Dan Raymond – Son-Rise Christian Church, Marshfield, MO: Recent Episodes
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In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Paul instructs us to “give thanks in all circumstances.” We have such a strong tendency though to spend far more time talking about our circumstances than we do expressing the things we are thankful for. In this weekend’s message, we will be talking about how to take giving thanks beyond a holiday to a way of life.
6 of 10 Christians believe in and engage in mystical practices that not only go against a Christian worldview, but often times are expressly forbidden in Scripture. Though they promise a connection to the spiritual, God has already revealed the best way to connect to Him.
There are certain passages of Scripture that make us gulp. That make us pause, or speed up and skip on ahead, because we don’t want to think about the implications of what they mean. One of the scariest passages in Scripture is found toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Three verses who’s implications should make you tremble, at least a few times in your life.
You don’t need me to tell you that we live in a world is that is quite content with broken vows, and will accept the flimsiest excuse for unkept promises. Our culture says that if something becomes inconvenient or it no longer suits you, then just quit. Leave. Move on to the next thing. But we have been saved by a faithful Savior to serve a faithful God who’s put His faithful Spirit in our hearts to make us a faithful people.
Our version of good is what makes us happy- what gets us closer to our goal. What’s good is what’s good for me. However, when Paul writes “the fruit of the Spirit is…goodness,” he has in mind something much richer, much deeper, and much fuller than we do when we say, “This is good cake, Today was a good day, I’m doing good. They’re good people.”
What does it mean to be kind? Is it just being nice? Is it that perfunctory politeness that we use to grease our daily interactions and get what we want out of life? No. Paul says the Holy Spirit is trying to grow in us something more than just good manners, or a polite society. Kindness goes much deeper.
When we clothe ourselves in patience, we not only display patience toward others, but it brings something out of us as well. It inspires us to become more than we already are. We become more like Jesus.
Love is the first attribute of the Spirit’s fruit that Paul mentions. It is no surprise that Love should come first. Love becomes the fount from which joy overflows. Love is the anchor which gives peace in the storm. Love is the sun that shines forth the rays of kindness. Love makes tender the heart that is gentle.
Life, by it’s very nature, is stressful. Though scripture doesn’t use the modern language of stress that we use, is honest in its assessment of the pressures of life and the tension it creates. However, God is the Great Physician and He knows us better than He knows ourselves. What is His prescription for stress.
The cry of every human heart is the desire to share something with somebody. These connections are made in friendship, in shared interests, in marriage and familial connections. And yet there is something deeply wrong with our world that tears these connections apart. Despite our best efforts to connect with others, we often end up feeling isolated, disconnected…lonely.
Like all of our other feelings, fear is a God-given emotion that serves a very legitimate purpose in our lives. In a proper context, fear is healthy and helpful. But when fear overflows outside of those boundaries, fear can be destructive. Even if you never have a panic attack in your life. Even if you don’t have a single irrational phobia, fear can still harm us at a more basic spiritual level. Fear takes our eyes off of God and focuses our attention on our circumstances. We’re afraid of not being able to control our circumstances instead of trusting in the God who controls all things.
Elijah is one of the great heroes of the Bible. However, in 1 Kings 19, Elijah experiences a major bout of depression right on the heels of one of his greatest victories. This shows us that this can happen to anyone. God meets Elijah an and meets his needs right where he is out and helps pull him out of his depressive state. This lifelines can also help us in our time of need.
Sometimes movies, TV shows, songs, or video games contain Easter eggs, little surprises hidden in plain sight that point to something else – a work the artist appreciates, a previous movie, a hint of what’s to come, or simply a treat for hard core fans who notice it.The Bible also contains Easter eggs, little clues in the Old Testament hidden in plain sight that point to Jesus as the Messiah. As we approach Easter, we are looking at the different kinds of Easter Eggs the Bible contains.In this message we look at one of the most mysterious characters in the Old Testament.
Of all the benefits of belonging to Jesus that Paul discusses in Romans 8, verse 28’s assurance that God CAN and DOES work for our good through everything life throws at us is one of the most treasured blessings. What other people intend in an evil way, God has the power to use it instead for good.
