Calvary St. Cloud: Recent Episodes
Calvary Community Church
We exist to create more and maturing disciples of Jesus Christ. Listen to biblically sound sermons from Calvary Community Church in St. Cloud, MN.
As Calvary is in a challenging season, facing threats from outside the church, and plenty from within that could be cause for offence. Let us join David in the kind of prayer he offers in Psalm 141, lest we leave a wake of hurt, pain, and sin behind us.
In the three short verses of Psalm 133, David asks the people of God to behold the blessing that comes from dwelling together in unity. May we experience how good and pleasant this can be as our Calvary family!
Sin unconfessed will consume. Confession leads to forgiveness, protection, promises, and praise.
Psalm 46 wonderfully helps us behold the Lord of Hosts, the God of Jacob, who is our Helper amidst all kinds of trouble. Because He is our helper we need not fear, we can trust the power of His Word, we can behold His works, and we can be still before Him!
God is our light, salvation, and our stronghold. Therefore we do not need to be afraid. We can pursue God in His word and prayer. He is a Personal God who will help us in our trials and when enemies attack. God will be with you IN the waiting, so we can wait with patience and steadfastness.
As the fledgling church of Jesus begins to gain ground and grow, just three years into its existence, it faces the departure of its shepherd. The disciples are understandably troubled and afraid. And in a series of conversations, Jesus delivers parting words of comfort, promise, and encouragement.
As the fledgling church of Jesus begins to gain ground and grow, just three years into its existence, it faces the departure of its shepherd. The disciples are understandably troubled and afraid. And in a series of conversations, Jesus delivers parting words of comfort, promise, and encouragement.
As the fledgling church of Jesus begins to gain ground and grow, just three years into its existence, it faces the departure of its shepherd. The disciples are understandably troubled and afraid. And in a series of conversations, Jesus delivers parting words of comfort, promise, and encouragement.
Whether we are in a season of smooth sailing, or rough waters, we all need the stabilizing effect of ballast in our boats. Psalm 16 provides two different and necessary forms of just such stabilizing material for life’s journey. Come, and see.
The story in Genesis 3 shows us that our lives are filled with choices, and that in them, we are not alone.
In his letter to a people suffering both physical and economic distress, the Apostle Paul writes to his dear friends out of a concern both for their joy and ongoing fruitfulness as a church fellowship. His deeply personal counsel provides how we too may experience the power of joy-saturated fellowship, whatever the circumstances.
In Genesis 2 we find another angle on the creative work of God in the very beginning. And from this perspective of the story, we find out how God will use marriage to make humanity, and his world, complete.
Part of the effect of The Fall of mankind in the very beginning in the Garden of Eden is the distortion of our work. Is there an antidote to what exhausts us in our labor? There is, and it's found right there at the beginning as well. Come, and see.
One of the most foundation design parameters of God’s creation is this simple reality: “male and female he created them.” Simple, but under assault. And it provides the church a missional opportunity to enter in to the difficult balance of truth and love.
The sixth day of creation teaches us the magisterial and life-giving truth that we are made in the image and likeness of God.
The story of Genesis 1 is the beautiful story of God’s sovereign design, purpose, and intention for all of creation—including…you.
In the first two verses of Genesis, we learn that in the beginning, God created; that in our present, this creates confidence; and that in every moment, Christ.
The author of Psalm 78 exhorts the people of God to know, hear, and love the sayings of old and then pass them on to the younger generations that they might find their hope in God. Let us consider how to do the same!
Through Jesus, we are gifted with the gospel-centered mind to humbly obey and look to others interests instead of our own only. Every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.
You probably feel like you know Psalm 139. But a closer look may reveal something you hadn’t seen before.
There are three reasons we can be certain about the resurrection: an empty tomb, the witness testimony, and the grace of God. Come, and see!
The story of Good Friday is one of gravity and gladness; the gravity of the death of the Christ, and yet the gladness of redemption accomplished and applied to those who believe. Come, and see!
