as we brace for yet another international crisis, and with so much uncertainty surrounding our environment and economy, not to mention the daily grind of life, it can be easy to lose hope. Thankfully, what Jesus offers us is a hope that both transcends our circumstances and transforms the way we face them. But what is this Christian hope and how can we experience it? Join us this Sunday as we continue our study of 1 Peter and discover the hope to carry on.
What does it really mean to become a Christian? All throughout the Bible becoming a Christian is compared to the personal and dramatic experience of physical birth. Becoming a Christian means experiencing another kind of birth. But what does this mean and how can this description help us to better understand the Christian life and the unique difficulties we face? Join us this Sunday as we continue our study of 1 Peter and consider the new life we’re given from God.
How does our Christian faith and relationship with God make a difference in times of trouble? What do we need as we face the demands and difficulties of life? As we start again in 1 Peter, we’ll be looking at the benediction at the beginning of the letter and the resources of grace and peace that abound to us through prayer.
We often think of the story of Zacchaeus as something that's just for children. But if we pay close attention to it, we will see that this short story about a little man packs a big punch.
Isaiah ministers to a kingdom and people who are confused and fearful. It sounds a lot like many in our world today. It may even sound like us at FCCH. What are we to do with these feelings and the vast concerns that weigh on our hearts and minds? We will look at Isaiah’s call to ground our response to life’s challenges in the character and presence of the living God who has power and authority over all.
In this message, we consider a classic passage together regarding the vital importance of our personal trust in the Lord. Do we really trust Him? How do we know? What does it look like to trust the Lord as we face another year of a thousand and one uncertainties? And what effect can that trust have upon our lives and others?
How do we experience hope when life is hard? What is God calling us to in the midst of social pressure, suffering, and pain? Join us this Sunday (whether in person or over the livestream), as we begin our study of the consoling, inspiring, and hope-filled letter of 1 Peter. In the introductory verses, Peter highlights three key truths that we need to remember as we journey through this fallen world.
What do we really need as we face the challenges of another year? What do we need and how do we get it? Join us this Sunday as we begin the new year by seeking God’s fullness together. We’ll be studying a vital Christian prayer from the book of Ephesians and learning what it means for our everyday lives.
Please join us this Sunday as we close out the year by looking at the subject of regret. It’s easy to look back upon our past and feel some level of regret over certain things that we have done or left undone. How do we learn from our past but not live in the past? How do we let go of regret and step into the future that God has for us without the weight of our past mistakes? The Apostle Paul will teach us the two things we need to overcome regrets.
In this final message in our Advent Series, “Christmas with Mary", we consider Mary’s song, known for centuries as the Magnificat, and discovering the profound spiritual lessons it can teach us. Too often, we struggle to experience an abiding joy in the face of life's problems. In this message, Mary helps us to magnify the Lord and to sing for joy together.
This week, we’ll be looking at Mary’s visit with Elizabeth and how their time together is a model for authentic Christian community. What are the marks of real Christian fellowship? How can we build a stronger sense of this community in our church? How can our lives intersect throughout the week in a way that stimulates our joy and strengthens our faith? Mary and Elizabeth can teach us a lot.
On this second Sunday of Advent our reading is focused on faith and we will see how faith plays out in Mary’s response to the call to bear the Messiah. It is a wonderful moment in history and also a great example for us to emulate as we align the priorities of our soul with God’s priorities.
In this sermon, we kick off our Advent series by looking at the two parts to Mary's gift - the gift of God's grace and the gift of God's Son. What is grace and how should the grace of God shape our lives? How do we, like Mary, courageously identify with Jesus when it's hard?
"Going Beyond Gratitude" What’s the difference between gratitude and thanksgiving and why does it matter? This week, we’ll be considering the story of the ten lepers and what they can teach us about how to respond to the goodness and grace of Jesus in our lives. We hope you can join us on this special Sunday before Thanksgiving.
Sometime ago I was speaking with a younger gentleman who had just become a Christian and he asked me a very pointed question. He asked, “Why is being a Christian so hard? Why does it seem like it’s so difficult to follow Jesus in this world?” His question is a common one and I’m convinced it’s become more common today because in order to convince people to join the church or to become a Christian, many people try to present following Jesus to be as easy as possible, a sort of “easy-believism” that doesn’t cost us anything. This week, we’ll consider the incredible value and the personal cost of saying yes to Jesus.
It’s no secret, one of the results of the pandemic has been a rapid decline in church attendance (both worshipping in-person and remotely) and in overall church-life involvement across the country. More and more people seem to be looking upon the church as either irrelevant to their walk with God or just not that important. So, it begs the question, what’s so great about the church, and why does our involvement in church-life really matter? How can each one of us build a vibrant church community?
