Fir Road Christian Church: Recent Episodes
Fir Road Christian Church
Welcome to the weekly sermon podcast from Fir Road Christian Church! We are striving to be a church that is all about Loving God and Loving People.
Though we sing about a silent night that ushers in Christs Birth, we read in Revelation that in the spiritual realm the night was anything but silent.
Christmas Carols hold a special place in our hearts and minds during the Christmas season. This week we look at the story behind Joy To The World to discover its deeper meaning and how we can have Joy even in the challenges of this season.
In chapter 12, Nehemiah leads the Israelites on a march of joyful praise and worship to the temple, along the way we learn the purpose of worship through their approach to worship.
Nehemiah leads the Israelites in the signing of a covenant to God to live holy lives, and give Him their best.
God is amazing. When we pray to him humbly - admit our failures and repent of our sins, he shows us his compassion, mercy and grace time and again. In Nehemiah chapter 9, we see God’s amazing love extend to the repentant nation of Israel.
Nehemiah and the rest of Israel are challenged by the reading of God’s Word, it sparks a revival. If you want to experience a spiritual revival too, make a commitment to read God’s word.
In Nehemiah chapter 2 we learn how he took time to rest and pray before his investigation, getting cooperation, and showing the determination to push forward with the project despite opposition.
Who is someone that God would put someone in your life that is 'Far from Him, but close to you." or someone that 'Is hurting that you can help". Our challenge was to B.L.E.S.S. your neighbors. (Begin to Pray, Listen to them, Eat with them, Serve Them, Share God love and Story with them)
Self-control is a crucial trait for Christians to develop in their lives. As followers of Christ, we are called to live a life that reflects the values and character of our Savior. This gift is the ability to control one’s thoughts, actions, and emotions. We as Christians need to develop it if we want to live a life that is pleasing to God.
This weeks message focuses on the Fruit of the Spirit, Faithfulness. We are reminded that people are faithful to those they trust. And we were encouraged and challenged to be as Faithful to God as Moses was as we live out of lives guided by the Holy Spirit.
This week we learned how God is a patient with us because of his love for us and his desire to have everyone come to salvation. It should be our desire extend that patience to others.
In a world that longs for peace, where is it to be found? As followers of Christ, our lives should be ruled by peace—but that is often not the case.
Instead of pursuing the Happiness the world has to offer we should be pursuing the Joy God offers through the Holy Spirit.
Our missionary Gregory Ohrenberg, representing Pioneer Bible Translators from Vanuatu delivers an insightful message about the process he went through to translate the passage on baptism from Romans 6.
Tom Nutt from GNPI brought our message for our missions emphasis month on the topic of Others. A great reminder that we can experience J.O.Y. when we put Jesus and Others before ourselves. Good News Productions International has used that philosophy to teach people around the world about Jesus.
VERYTHING IN SCRIPTURE POINTS TO JESUS - AND BECAUSE OF THAT EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES SHOULD POINT TO JESUS AND THAT SHOULD FIND WAYS THAT OUR WOLRD TO POINTS TO JESUS TOO
This week we look at the final level of Transforming Discipleship. The challenge Jesus leaves his followers three imperatives : Go, Baptize, Teach. All things we are challenged to continue to do today as Disciple Makers.
In Mark 8 Jesus, in what is one of the most challenging steps in discipleship, asks his disciples to advance to the next level (four) of following him, to deny themselves and take up their crosses.
When Jesus called his disciples they put their lives into the hands of a skilled master everything changed for them as they EXPERIENCED A Transformational Discipleship process like nothing ever experienced before.
IN THE SECOND LEVEL OF TRANSFORMING DISCIPLESHIP JESUS USED THE “COME AND FOLLOW ME”
METHOD TO REACH PEOPLE. He called people Ready to observe AND IMITATE who JESUS WAS.
Jesus used different levels of disciples making. Today we look atN THE FIRST : THE “COME AND SEE” METHOD. USED TO REACH SEEKERS HUNGRY TO FIND OUT WHO JESUS was AND ANSWERING THE QUESTION:
IS JESUS REALLY THE LONG-AWAITED MESSIAH.
One day a year we are reminded that following the darkness of Good Friday is Easter Sunday.
Easter Sunday is a day of reminder for us that there is hope that can be found in the darkness.
God has chosen the church to be part of something amazing. The growth of his kingdom through us. As a church we have the opportunity to create something better together. A place where we are intentionally grafting people into the loving relationships that God desires, so that we can contribute to the growth of God’s kingdom.