It was a mission of love, expressed in the commandment to love. Is it any wonder he would give us a meal that symbolizes that love?
In the story of Palm Sunday, we discover that our rescue has come in the arrival of the long-awaited King, showing us who Jesus is, and what he has come to do. And with the realization that Jesus is King and Rescuer, we discover that he gets to set the priority for the rescue we NEED most, not necessarily the rescue we WANT most.
Colin helps us see from Hebrews 11:39-12:2 that faith in Jesus alone, not our efforts, is the call of the Christian race. We must understand who Jesus is as told to us from Scriptures, see our faith as a gift from Him, and live in such a way that shows the world that Jesus is better.
In this key passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans, we learn what true worship is, how we can offer true worship, and what it has to do with all we’ve tried to learn in our UNITED sermon series.
There is a consistent theme in the Biblical story of God’s relationship with those he saves, and expectation of what it will mean to be a part of his family, following him. It was taught from the very beginning of this movement, from John the Baptizer, to Jesus, to the disciples, on through the Apostles and the spread of the first century church. The theme? Repentance. It’s meaning? “Change your life! Because God’s reign is here.”
We have reason to be excited and confident about what God means to do through an ethnically diverse church for his glory and the joy of all peoples. And empathy for our minority culture brothers and sisters is a great place to start on the pathway to racial reconciliation and understanding, making us a place of safety for that kind of diversity to thrive and grow.
In his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul gives us a soaring vision of God’s purpose in Christ being the unity of all peoples.
In “chapter” two of our United sermon series, we observe three ways in which Jesus continues to express God’s heart for justice, peace, and thus, unity, for humanity.
In this first sermon in the new series, United, we build part of the foundation necessary to enter into a thoughtful discussion on some of the cultural issues challenging unity.
The last word from Jesus in the Bible is that promise that he is coming soon. What exactly does that mean, since he said it over 2,000 years ago? And how should it inform our living until he comes back?
In this part of the vision given to us by Jesus, we see the climax of God’s project throughout history to restore his dwelling with humanity and the global healing of his creation.
In this near-end to the Revelation of Jesus, he provides us a promise from God, that, if we grab hold of it, will allow us to face anything.
In Revelation 20, we come face to face with the central issue that every person must face in their lives; namely, what will happen at the end of their lives?
In this sermon Andy answers two fundamental questions: "What is the Bible?" and "How should we treat the Bible?" There's no substitute for reading the Bible. Over and over. Every day. It's what feeds you. It's what sustains you. It's what grounds you to reality. It's God's word for you.
Throughout history, God is there. No matter the storm; whether traps, plagues, wars, or the Enemy, the Almighty God of the scriptures has been faithful to be with His people in times of trouble and bring promise of deliverance. God shows us in Psalm 91 that He is the only Trustworthy Refuge.
In this sermon on the traditional Christmas story found in Luke 2, we highlight three main characters—an angelic host, shepherds, and Mary—and their common response to Jesus. What will your response be?
Nestled in the Christmas Story is the example of a poor, teenage girl who is the first songwriter of Christmas, who shows us how to experience God, and express it with joyful song.
The story of Christmas is a story that doesn’t ignore our pain, and shows us that, in Jesus, while we may not find deliverance from our pain, we can find relief.
From Middle Earth to earth, the first century to the twenty-first, people have been walking in darkness, awaiting the return of the King. The Christmas Story brings the hope of his arrival, the Light and Life of the world.
Has 2020 been a year for us to experience together some of this bruising and smoldering? I don’t know many who are overly confident of their ability to even get through this year, let alone flourish in it.
May it be that God has ordained a year like this to humble our hearts, to position us, His church, before Him in such a way that we cry out for His gentle hands to heal our bruises and to fan into flame the flickers of faith that at times are barely perceptible?
Suffering saints, let us not forget this promise of our Servant-King! Behold Him! Cry out to Him! Fall before Him! Though we are one of just many, and though He could accomplish His work without us, the promise is that He will not ultimately break us; He will not ultimately extinguish us. Though it may feel that way at times, though He may indeed slay us as Job felt, still we can hope in Him! Why? Because His hands are gentle AND they are strong! And so we, trust in His strength!