On this Reformation Day Sunday, special guest Dr. Paul Copan speaks to us about the priesthood of all believers. We’ll rediscover the treasure of having the Scriptures in the language of the common people and be encouraged to see how every honest vocation can be pleasing to God and seen as an act of worship.
How can we nurture a heart for God and a heart for missions when we lose heart? How can we affirm our commitment to the Lord when it seems like everything around us is giving way? In this message, guest preacher, Pastor Julian, teaches us how the Lord’s mercy, power, word, and glory can strengthen our resolve.
We’ll look at the Apostle Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” and discover how God wants to use our weakness to reach the world for him. Join us this Sunday as we learn how to face the painful, unpleasant, and often debilitating areas of personal weakness with God’s strength and hope in our lives.
Isolation. Loneliness. Alienation. Especially in this time of social distancing, what do we do when we feel like we're all alone in the world? Even when we’re surrounded by lots of people, we can still be lonely. How do we handle the weight and grief of loneliness? This week, we’ll look at another famous story of grief and hope and what it can teach us about our stories.
To be human is to experience shame. To different degrees, every person is fighting a battle with shame. Shame is a universal experience, but what exactly are we experiencing? Moreover, is there healing for our shame? In this message, we’ll be looking at Jesus’ encounter with the Woman at the Well and learning together how Jesus begins to heal us and free us from our shame.
No one gets a pass on grief and we all feel the burden of loss. Sometimes we don’t know how we are going to get through and it seems like God has abandoned us. We’ll look at someone who endured great suffering, but ultimately found hope in a God who never forgot her.
There are times in all our lives that call for courage. In the second part of our series, “Grief and Hope: Stories of Suffering and Endurance,” we consider the grief of religious oppression and the need for courage. We’ll be looking at the story of Daniel’s three friends and the fiery furnace and seeking to learn from them the path to true courage.
In this message, we look at the story of Joseph and learn how to face the bitter grief of betrayal with forgiveness and peace in our hearts.
In the final message of the series, Overlooked Vices, we consider the seriousness of laziness. What is laziness and why should we take it seriously? We’ll be looking at the wisdom of Proverbs and, of course, the gospel of Jesus to grow in our diligence and to develop a biblical theology of work and rest.
In this message, we consider the vanity of people pleasing. What’s the difference between vanity and pride? How do we live to serve others without making their approval an idol in our lives? In this message, Jesus comes to our rescue and teaches us how to properly channel our universal need to be noticed.
In this series, we diagnose the first of three overlooked vices. If we aren’t careful, each of these vices can quickly become the “sanctified sins of any church.” They can become issues in our hearts or communities that we allow to go unchecked. This week, we’ll be unpacking the danger of complaining. What is the difference between complaining and lamenting? Why is complaining such a big deal in the Bible? And how can we be delivered from a complaining spirit?”
Worship is not limited to what we do on a Sunday morning. Worship, which means serving God, is dedication to God, commitment to the will of God, and the experience of the presence of God in everyday living. We worship the one true God as he transforms our way of thinking with the result that we no longer live according to the values of secular society but according to his good and perfect will.
The gospel of grace is meant to radically transform the community of God. Grace messes with us in the best possible way. But how so? In this message, we conclude our study of James by looking at three ways that God’s grace personally changes us and then transforms the culture of any church
Suffering raises questions. Difficulties in life always raise difficult questions in our hearts and minds that can challenge our faith in God. In the midst of so many unanswered questions, how can we remain steadfast and endure? How can we develop hearts that are patient under trials? In this message, we continue our study of James and discover the nature and source of Christian patience.
We've been hearing week by week in our study of James that he wants to show Christians how the gospel is meant to shape our everyday lives. Following James' warning against striving for control through our planning, now in James 5:1-6 he issues a similar warning against trusting in wealth. If we fear this word from James about our finances, we can take heart in the Good News of God's grace for us in Jesus: Just as the gospel challenges us, it also frees us to pray with the psalmist, "See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:24). In this message we invite God to transform us through His Word!
How should our view of God and life affect the way that we make our choices and plans? Is it possible to know God’s will for our lives? In this message we rediscover how we should relate all our decisions and plans to the providence and direction of God.
If the church is a garden of grace, what are the weeds that will keep our garden from blooming as it should? In this message we learn of two weeds that must be continually pulled for our garden to grow healthy and be a blessing to others. What are the weeds, and why should we do everything we can to remove them?