God created us with the needs of Affirmation, Adoration and Attention. This week we look at why those needs are not being met by todays current culture and how our church will be better when we are able to meet those needs in our church family.
God desires us to grow in community because he knows that his church is better together in heart mind and soul. This week we look at two more things that destroy relationships and two things that build them up.
God desires us to grow in community because he knows that his church is better together in heart mind and soul. This week we look at two things that destroy relationships and two things that build them up.
Our lives were designed to be community projects. We weren't created to be independent, autonomous, or self-sufficient. We were made to live in a humble, worshipful, and loving dependency upon God and in a loving and humble interdependency with others. This week we look at how our lives are better together.
Early Christians were challenged to show their faith through by what they did.
THIS IS AN EXPECTATION THAT CONTINUES FOR US TODAY. GOD DESIRES FOR PEOPLE TO GO OUT AND INVITE ANYONE AND EVERYONE TO RESPOND TO THE GOSPEL MESSAGE.
As we cultivate our Faith, we have to learn that God is waiting for his children to dream of solutions to the problems in the world. And maybe God wants to use you in a way you’ve never, ever even thought. To use you to make a significant difference in the world in some part of the world. In this message we are challenged to pray and ask God “What’s Next?’
Your life is actually shaped by your commitments. We become whatever we are committed to. If you don’t commit yourself to anything you become nothing in life. You’re shaped by your commitments. To make an eternal difference I must join with others on mission. God has a life mission for your life and you can only do it in the context with others.
Today we learn about God’s laws of planting and harvesting. We are called to plant seeds every day and every where.
If you ignore the laws of sowing and reaping in your life it’s going to hurt you. It will harm you. If you wisely use the laws of sowing and reaping in your life you’re going to be blessed by it.
WE ALL HAVE TO MAKE THE CHOICES OF HOW WE WILL LIVE OUR LIVES :
With just 24 hours in a day, but countless options and opportunities of how to use them. In all our decisions we need to remember that God has given us this life, and we have the responsibility to live it out the best way possible.
In the story of the feeding of the 5000, Jesus uses an unsolvable problems to do miracles. He has the capability to turn a little into a lot. Thats true in our lives too, and like the boy in the story, we just have to give him what we have and let him multiply it.
++ This week we concluded our service with a Cultivate Faith Campaign presentation. ++
God desires for us to take steps in Faith that keep us growing, sowing, and going. THESE STEPS OF FAITH ARE FOCUSED ON TRUSTING IN GOD because God has a plan and a purpose for us and we believe that God is going to do his will in us.
In last weekend’s message, Jacob Taylor taught how to see with eyes of faith instead of eyes of fear. Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
This week we look at the gift of Jesus that God gave to us. Of all the things God could have given to us - he gave us Jesus - because our greatest need is forgiveness and salvation. Jesus is the only gift that gives us those.
The concluding message of this series where we’ve discovered the secrets of how God sees our treasures and wants us to use them to be a blessing to us and to others. We take the time to look at our standard of living and our standard of giving.
In Matthew 6:19-24 Jesus teaches us to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven. And ultimately people who spend their lives moving away from their treasures have reason to despair. And those who spend their lives moving toward their treasures in heave have reason to rejoice.
The example of giving in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 teaches us that giving is an evidence of God's grace in our lives and how we can have an abundance of Joy when we live out the Treasure Principles
We start off this Series by examining our approach to money and possessions, which is central to our spiritual lives. Jesus reminded us that whatever treasures we store up on Earth will be left behind when we leave and whatever treasures we store up in Heaven will be waiting for us when we arrive.”
"The Parables of Jesus" This week we looked at a parable of the net where Jesus teaches about about real results of what will happen one day when the time comes for everyone to be gathered, and separated into those who are part of the kingdom and those who are not.
This week we looked at a parable of the leaven in Matthew 13:33. In it Jesus uses the illustration of the rising bread to teach about the growth of God’s kingdom. We learn from it, several different characteristics of what we should expect God’s kingdom to do and how we can be part of it.
This week we looked at the parable of the midnight visitor; that contrasts how people view and respond to our ‘ask’s’ to how God views and responds to our ‘ask’s’. God wants to give us the good gifts we ask for. We also look at the greatest gift we should be asking God for.
This week we look at the Parable of the Growing Seed in Mark 4:26-29. It is a reminder that God’s Kingdom will experiences uncontainable growth. And as his kingdom workers there is a key for us to be part of that growth.