In whatever circumstance we are in, God always is our strength, shield, saving refuge, and shepherd and we can plead with him like David does in this Psalm of prayer and praise.
In Revelation 19, we find Jesus leading us into the coming together of the story lines of the tale that God has been telling throughout his Word.
In this extended metaphor of the great prostitute, Jesus gives us a way to understand the times of national upheaval we are living in, and where we find our hope.
As Jesus continues his revelation through his ongoing vision, he gives us a picture of the full and final outpouring of God’s wrath. Is such wrath really necessary? And if so, how do we possibly prepare for such an end?
As Jesus continues to reveal the future, he uses the metaphor of farming and harvest time to show us that all our decisions, and one key decision, will lead us to one reaping or the other.
While we live in a time where our labors are stained by toil and disappointments, Jesus provides a vision of the future when we will rest from our labors, supplying us with a way to fight the battle for joy today.
At Calvary, our hope is to increasingly become a place where people are helped and encouraged to move one step closer to Jesus. In part two of the sermon, “On To Maturity,” we find out how.
At Calvary Community Church, we desire to be a people that helps each other—and others—move at least one small step closer to Jesus. So at times throughout the year, we take a Sunday or two to remind ourselves of the eight Next Steps we’ve identified to function as a healthy disciple of Jesus Christ.
In this sermon, we focus on the response of Jesus to the crowd of John 6, who desire to make him king “by force.” In turn, how do we respond to our own "Messianic expectations?"
In Revelation 12-14, Jesus reveals the Cosmic Conflict going on between the Holy Trinity—of Father, Son, and Spirit—and the un-holy trinity of Dragon, and the beast from the sea, and the beast from the earth. And how we are part of the battle.
We are in a “mini-series” inside of Revelation entitled “The Cosmic Conflict,” covering chapters 12-14. This week is part three, from Rev. 12:13-13:10, where we ask the question: “How do we answer the call of Jesus for the endurance and faith of the saints?”
In this part of his revelation, Jesus shows us how Satan, the Accuser, has been defeated, and yet, continues to come after God’s people. How to conquer him? Come, and see.
In this vivid vision from Jesus, we find that while the satan is real, deceitful, dominating, and deadly; one little Word shall fell him.
In Revelation 11 we find an imaginative retelling of Jesus’ earlier teaching on the church, and how it will survive opposition and attack. Namely, Jesus will build his church, use his church, and rescue and restore his church.
The mission of the church—the people of God—in every age is to trust in his sovereign plan and saving proclamation, and to be the prophetic voice heralding both to a broken world.
God doesn’t accept you based on your doing, but on your believing and resting in the message of the Cross of Christ.
In this often quoted section of Romans, Colin reminds us that the meaning of God's word is deeper, richer, and essential to a faithful walk with Christ. No matter what your circumstance, through Christ, God is for you. You can be assured that nothing can separate you from the love of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
God is Good, Jesus is Lord, How is God compassionate, How can we be cross-carrying, Image-bearing followers of Jesus.
In this very difficult text to interpret, we find Jesus revealing a critical factor for living well in our fallen world: That we must believe in the danger of idolatry, in the hands of Satan and his demonic hordes, to destroy humanity; and further, God’s judgment by turning us over to our idols.
The Revelation of Jesus is filled with some pretty astounding visions. How do we make sense of what we find here? Well, we have to begin by looking at a few other places in, well, the Bible. And when we do, we’ll see a pattern start to emerge. Namely, God seeks to get people’s attention through judgment. Furthermore, that his judgments are almost always a prelude to victory for his people.
We are living in a moment in history where our way of life is going through more disruption than any other in recent memory. It can cause us to feel overwhelmed in the face of it, struggling to know how to respond, when many, if not all, of us, desperately want to respond. We want to bring about transformation and change. But what if there was something that you could do to unleash a power far superior to anything you could do? And what if this something, ironically, was a thing that required stopping from all the other activities for a moment?