When someone becomes a Christian, they experience a new longing to join together with other Christians in a particular church. But what are we joining when we join the church? There are many critical questions being asked today about the nature and role of the church in the world. What is the church’s relationship to the people in the world and the pattern of the world? In this message we rediscover the unchanging role of the church in our ever-changing world.
When someone becomes a Christian, they experience a new longing to join together with other Christians in a particular church. But what are we joining when we join the church? There are many critical questions being asked today about the nature and role of the church in the world. What is the church’s relationship to the people in the world and the pattern of the world? We continue in our study of James and rediscover the unchanging role of the church in our ever-changing world.
Prayer is hard. In fact, prayer is so hard, that many of us only pray when there’s a significant problem we’re facing in our lives. What are some of the key things that makes prayer so hard and how do we overcome them? How do we discover the freedom and joy of an intimate prayer life with God? We continue our study of James and learn how to understand and overcome the two main pitfalls when it comes to prayer
Conflict is inevitable. Quarrels and fights amongst one another are the result of the Fall, but what causes these conflicts to spring up and persist in the first place? As we continue in our study of James, we discover the causes and cures for the conflicts in our lives.
Our world is in desperate need of wisdom. But what is true wisdom and how do we determine if someone is really wise? As we continue our study of James, we examine the marks of true and false wisdom and learn how to develop true wisdom in our lives.
In this message we take a closer look at the way we speak and the words we use. This has great application today, because our words can be amplified and have long lasting effects through video and social media posts. As you can imagine there is a lot that can be said about our speech and how we use it, but in preparation for Sunday consider this one question for your life, "How does living out the gospel govern my daily speech and the things I communicate? We will be looking at James 3:1-12 and you can also reread James 1:16-27 to be reminded of earlier themes.
In this message we will be considering one of the problems that is plaguing the church today: empty professions of faith—individuals claiming to believe in Jesus but denying that claim by their lives. As someone put it, “This is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” So, what does genuine saving faith look like? How can we tell if we have saving faith in Jesus or not? What’s the proper relationship between our faith and our works?
In this message we explore the challenging question of the relationship between judgment and mercy. In a confrontation between the two, who wins? James 2:8-13 will give us some surprising answers.
As we live in the world but not of the world, what are some of the unhealthy cultural norms that we need to be careful to avoid? Partiality hits the top of James’ list. In this message we learn what it looks like to build a healthy community by avoiding the pitfall of favoritism and partiality.
What does it practically look like to be a doer of the word? How do we break free of just “going through the motions” of religion and start living a life that's on fire for Christ? In other words, what does it look like when your religion becomes real? In this message we continue our study in James and discover the three keys areas of life where Jesus always brings about a profound change.
How can you tell if you’re personally receiving the Word or not? In this message we’ll be continuing our study of James and looking at James 1:22-25. We’ll be considering the most fundamental test of Word reception—our actions. Who are we? Are we hearers who forget? Or hearers who act? Listen as we learn about the importance and blessing of putting God’s Word into practice.
In this message we will be looking at James 1:21 in more depth. We’ll be considering the second key attitude in approaching God’s Word—expectancy. Are we coming to the Bible with a spirit of expectancy? And if so, what are we expecting it to do? What should we expect? Listen as we rediscover the power of God’s Word in our lives.
In this message we turn our attention to the subject of God’s Word. Just as James taught us how to appropriately approach the trials of life, now he’ll teach us how to appropriately approach the Word of life. How do we make the most of our engagement with God’s Word? How do we approach the Bible in a way that transforms our lives?
All too often, Christians imagine that the book of James is just an endless series of do’s and don’ts. In this message we will take a deep dive into James 1:18 and see that James’ emphasis on obedience flows from an even greater emphasis on the transforming grace and love of the good and giving God.
Temptation is a deceptive trap that is difficult to overcome, but it can be overcome! Through the mind-renewing truth of God’s Word and the new I AM power that resides in each believer, we can learn to overcome the power of temptation. In this message we discover some key principles in the fight against temptation.
Temptation is common to all of us. Because of our fallen humanity, each of us experience temptations from within and temptations from without. And understanding the deceptive dynamics of temptation is part of growing in spiritual maturity. In this message, we continue our study of James and learn some key truths about how temptation works.
James revisits the theme of how we face trials in James 1:12. Doesn’t that seem appropriate in our experience? We continue to face trials of “various kinds”, so we probably need to think about it more. In this short passage, we are taught that going through trials is a true struggle, but not without purpose and even blessing. How can this be and how do we know it to be true?
What does it look like to apply the wisdom of God to our changing circumstances? In this message, James offers us two basic case studies on how to apply the wisdom of the gospel to our everyday lives.”