This weeks message we continue to look at our vision of Growing Together and how through Tending Needs of others we can be the church that is humble and hospitable in the ways God desires us to be.
As a church our vision statement is Growing Together. One way that we are going to be intentional about growing together is through the idea of CULTIVATING ROOTS. It’s our vision to have a church that develops deep rooted disciple makers through careful attention and training.
As we look to the future of the church we lay out the vision of being intentional about grafting people into our church family through care and connection.
In this message we explore the example of serving others Jesus established during his ministry. We also look at the reasons we place an emphasis on serving our community as a community of believers.
This week in our Pilgrimage to the Holy Lands we traveled on the Via Dolorosa where Jesus endured shame, suffering, and became our sacrifice so that we could have salvation.
This week in our Pilgrimage to the Holy Lands we traveled to Caesera Phillip where Jesus went out of his way with his disciples to go to this part of Israel with a dark history linked to dark acts of worship. Jesus affirms his Messiahship and proclaims that his future kingdom, which we are part of, will conquer the darkness.
This week in our Pilgrimage to the Holy Lands we traveled to Capernaum where Jesus spent a majority of his ministry. We look at the differences between the truths taught by Rabbi’s and His Truth and the difference that makes in the lives of people then and now.
This week in our Pilgrimage to the Holy Lands we focused on the MIKVAH’s that are found in Israel, we journeyed through the Old Testament and and God’s use of story and symbolism to help us understand baptism and why its something that is important to us as Christians today.
As we continue our pilgrimage through the Holy Lands we make a stop at the hills of Bethlehem where so much history has happened and examine the repeated theme in this area of people whose stories started in the outer reachers but were brought into the center of important stories that are central to our faith and the way we live.
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, and revolves around visiting either sites significant in the Bible.
While we are on our pilgrimage it’s easy to focus on the places. But a big part of the journey is learning to focus on the people.
In JESUS’ ministry and pilgrimage he saw into people. Beyond what was easy to see. JESUS Saw PEOPLE WHO NEED HIS LOVE !
As followers of Jesus on a similar journey, WE ARE COMMISSIONED BY JESUS TO SEE PEOPLE THE WAY JESUS SAW PEOPLE - THERE ARE PEOPLE WITH LIVES FULL OF STORIES : WE JUST HAVE TO TAKE THE TIME HEAR THEM : SO WE CAN HELP THEM SEE THE GOD WHO CAN HELP THEM!
It’s fascinating to see all the parallels and how the ministries of Elisha points forward to the time when the will of God would be revealed uniquely and fully through the person of Jesus Christ. In this weeks message we look at the way Jesus was called to be like Elisha, and how we are called to be like Jesus.
Naaman comes to Elisha to be healed of leprosy. We are reminded through this story that at times we need to be patient enough to go through God’s process to experience his promise.
In 2 Kings 4:8-17 we lean about the story of a Shunamite woman who had compassion of Elisha and took care of him during his travels, eventually Elisha was able to repay her kindness with a miracle child. In this message we learn to look for the needs of others and fill them.
In 2 Kings 4 we read about the story of a woman who is focused on the things she doesn’t have after losing a lot. Elisha helps her to see, and use what she does have. God then does a miracle of turning what little she has into a lot.
In 2 Kings 3 Elisha is asked to rescue three kings who have gotten themselves into some trouble. Through Elisha, God gives instructions to dig ditches and wait. In this sermon we explore what happens after they are given those instructions. From this story we learn how we need to respond when God gives up instructions - even if they don't always make sense.
The week we look at 2 Kings 2:1-15 and focus on Elisha's request for the double portion of the Spirit of the Lord before he is taken up. The question we leave with is what 'Double Portion' type prayers will you ask God for.
This week our guest speaker is David Weaver from Koinonia Christian Campus Ministry - MSSU.
Our celebration of Jesus doesn't have to be a once a year event. Let's strive to celebrate and shine our lights for Jesus all year long.
God has shined his light on each of us and our goal should be step back and reflect that light to the world around us.
We can learn some important lessons on shining our lights from the gifts given to Jesus by the Magi.
This Christmas season let's remember that Jesus is the true Light that came to save a dark world.
During this holiday season it is important to know and understand that It is possible to be joyful, prayerful and thankful in all seasons of life because of who you are in Jesus.
We are facing a spiritual battle. It's a difficult battle but God gives us the tools we need to send Satan scurrying.
Not all wisdom is true wisdom from God. James shows us the difference between true wisdom and false wisdom.