The question every person of faith must face is: Do God’s love and redemption work in this history in which I live? In what may be a surprising place, we find the answer in the story of the four horsemen released in the breaking of the seals, a story found in Jesus’ revelation to the Apostle John.
In Revelation chapters four and five, Jesus opens the door to a remarkable look at what is happening in the spiritual realm. As he does, we find that the way through suffering (and all of life, really) is sight and worship.
In Revelation chapters four and five, Jesus opens the door to a remarkable look at what is happening in the spiritual realm. As he does, we find that the way through suffering (and all of life, really) is sight and worship.
In this very personal and intimate letter from Jesus to the church at Laodicea, we are confronted by the Christ, who will call us out on all that is disgustingly sinful in us, while powerfully refusing to ever stop loving and reforming us.
In this letter to Sardis, we see that Jesus awakens gently, and promises extravagantly, to those who listen, repent, and rest in him.
In this letter to Thyatira, Jesus, Lord of All, shows us what he commends, what he refuses to tolerate, and what he offers those who believe.
In the death of Jesus, we see our King providing a powerful example of what it means to hold fast to the purpose of God in the midst of our deepest darknesses.
In this sermon from our series on Revelation, we listen to Jesus as he compassionately addresses the torn allegiances inside of all of us. He does so, maybe not as the Jesus we want, but the Jesus we need.
Even in the midst of a pandemic, we need to find a way forward, and truly live. With help from a Roman bishop, and an Apostle of Jesus, we learn that “This is the way.”
Is there a way of dealing with the fear, worry, anxiety, and even panic that grips us in these days, even if things don’t get better, and maybe even get worse? Is there a way to live without worry in that kind of reality? Is there a strategy for that? Jesus says there is, in a sermon delivered over 2,000 years before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this second sermon on the seven letters to the churches, Jesus, in his grace, is honest about the cost of following him. And with remarkable compassion, he also points the way to how we can remain faithful in the face of such adversity.
In this first of seven letters to the churches of Asia Minor, Jesus reveals the centrality of love to his mission to save the world.
In this sermon we unpack the calling of Isaiah. His vision of the holiness of God, his overwhelming sense of the severity of his own sin, his experience of cleansing, and his obedient response to join in proclaiming the greatness of God.
As we make our way into the first major portion of the vision of Jesus Christ, from Jesus Christ, we find A Friend to Join Us, The God Who Helps Us, and The Response that Saves Us.
Colin helps us see from Paul's letter to Timothy that the foundation of the gospel builds us up in godliness. Godliness is of value in every way for this life and the life to come as we have our hope set in Jesus, not ourselves.
In this first sermon in our new series on Revelation, Pastor Matthew sets up what will be for us an exploration in imagination and experience as we take in the revelation of Jesus Christ, from Jesus Christ.
What are you building your life on? What is your foundation? Is it solid? Will it hold in all the circumstances, situations, and people that come at you in your life? In this second sermon on Jesus’ interaction with a religious law expert (from Luke 10:25-37), Jesus reveals his answer to such questions, answers that lead to present and eternal life.
In this sermon on the National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday 2020, Pastor Matthew takes us to a familiar teaching from Jesus and shows us how we must love our unborn neighbor.
As Jesus makes his way to the cross, he is very intentional about preparing his disciples for his departure. In so doing, he does the same for us—prepares us. He prepares us for life in a difficult world, filled with trials and sorrows and trouble. One of the most powerful weapons he gives us for living on the Jesus way may surprise you.
God’s grace is necessary for salvation and necessary for every Christian marriage to be working as designed, through Grace to Submit and Grace to Lead.
Colin helps us see, through Isaiah 61:1-3, that the LORD’s favor in Christ shows us the very mission of God to bring hope and joy in this life. God will fulfill His mission for His glory, but also as its fulfillment brings Him delight when sinners are saved to be called His sons and daughters by Jesus' life, death, and resurrection by the power of the Holy Spirit.