What do we need to face trials with joy? We need wisdom. But wisdom is much more than knowing a bunch of facts and information. In this message, we continue our study of James and learn how to gain the wisdom we need to appropriately navigate the trials and complexities of life.
Trials are an inevitable part of life in a fallen world. Naturally, we ask ourselves, how do I avoid the trial, remove the trial, or get out of the trial. But what if there was a better question that we should be asking—how should I face the trial? In this message, James teaches us how to face the various trials of life and to do so with joy.
In this introductory message to the book of James, Pastor Jeremy explores the theme of servanthood and what it means to be a servant of Jesus.
Doubting various doctrines and aspects of the Christian faith is more common than Christians would care to admit. We are all prone to wander and we are all prone to doubt. Therefore, the question is not if we will doubt, but rather, when we do, how do we deal with our doubts? In this message, we learn how to wrestle with doubt and come out on top.
What is Christian faith and how do we walk by faith? As we prepare to walk (or crawl) into another year, we must prepare to walk by faith. But what does that even mean? How do we understand and grow in our faith? In this message, we explore the rationale and importance of walking by faith.
What truths can we rely on in the chaos of life? What can we turn to in order to get a sense of stability when everything seems out of control? In this message, we learn once again from the life of Joseph on how to face the unexpected difficulties of life. We'll be studying Luke 2:1-7 and being reminded of God's mysterious sovereignty and the hope that this doctrine is meant to bring to our hearts and lives.
As we focus on the joy of the coming of Jesus, we have to wonder if Joseph felt this joy at all? Confusion at unexpected news and a call to do hard things were his reality. In the third of our four-part series, we see how Joseph models bearing the cost of following God even without the whole picture.
In the second week of our "Advent series, Christmas with Joseph," we consider the wisdom of Joseph. What do we do in the countless situations where the rules don’t apply? We need more than moral principles and character; we need wisdom. In this message, we learn why we need a God-given perspective for our lives and situations and how we can get it.
Joseph wasn’t ready for Christmas. In fact, the baby Jesus turned Joseph’s neat and tidy world totally upside down. But how did Joseph respond? This Advent we’ll begin by looking at the conduct of Jospeh and how he inspires us to do the right thing in the right way, and also how he points us to the One who did all things well.
What was the essential mission of Jesus while he was here on this earth? Our understanding of God’s mission through Jesus is meant to reshape our understanding of God’s mission through us. In this message, we conclude our series “Rethinking Christianity” by remembering our mission as the church in this world.
God calls us to obedience. But the type of obedience matters. So, how can we tell if we're thinking about obedience and practicing obedience in a healthy way? In this message, we continue our study, "Rethinking Christianity" by looking at the elder son in Jesus' parable and "Rethinking Obedience" together.
It seems like more and more people are down on the Christian church. One reason for that could be that the church has lost it's unique calling and attractivness. In this message, we consider the Father's House in the parable as a compelling picture of the church. What can we learn about the nature of the church from the welcome and joy of the Father's house?
What is grace? In this message, Pastor Chelsea explores the nature and dynamics of God's grace for us in Jesus and explains why it matters.
In the third part of our series, we'll be “Rethinking God." In this message, we study the Father’s surprising actions that give us a window into the merciful heart of God for the lost.
In the second part of our series, we’ll be “Rethinking Repentance." In this message, we discover the nature of true repentance and it’s daily relevance for our lives.
This series is a verse-by-verse study of Jesus' famous parable in Luke 15 of the Father and Two Sons. In this opening message, we begin by "Rethinking Sin." We see how Jesus breaks through our superficial definitions of sin and artfully depicts and diagnoses the root problem of sin in a way that clearly leads us to the remedies.
Prayer is hard. And if we're honest, even for seasoned Christians, prayer still raises many questions. This message explores some of those questions, and looks at how the prayer of Jesus can help us.
Followers of Jesus are not spared from the storms of life. However, we are given and taught several things that will enable us to face any storm with courage and hope in our hearts. In this sermon, we discover some key lessons that will help us to make it through the stormy seasons of life.
Christian love is a unique kind of love. The love that renews us, and in turn, renews the world around us, is the self-giving redemptive love of Christ. But how do we come to know and then walk in the love of Christ? What are the day-to-day dynamics of Christian love?
The resurrected Jesus appears to his disciples and teaches them several things about what awaits them and about what's important. This message explores the critical theme of sharing the gospel with others.
The Christian life is a life of faith. But what does this really mean and look like in the real world? This message explores the theme of faith and how to walk by faith in a world of changing circumstances, moods, and opinions.