Our words can be powerful in both positive and negative ways. God wants to help us use our words to positively impact those around us.
Favoritism and judging others is not something that Christians are immune from. We all need to realize that we may have blind spots in these areas.
We don't look at a mirror and immediately forget what we look like. In the same way, we shouldn't read God's word and forget to do what it says.
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There is a lot of confusion about who Satan is. We will dig into God's word to discover the truth about Satan and Demons.
There is a spiritual battle going on that we can't see with our eyes but we need to understand and be aware of.
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Jesus instructs his disciples to be Ready for his return because no one knows when that day will come. We also need to make sure that we are ready for that day.
Jesus and his closest followers arrive in Jerusalem and things quickly become very intense.
Jesus begins his final journey to Jerusalem but his closest followers still have many lessons to learn.
The disciples continue to learn valuable lessons about Jesus. Lessons that apply to us as well such as "How to Be Great."
Jesus was much more concerned about we people looked like on the inside than what they looked like on the outside.
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We can learn a lot about Jesus and a lot about our own hearts through his his method of telling stories that we call parables.
When we begin to fully grasp that God is "For" us, the next step is to help those around us realize that God is completely "For" them as well.
Attachments area
The church is often known for What is Against. What if the church was known for what it is for? It starts with knowing that God is For Us.
It is important to work through the incredible struggles that Jeus went through on the road to the cross to help us prepare for the eternity changing Resurrection.
Jesus often found himself in a battle with the religious leaders as he presented the Truth.
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Being a blessing to others means stepping up to the plate in many ways including through our finances.
Blessing others is part of the DNA that God made us with and it helps bring meaning and purpose to our lives.
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Christ followers need to realize that it is isn't all about them. It's about doing our part to help expand the kingdom of God.
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Thanks for joining us live on Sunday at 10:15!
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2020 has been difficult and caused a lot of worry for everyone. In Matthew 6, Jesus puts our worries into prospective.
Humility is a natural by-product of being close to Jesus.
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God wants his people unified and working together and that unity will be a great example to the world.
God has offered the lifesaving gift of his grace. It's the best gift that could ever be offered to a world that has been separated from God through sin,
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God can Make Radical Changes in our lives when we are willing to completely surrender to Him.
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Sacraments are difficult to understand, but this is the issue we get into with sacraments, we want to fill ourselves up with head knowledge, but that's just not what sacraments are.
Sacraments are meant to be felt. To be experienced tangibly. TO be mile makers we can look back to a remember, but remember with all our senses. Baptism is a beautiful offer from Jesus to experience His grace. Why wouldn't we say yes.
Love means so many different things in the English language. In this episode we'll take a look at what God's love is truly all about.
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Thanks for joining us live on Sunday at 10:15!
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Thanks for joining us live on Sunday at 10:15!
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Sermon by Gerard Mondestin
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Thanks for joining us live on Sunday at 10:15!
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We all love to share Good News. The New Testament Gospel is the Good News of Jesus Christ and we should be excited to share it with the world.
God wants to use each of us to help accomplish his mission of making disciples of Jesus.
There is an intense spiritual battle going on in our lives, but the good news is that "if God is for us who can be against us."
Election and predestination are deep and rich topics that lead us to the conclusion that God has invited everyone to His party. We just need to accept the invitation.
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Thanks for joining us live on Sunday at 10:15!
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Jesus teaches that living good and godly lives starts with our hearts not just our outward actions.
People have always been on a search for happiness. Jesus teaches that happiness comes in very different ways than most would expect to find it.
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Thanks for joining us live on Sunday at 10:15!
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Thanks for joining us live on Sunday at 10:15!
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Thanks for joining us live on Sunday at 10:15!
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1) What makes you most nervous about the Coronavirus?
2) Can you think of a time in your life when everything seemed out of control?
Prophecy is extremely important to the Bible and helps us see God’s hand throughout scripture. We’ll see how prophecy shows the hope of God through the coming Messiah which was ultimately fulfilled through Jesus.
We all have a desire to be happy. We'll take a look at what true biblical happiness does and doesn't look like and how we can find that happiness.
No matter what happens in our culture, or what direction politics turn this year, we can rest in the fact that Jesus is still King.
God used Moses in some incredible ways in the Old Testament, but ultimately he was part of the journey that led towards Jesus Christ coming into this world as the perfect Savior.
God has used covenants throughout the history of mankind. The ultimate covenant came through the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ. This covenant is offered to everyone who is willing to accept it.