One of the ironic realities of Christmas is that in the midst of all our festive expectations for this time of year, the brokenness and the darkness of the world don’t go on holiday just because it’s a holiday. The question is: how will we respond to the darkness? In this Christmas series, we will explore four kinds of Christmas, which are actually four approaches to life. In our final sermon in the series: the Stable.
One of the ironic realities of Christmas is that in the midst of all our festive expectations for this time of year, the brokenness and the darkness of the world don’t go on holiday just because it’s a holiday. The question is: how will we respond to the darkness? In this Christmas series, we will explore four kinds of Christmas, which are actually four approaches to life. This week: Santa.
One of the ironic realities of Christmas is that in the midst of all our festive expectations for this time of year, the brokenness and the darkness of the world don’t go on holiday just because it’s a holiday. The question is: how will we respond to the darkness? In this Christmas series, we will explore four kinds of Christmas, which are actually four approaches to life. This week: Scrooge.
At some point in following Jesus, every disciple will have to face a season where they don’t desire or delight in GOD as they once used to. So what do we do when we don’t desire God? Thousands of years ago, there was a congregation of believers facing the same question. They had become cold and dead in their affections, and they were desperate for revival. Psalm 85 tells the story of their path back to God, a path we can walk on today.
Many in America see a nation in crisis, with our citizens regularly shrieking at each other and unable to honor one another with reasoned, civil discourse about the challenges that face us as a people. How should Christians engage in such an environment, even as it seems our faith and beliefs clash with the direction of our culture? Does the Bible give us any direction about our role in the political arena? It does, and it leads us to the example of Jesus himself.
In an interaction between Jesus and a man in a crowd, we learn how to live a generous life filled with contentment and joy.
A life of discipleship following Jesus is filled with joy. And while that is manifestly true, it doesn’t mean following him is always easy. So when you face the persecutions and enter those difficult parts of the journey, how will you prevail? In what may seem like a passing moment in the life of Jesus, he teaches us volumes about connection and community.
While the interaction between Peter and Jesus recorded by Matthew may be brief, it is packed with tremendous significance for his disciples. For in just a few moments, Jesus teaches us who a disciple is, and what a disciple does, and the centrality of the church to it all.
As we continue our series on the Next Steps to following Jesus, we learn that while the life of the Christian is marked by the commands of Jesus, we must not forget that one of those is the command to CELEBRATE. Come and hear the story of how it has always been this way with God and his people.
In this familiar-to-Christians story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, we discover that we have far more to learn here about Jesus and his heart than we do about the woman at the well. His teaching to the disciples, in short? Go, and share.
Since Jesus teaches us that his disciples must worship (John 4:24), it becomes critical to understand what exactly worship is. In the story of his interaction with a woman at the well, we discover Jesus revealing what worship is, how we worship, and why we must worship. Come, and See.
In the most famous of Jesus’ sermons, the Sermon on the Mount, we find the great demands of Jesus on the life of his disciples. But as the remarkable Savior he is, along with his great demands, Jesus provides even better promises. And those promises may be found in the persistent and relational nature of talking with God.
In this first sermon in our Next Steps series, we step into the story of Jesus in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. In this powerful interaction, we learn from Jesus how the Scriptures are necessary to truly live.
John's visions reveal that Jesus has overcome evil by his death and resurrection, and will return one day as the true king of the world.
Jude confronts corrupt teachers who distort the message about his brother Jesus and lead others astray.
John calls followers of Jesus to share in God's own life and love by devoting themselves to loving one another.
Peter calls for faithfulness and confronts corrupt teachers who distorted the message about Jesus and lead others astray.
Peter offers hope to persecuted Christians and guides them with practical instruction on living life consistent with following Jesus.
Forgiveness is found when we repent and confess our sin. And trust in Jesus alone. Lay down your self-righteousness and receive Christ’s perfect righteousness.
The path of faithfulness is sustained by proclaiming who God is and His intimate knowledge of you, as you look to the future hope. This practice of walking by faith in the Faithful God will move our emotions, circumstances, and future outlook to be shaped and directed by God's word for His glory.
James combines the wisdom of his brother Jesus with the book of Proverbs in his own challenging call to live a life wholly devoted to God.
The author shows how Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God's love and mercy and is worthy of our devotion.
Paul helps his friend Philemon to reconcile with his escaped former slave Onesimus, and shows that they are equals because of Jesus.
Paul commissions Titus to show how the good news of Jesus and the power of the Spirit can transform Cretan culture from within.
Paul is near execution and offers a personal challenge to Timothy to keep following Jesus no matter the sacrifice and risk.
Paul is near execution and offers a personal challenge to Timothy to keep following Jesus no matter the sacrifice and risk.
Paul shows Timothy how to restore order and purpose to the church in Ephesus which has been disrupted by false teachers.
Paul clarified his earlier teachings about Jesus' future return and rebukes the Christians who were disrupting the community.
In his letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul writes of the power of the Good News to create communities, of holy people, who flourish in the midst of loving relationships, as they prayerfully, eagerly, and expectantly await the coming of their Master and Messiah—Jesus.
In Paul’s two letters to the Thessalonians, he explains how the power of the good news creates communities, of holy people, who flourish in the midst of loving relationships, as they prayerfully, eagerly, and expectantly await the coming of their Master and Messiah—Jesus.
Paul encourages the Colossian Christians to see Jesus as the center of all reality, so they don’t give in to pressure from other religions.
Paul thanks the Philippian Christians for their generosity and shares how they are all called to imitate Jesus’ self-giving love.
Hebrews 10:19-25 draws us to enter into the Holy of Holies, through the blood of Jesus, which propels us to stir up one another to love and good works and encourage each other until Jesus’ return.
Paul shows how the good news should create ethnically diverse communities that are unified by devotion to Jesus and to each other.
Paul shows how the good news should create ethnically diverse communities that are unified by devotion to Jesus and to each other.
Paul challenges the Galatian Christians to stop allowing controversial Torah observances to divide their church's congregation.
Paul shows the new Christians in Corinth that all of life's most complex problems can be seen through the lens of the gospel.
Paul shows the new Christians in Corinth that all of life's most complex problems can be seen through the lens of the gospel.
Jesus carries the covenant story of God and Israel to its culmination and he announces the good news of God’s kingdom to the poor and the rich.
Jesus becomes human as the incarnation of the creator God of Israel, to share His love and the gift of eternal life with the world.
Mark demonstrates that Jesus is the Son of Man who inaugurates God’s kingdom through his suffering, death, and resurrection.
In the book of Matthew, we find a moment in the ministry of Jesus when he has before him people who are weighed down with the cares and concerns of this world. And instead of turning away from such daily realities, he presses in. And while he doesn’t promise a carefree life, he does promise the possibility of a life free from worry and anxiety. Come, and listen, to Jesus Christ.
Jesus brings God’s heavenly kingdom to earth and invites his disciples into a new way of life through his death and resurrection.
Within the Christmas story, we find what may be a surprise for you—another name for Jesus. Namely, he is the Consolation of the world. And the reason consoling is indispensable is because suffering is unavoidable. (Note: if you would like to access the text for the poem that Pastor Matthew reads in this sermon, you can download the full text and watch the author read it here: https://www.desiringgod.org/books/the-innkeeper)
This week we continue to explore why Jesus came and look at how Jesus reached out to the lowly and the outcasts. We enter into a story of a woman with a medical condition who was an outcast of society. Jesus entered her story to not only bring physical healing but also to heal her of her shame. Jesus does the same for all who trust in Him. Jesus can heal our shame and invites us into His kingdom full of sinners and misfits.