Everything was perfect until it went terribly wrong. Sin has devastated our world, but God had a perfect plan through Jesus. The Bible is also full of help in dealing with and overcoming temptation.
Being made in the image of God is an amazing honor and privilege. We'll take a look at some of the traits that we share with God and set us apart from the rest of creation.
As we kick-off our year we peek into God's incredible creation. He created the world and everything in it including you. We'll take a look at various descriptions of God's amazing creation throughout His Word.
We all have a unique circle of influence. This message is a challenge to make a list of people within your circle to share the message and love of Jesus with during 2020.
True peace and joy can only come through Jesus. We'll take a look at how they are both an integral part of the Christmas story.
Passion can be defined as strong and barely controllable emotion. We will take a look at Paul's passion for Christ and be challenged to look at our own passion level.
As we begin our Advent journey we will focus on Biblical hope and how it leads us to expectantly wait for both the birth of Jesus and the future second coming of our Savior.
Being thankful to God is pretty easy during the good times but Paul urged the church in Thessalonica to be thankful in any situation. We'll take a look at how this is even possible.
David was a passionate warrior for God. Followers of Christ will do well to follow his example and be passionate warriors for Christ.
Our passion for God can show itself in many ways. We'll take a look at the amazing behind the scenes passion of Priscilla and her husband Aquila.
In the imagery of a grape plant Jesus compared himself to the vine and his people to the branches. The branches need the vine to be able to produce good fruit. We will look at how important it is to stay connected to Jesus.
Jesus' amazing claim of being the way, the truth, and the life came in the midst of his concern and preparation for his disciples and he continues to prepare a place for every one of His followers.
We live in a world of life and death, the joy of life and the agony of death. Through the story of Lazarus we see that through Jesus we can experience spiritual victory over death.
A good shepherd protects and even lays down his life for his sheep and that is exactly what Jesus is willing to do for every one of us.
This week Jesus makes the comparison of being the gate in which the sheep (people) must go through in order to experience eternal protection. There is no other way into the sheep pen.
The contrast of light and darkness is a continual theme throughout the Bible. Jesus made the claim that he was the light. Let’s explore what Jesus meant by making that claim.
Imagine eating a food that would fill you up forever. It seems crazy, but that is what Jesus claimed. What did it mean and how can that claim have an eternal impact on each of us?
You are never more in line with God’s will than when you are serving Him. We’ll flesh out that statement in what it looks like to serve God in our everyday lives and as a part of the body of Christ.
Inside the box thinking is that everything in the church is sacred, and everything outside the church is secular. Outside the box thinking is realizing that every moment of our lives is supposed to be set apart for the worship of God.
The message of the cross is foolishness. If our lives make perfect sense to those who do not know Jesus, we are probably doing something wrong.
If we are going to change the world, we have to break some of our own religious rules. This week, Dan explores how Jesus reached out to the lost by sharing meals with the very people the church was trying to cast out.
Dan looks into some Scriptural principles about why communication is important, and how we should be communicating with encouragement and love.
A look into deep love from a Savior who chose us. Presented by guest speaker Gerard Mondestin.
Guest speaker Mark Hart talks about how important mothers to the Kingdom of Heaven and the course of history.
As we learn to love, honor, and respect others, we in turn, will learn how to better love, honor and respect God.
We are all a part of some kind of family. This series is going to be all about how to do family better, and we kick off our series with a few words of advice on how to have a better marriage.
We wrap up our series on Revelation Easter Sunday with the knowledge and hope in knowing that someday soon, God wins!
All of Revelation is pointing us to the fact that God wins, and that ultimately the final and perfect Salvation is coming.
Revelation 12 pulls back the curtain for us on the Spiritual Warfare that is happening all around us. We have to be filled with God's Truth if we want to know the schemes of the Devil.
In the face of all kinds of trials and perils, the call from John in Revelation is to be bold. The trials will end someday, but for now, we must be bold.
Chapters 6 and 7 of Revelation talk about the different types of suffering that we will experience on earth until the return of Jesus.
As we start this series through the Book of Revelation, it is important to understand how to properly read the Apocalyptic style, taking the intended audience into consideration.
Together, we celebrate everything God has done in the past and will do for all eternity!
We believe that God can help us in any situation, but sometimes we still need help with our unbelief. In this sermon, we hear testimonies from some of our own congregation about how God showed up in their biggest moments of need.