The Christmas story continues as we see King Herod opposing King Jesus and how some worshipped, some were hostile, and some didn't care. In this second sermon for our Christmas 2018 series, Pastor Jon shows how Jesus is the worthy King by seeing Kingdom purpose, Kingdom Conflict, Kingdom Fulfilled, and Kingdom Advance.
The Christmas story could be told as simply as saying two of the names of the Son of God: Jesus, and Immanuel. In this first sermon for our Christmas 2018 series, Pastor Matthew proclaims the very, very good news that Jesus Came to save, and is God with….sinners.
Chronicles retells the entire Old Testament story, highlighting the future hope of the messianic king and a restored temple.
Malachi accuses Israel of selfishness after the exile and announces that the day of the Lord will purify Israel and prepare them for God's kingdom.
Calvary cannot only consider how to use the city we live in to build a great church for ourselves, God would forbid us to do so. Instead Jeremiah reminds us, that as exiles, we ought to be asking how we can use our resources to sacrificially seek a great and flourishing city where we live in every way: economically, socially, and spiritually. For if our shalom in Christ is secure, we can labor selflessly for the shalom of the city we live in.
Zechariah's visions foster hope in the future promise of the messianic kingdom, and challenge Israel after the exile to remain faithful to God.
Haggai challenges Israel after the exile to remain faithful to their God and rebuild the temple.
The story of Daniel motivates faithfulness despite exile in Babylon. His visions offer hope that God will bring all nations under his rule.
God providentially uses two exiled Israelites to rescue His people from certain doom, without any explicit mention of God or His activity!
Many Israelites return to Jerusalem after the exile, and face some success alongside many spiritual and moral failures.
Jeremiah announces that God will judge Israel’s sins with an exile to Babylon. And then, he lives through the horror of his predictions.
The Song of Songs is a collection of ancient Israelite love poems that celebrates the beauty and power of God's gift of love and sexual desire.
The book of Psalms has been designed to be the prayer and praise book of God's people as they wait for the Messiah and his coming kingdom.
Ecclesiastes opens up the possibility that, living in the fear of Yahweh, death need not rob life of meaning but, ironically, helps us live a truly good life.
The book of Proverbs invites people to live with wisdom and in the fear of the Lord in order to experience the good life.
Job explores the difficult question of God's relationship to human suffering, and invites us to trust God's wisdom and character.
We learn from Ephesians that Christians need to equip themselves and others for the work of the ministry. Using Sunday morning as the starting point, the maturing of the Church relies on community and discipleship relationships to complete the mission of making more and maturing disciples of Jesus.
Description: Paul's exhortation to the Colossians to be established in faith, reminds both them and us of the union we can have with Christ. If we have been justified, we must also grow in sanctification, not by our own strength, but by the power of Christ at work in us!
God's mission for His people is that we would share his message with all nations. Would you join in evangelizing those in your area of influence?
Zacchaeus was seeking Jesus, just as Jesus was seeking him. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Do you know this Jesus? Do you engage others with the love of Jesus?
The Book of Psalms has been designed to be the prayer book of God's people as they wait for the Messiah and his coming kingdom. In Psalm 19, we discover a pathway to orienting our lives on the God who promises to make us whole in him.
Zephaniah announces God’s purifying judgment on Israel, the nations, and the world. This Judgment Day will remove evil and open up a new future where all people can flourish in love and peace.
Habakkuk struggles to understand God's goodness in the midst of such evil and injustice in the world.
Nahum portrays the violent downfall of Nineveh and Assyria as an image of how God confronts and brings down his enemies. And this portrayal is a glimpse of God’s final judgment of ALL his enemies, of how this can be good news, and our only hope of escape.
Micah announces that God's justice and righteousness was always meant to come through his people, to bring about his kingdom in a sin-stained world. On the other side of Israel’s failure and exile, that project will be carried out by the long-awaited Messiah King and his followers.
Jonah is a story you thought was mainly about a disobedient prophet, a great fish, and some nasty Ninevites. Instead, in this story we are confronted by the rescuing and transforming love of the Sovereign Savior of the World.
Obadiah announces Edom's downfall to Babylon, which is an image of how God will bring down all prideful nations, churches, and people. Is there hope for humanity, given we are all infected with pride? Come and see how Obadiah points us to Jesus.
We are ALL called to make more and maturing disciples of Jesus. We do this because God has a rescue plan to bring people out of the domain of darkness in to the Kingdom of his Son. We believe that plan includes engaging, evangelizing, establishing, and equipping people who are moving to the right.
Joel reflects on the "Day of the Lord" and how true repentance will bring about the great restoration hoped for in the other prophetic books, and, in fact, the rest of The Whole Story.
For many of us who have read Hosea, or any of the prophets for that matter, they seem on first pass to be filled with a fair amount of doom and gloom. But there’s more to be found by the careful explorer. Throughout the book of Hosea is a story of a God who displays extravagant, abounding, and seemingly reckless love. Told through the metaphors of marriage and family, we discover a God who calls us deeper and deeper into his love.
In this sermon from our series, The Whole Story, we study Isaiah's announcement that God’s judgment will purify Israel and prepare his people for the coming messianic king and new Jerusalem.
In this sermon on the book of Kings, we find David’s son Solomon leads Israel to greatness, only to fail and lead Israel to a civil war and ultimately towards destruction and exile. What was his key downfall? It’s one little word, with devastating consequences, that we can only avert ourselves with the help of the One, true King.
As we come upon Easter Sunday 2018 in the midst of The Whole Story sermon series, we discover that the books of Samuel have much to teach us about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Come and see how all of the Bible connects to the story of Easter.
In this sermon reflecting on the King who had to die, we plumb the depths of what it meant for him to be forsaken by his God.
In the story of 1 and 2 Samuel, we see that God raises up kings to rule the Israelites. The first is a failure, and the second becomes God’s most faithful king, but then rebels, resulting in the slow destruction of his family and kingdom. And it all points to the Leader we long for.
It’s one of the smallest books in the Bible. Ruth. The simple story of an ordinary Israelite family facing tragic loss, and God using an immigrant to bring about unexpected hope, both in the present, and forevermore.
Part of our journey of reading through the Bible — The Whole Story — over the course of a year and a half as a church has included, for many of us, reading a Psalm each day. So, as Pastor Matthew has a break from the pulpit, Tim Tomlinson will jump ahead a bit in the Story to preach one of those Psalms. The twenty-third psalm. A familiar psalm. And he will show us how this psalm confirms what we have been learning — the Bible is a unified story that points to Jesus. The Good Shepherd.
The book of the Judges recalls how the Israelites turn away from God and face the consequences. God raises judges in cycles of rebellion, repentance, and restoration.
In this sermon on the book of Joshua, we could sum up the story this way: “After Moses' death, Joshua leads Israel and they settle in the promised land currently occupied by Canaanites.” Hmmm….Well, that is WHAT the book is about. But then we ask, “WHY did all these events in history happen?”
In the final book of the Pentateuch, Moses gives final words of wisdom and warning before the Israelites enter the promised land, challenging them to be faithful to God.
In this next sermon in our series on The Whole Story, we discover how Israel travels through the wilderness on the way to the land promised to Abraham. Further, that their repeated rebellion is met by God’s justice and mercy.
The book of Leviticus is how Israel’s holy God invites them to live in His presence despite their sin, through a series of rituals and sacred institutions.
In this sermon on Exodus 19-40, we see the story play out where “God invites the Israelites into a covenant and comes to live among them in the Tabernacle, but Israel rebels and ruins the relationship.”
In this third sermon from The Whole Story series, we see that YAHWEH rescues the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and confronts the evil and injustice of Pharaoh.
In this sermon from The Whole Story series, we see that in Genesis 12-50 God promises to bless rebellious humanity through the family of Abraham, despite their constant failure and folly.
In this first sermon in our new series, The Whole Story, we begin with Genesis 1-11. Our summary of this part of the Story? “God makes a good world and commissions humans to rule it, and then they give in to evil and ruin everything.”