Do you ever feel like God isn't present, or doesn't care about the desires of your heart? Where have we lost hope and lost heart? The promise of Scripture is that God is always speaking, we just need to learn to listen.
When we have control of our finances, we can finally have the freedom to give generously--in a way that changes the lives around us.
We can never have the type of freedom in life we desire if we remain trapped in debt. But if we can break free from the chains of debt, we will be able to lead more generous and impactful lives.
If we want to be able to serve God to the best of our abilities, we need to learn to avoid the typical traps and pitfalls so many of us fall into with our money.
During this time each year, people tend to make resolutions. Goals to strive toward for a better life. But what about your relationship with God? What specific action are you going to take to move forward this year?
The biggest miracle of Christmas is that God came to be with us - "Emmanuel." Senior Minister Dan Toney looks at the reactions of all major players in the birth story of Jesus in this final sermon of our holiday series.
We've almost made it to Christmas! This message from our holiday series focuses on Gabriel's announcements of Jesus' birth to his earthly parents, Joseph and Mary.
In His infinite wisdom, God the Father sent a messenger to go out before Jesus to prepare the hearts of the people for their coming Messiah. This sermon explores the miracles of the birth and ministry of John the Baptist.
Youth Minister Jordan Andler teaches about the story that God had been carrying out from the beginning, culminating with the birth of Jesus.
This sermon finishes out our two-part series called "The Big Decision." Today's message talks about the importance of baptism within the life of a follower of Jesus.
This short, two-part series covers the basics of becoming a follower of Jesus and how the culmination of the process is baptism.
Do our religious choices really matter? Can we worship whatever god(s) we want or live in any way we desire and still end up in the same place as everyone else? Senior Minister Dan Toney addresses these questions and more in our final message from the series.
We live in an age of moral relativism. "It's OK for me to (some kind of questionable action) as long as no one gets hurt." But the truth is that sin is sin. Our actions do matter and sin has consequences: earthly consequences and eternal consequences without Jesus.
It's one of the most common statements that people use when someone is facing a crisis, but did God actually say He would never give us more than we can handle?
Have you ever been accused of saying something that you didn’t say? It’s frustrating, isn’t it? Or maybe, somebody twisted your words to say what they wanted them to say. Also very frustrating. It happens all the time. We see it in politics on both sides of the aisle every day. Sometimes when our words are misrepresented, we just have to let things go. People are going to think what they want to think. We know what we said, and hopefully, the truth will come out one day. But sometimes, we have the chance to clarify our words and set the record straight. Those times feel good.
God has spoken to us through His word, the Bible. It’s all right there in black and white (and red if Jesus said it). But even though it is written down for us, there is still the temptation to twist His words around to say what we want them to say. How do you think that makes God feel? He is probably frustrated just like we are when our words are twisted around. And in a culture that is more and more Bible illiterate, it seems that God’s words are getting twisted around more frequently. That’s not a good trend.
In October, we will be going through a sermon series called “God Never Said That.” We will look at a few statements that people often claim are in the Bible, but God never actually said. Overall, we will be emphasizing how important it is to know what God really did say in His Word.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit means to fully allow the Spirit to be in control of your life. This final message in our series talks about living every day with the fullness of the Spirit in our lives.
Every single person is important and has a significant role in the body of Christ if they are willing to let God use them. As 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) says, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others..."
Youth Minister Jordan Andler preaches the second message in our series on the Holy Spirit.
Many Christians treat the Holy Spirit like a tiny magician who lives in their pocket to pull out any time they want a magic trick. But in reality, the Holy Spirit does what He wants, when He wants, where He wants, how He wants, without your permission.
We think we understand God the Father pretty well. We think we understand God the Son pretty well. But if we are honest, many of us are a little confused or intimidated by the Holy Spirit.
In this first message of our Holy Spirit series, we begin to get a fuller understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers.
Our last message from this 2 Timothy series sums up everything in the letter to one phrase: stay close to Jesus.
"A sin is a sin, no matter how you dress it up."
Paul advises Timothy to run from sin and pursue the right things in the text featured in this message.
A Christian who isn't in community with other believers is like a single building block: they aren't able to be used to their full potential. We are created to work together, to share one another's burdens, and to worship our God with one another.
More people have access to the Bible today than at any other time in history combined, yet biblical illiteracy is on the rise. Are you a person who struggles with reading scripture? Dan gives some reasons why studying God's Word is important and offers tips for getting the most out of your study time.
Paul uses three metaphors in 2 Timothy chapter two that show us how to live out our faith.
Senior Minister Dan Toney shares some Dos and Don'ts to keep in mind as we boldly share our faith in everyday life.
When Paul wrote to his dear friend Timothy, he encouraged him to stay strong in the midst of difficulty. In this kickoff to the series "Finish Line Faith," Senior Minister Dan Toney preaches from the book of 2 Timothy to give us a pep talk of our own.
Mark Hart finishes our "All in the Family" series by reminding us that Jesus is with us in the storms of life.
Jordan Andler preaches about a few of the life-changing experiences that happened at Camp Como this year. Como has become a bit of a "sacred space" for many, and those places are important because they are where we meet God.
Fir Road Deacon, Chris Skiles, brings the first message in this series preached by three men within our congregation.
We close this sermon series by looking at what hypocrisy is (and isn't), what Jesus said about it, and how to overcome it.
Many of us immediately think of singing in church as worship time, but God wants us to worship Him with every moment of our lives.
Just like the early church in Laodicea, indifference often plagues the American Church. It's time to re-light the fire and excitement for following Christ.
We look at the actions of a few elite soldiers that served David in this message that was preached on Memorial Day weekend.
Hear the story of one of Jesus' disciples through this first-person testimony of Peter. Jeff Barringer plays the apostle.
God's love is not something only to receive, it is something to pass on to others. In 1 Corinthians 13, we see fifteen key traits for those who are ready to pass on the baton of God's love to the world around them.
Most people can identify a few key moments in their lives that have shaped how they see themselves. Youth Minister Jordan Andler reminds us that, no matter what we've done or what's been done to us, Jesus is waiting to step into our story and redefine it in light of eternity.
When we pray "God, send me," we are speaking a prayer of availability. We are asking God to open our eyes to needs that happen around us every day.
This is the final sermon of our "Dangerous Prayers" series. We hope this has been a powerful group of messages that has challenged you in your prayer life.
In Week 1 of this series, we asked God to search us. Now, Week 2 finds us asking God to break us.
"The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God." -- Psalm 51:17 (NLT)
Consider asking yourself this week: How does God want to "break" you?
What thoughts make you anxious or afraid? Are you afraid of losing your job? Are you afraid that you'll always be stuck in an unhealthy marriage? Are you afraid of the future? Afraid of failure? Of success?
Some fears can block or even cripple your relationship with God. When you ask God to search your heart, you may find that the anxieties and fears that are brought to light are things you haven't really given over to Him.
No matter what style of parenting you've chosen for your family, there are some things you can do to help your children grow up in the knowledge and grace of God.
Did you realize that there were two earthquakes associated with the death and resurrection of Jesus? At the death of Jesus, it says, "...the earth shook and the rocks split." (Matt. 27:51b). And then on the day that Jesus rose from the dead, it says, "There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it." (Matt. 28:2)
God still wants to get our attention. He doesn't always use physical earthquakes, but that doesn't mean He isn't trying to shake us up. Ephesians 5:14 says, "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you."
What about you? Is God trying to get your attention? Is He saying, "Wake up, O sleeper?"
In the final chapter of Joseph's story, we see how he chose to reconcile with his brothers, once and for all. Even though they were responsible for turning his life upside down, he still found the capacity to forgive. We round out this sermon series by considering how God calls us to make things right with others, just as Jesus enabled us to live in a right relationship with God.
We return to our series about the life of Joseph with a focus on surviving a spiritual drought. All of us experience "dry spells" in our faith. Senior Minister Dan Toney gives us some tools we can use when it seems like God isn't moving.
We are taking a break from our current series to hear a message from Alan Wan. Alan is a representative from Good News Productions International.
People let us down. Sometimes, it may seem like God is letting us down. In this sermon from our series about the life of Joseph, Youth Minister Jordan Andler reminds us that God is always there, weaving our lives into a bigger story of redemption for the world.
When faced with temptation, what was Joseph's response? How can you shield your marriage from infidelity? What can you do to survive a broken relationship?
Each of these questions is addressed in this message, which is the second one in a series about the life of Joseph.
We dream about a lot of things as we go through our lives: our careers; our spouse; our kids. God made our minds to dream, but rarely do our dreams completely intersect with reality. Dreams are broken along the way.
But often, we can see how God was at work and how He was with us through those broken dreams. We can usually see that He had an even better plan for us than we ever dreamed.
For the next several weeks, we will look at the life of Joseph. His life was filled with all kinds of heartaches and broken dreams, yet through it all, God was working. We begin today by looking at broken families.
In this last sermon of the series, Senior Minister Dan Toney looks at the story of the adulterous woman who faced stoning.
Many Christians disregard the Old Testament when looking for examples of God's grace. Senior Minister Dan Toney helps us see that God has placed pictures of His grace throughout the Bible, including the Old Testament.
Senior Minister Dan Toney kicks off a new series with a question: why do we need grace?
Over thousands of years, countless people have risked or given their lives to pass down the words of the Bible to future generations. Even if you don't believe what it says, it is undeniable that in all of history there has never been anything more produced, more controversial, and more shaping of culture than the Bible. So why don't we spend more time in scripture, devouring this precious gift that so many sacrificed for us to have? Youth Minister Jordan Andler preaches on this topic.
For the last sermon of 2017, Senior Minister Dan Toney looks ahead to the new year. We are again challenging people to consider a word or phrase for the New Year, based on the book "My One Word" by Mike Ashcraft.
Many of us are OK with reading the story of Christmas but not genuinely experiencing it or living it. Jesus came for so much more than a good story for us to remember fondly; He came to rewrite the trajectory of our story entirely. How do we experience everything Jesus came for? Youth Minister Jordan Andler looks at Isaiah 9:6 and what it has to tell us about Jesus.
Big things capture our attention, don't they? Something extravagant was expected for the birth of the Messiah, but that is not the way that God made it happen. Why? Senior Minister Dan Toney looks at how God's upside-down way of doing things "small" has made a huge impact on the world.
Jesus was not the kind of king that Israel thought they were going to have as Messiah. This message examines who the Jewish people anticipated and how Jesus challenged their thinking.
This final sermon from the series "God Can Use Everyone" introduces us to Priscilla and Aquila, a married couple who were instrumental in helping Paul with his ministry in the early church.
Onesimus was a slave that made some poor choices before coming to know Christ. This sermon examines Paul's words to Philemon, the former owner of Onesimus, in the third message of the series, "God Can Use Everyone."
The Bible doesn't record a single word of Tabitha (also known as Dorcas), but God used this woman mightily. See what we have to learn from this largely unknown disciple of Jesus in this message from the "God Can Use Everyone" series.
Many of us know Barnabas from scripture only because he traveled with Paul, but we can learn a lot from him. This first message of the series, "God Can Use Everyone" examines the life of Barnabas.
We wrap up this Sermon on the Mount series with the story of the wise builder and the foolish builder. How do we live our lives like the wise man, choosing to build our faith on the Rock?
This passage from The Sermon on the Mount talks about false prophets and how we can tell whether someone is speaking for God by the spiritual fruit that their lives produce.
Sometimes, we tend to say we are waiting on God to reveal Himself to us, but Jesus instructs us in this section of the Sermon on the Mount to actively seek God.
"Ask... Seek... Knock."
Our series on the Sermon on the Mount continues with a message from Andrew Trotter, a Sophomore in Preaching Ministry at Ozark Christian College.
"Do not be anxious...; consider the birds of the air...; seek first His kingdom..." This section of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount contains some beautiful imagery and powerful lessons. Senior Minister Dan Toney preaches on Matthew chapter 6.
"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -- Matthew 6:21 (NIV)
Where is your focus? What do you treasure? Dan explores the idea that we are wasting our time if our money, time, and energy are solely devoted to worldly things.
Jesus emphasizes the importance of fasting in the Sermon on the Mount. What are the benefits we may find from taking up this spiritual discipline?
What does Jesus teach about prayer? Minister Dan Toney looks at The Lord's Prayer as we continue our series on the Sermon on the Mount.
We might not like to talk about our money, but we must if we choose to pay attention to the things Jesus taught. Nothing gets between Jesus and His people more than their money. Our Youth Minister, Jordan Andler, talks about what a generous life can do for us and for the world.
Pastor Dan Toney teaches on the last three sections of Matthew 5 in this sermon series about the Sermon on the Mount.
This sermon examines the first three statements from The Sermon On The Mount that begin, "You have heard it said..."
- Anger
- Adultery
- Divorce
For more information about Fir Road Christian Church, please visit firroadcc.org.
We continue the series on the Sermon on the Mount.
Our apologies - the personal testimony given during this sermon was not recorded due to technical difficulties.
This sermon kicks off Fir Road's new series, "Best Sermon Ever," studying the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. The Beatitudes are the focus of this message.
The third and final week of our series on Haggai shows us how God blessed His people as they chose to finally obey Him.