In Matthew 13 Jesus tells a parable about a farmer planting seeds that falls onto 4 different soils. Not every heart is ready to receive the truth about Jesus. What can we do to make these hearts more fruitful?
The church is our Lord’s great building program. Jesus is the Master Builder building each one of us as stones into a one house meant as a dwelling place for the glory to put Him on display to a lost world.
The same God that knows every number of every hair on your head, the same God that knows you, that calls you by name, that has your name written on the palm of His hand, and written it down in the Book of Life, that same God loves and cares just as much for your lost friends.
This sermon examines additional threads that knit the soul of Jonathan to the soul of David. Soul friendship is something severely lacking in most modern relationships. What can we learn from these close friends?
After his victory in defeating Goliath David descends into one of the deepest, darkest valleys of his life. Goliath may not have been the biggest giant David had to face. That towering enemy was the jealousy of King Saul. Jealousy is a natural human emotion, but the wrong ingredients can turn jealousy into a deadly […]
How often do you use the word “awesome?” What are you describing when you use it? Emerging science is showing that our mental and emotional health depend on experiencing awe from time to time, and yet modern life is increasingly disconnecting us from the truly awesome. When we turn to the pages of Scripture, it […]
Looking at a stat sheet, David faced insurmountable odds when he took on Goliath. But there were a number of small factors that contributed to his victory. However, when you add faith in an all-powerful God into the mix no odds are insurmountable, and even the small factors matter greatly.
Israel’s longtime nemisis, the Philistines have invaded, and this time they’ve brought a secret weapon – a giant named Goliath. The only thing is he’s not the real giant in the story.
In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul tells us that the entire Christian faith hinges on the reality of the resurrection of Jesus. The empty tomb proves our faith is in something real. More than that, it gives us hope of our own resurrection.
The mid 90s. The cool kids wore flannel. Friends was the newest hit on TV. We were just discovering the internet, email, and AOL. We had pagers and cell phones that looked like walkie talkies. Alternative music had become mainstream.At the midpoint of the decade a song by a new artist rocked the charts around the world. It wasn’t about dancing, love, or good times. Instead, this hit asked what is likely the most important spiritual question ever asked in a top 40 tune. The answer to this question gets to the very heart of the gospel.
A band’s songwriter’s spiritual searching leads to their biggest hit song. He’s uncovered the same truth discovered by Israel’s king 3,000 years earlier. You’ll be amazed when the band’s Christian fans sense his spiritual searching and pray for him.
This 2022 country song by a rapper hit the top 5 of both the country and rock charts. It’s universal appeal is appropriate because it describes a universal problem – sin.Both the song and Scripture agree that we are all sinners. This message examines why this is a problem and what God has done about it.
This is the first message in a series that looks at 5 hit songs from 5 different eras. These songs were not just wildly popular, but each of them touches on an essential truth of the gospel- the good news of our salvation. The very idea of salvation means that we have to be saved from something. The truth of that something is that we have an enemy.
Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with a cautionary tale about two builders. They both build houses, but only one survives the storm. Jesus says we can build our lives in one of two places. Only one will survive.
Jesus calls us to seek God and promises that we will find Him. So, why is it that God can so often be so hard to find?
It’s so easy to see problems in others and completely miss them in ourselves. And then we criticize those faults, we make all sorts of negative assumptions about their motives and intentions, we judge their faith, and we label them with this negative trait or having that character flaw. However, if anyone dares point out […]
Three times in this passage Jesus tells us, “Do not worry.” This is a command. Jesus doesn’t say, “try not worry,” or “it’s better if you don’t worry.” Not worrying is a matter of obedience and faithfulness. In this passage, Jesus gives us three reasons why worry will never work.
We all store up treasure. Where we store it is the issue. Jesus talks more about money and possessions than he does any other subject. More than salvation, more than prayer, more than love, Jesus talks about how we handle our stuff. Why would he do this? Because so much of our life is spent […]
There may be few messages more relevant, and more timely to 21st Century American ears than biblical teaching on fasting. Yet nothing sounds more foreign, more alien, more out of touch than fasting.
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus does not just teach us what to pray, but how to pray. He has given us an approach to the Father, a way of relating to God.
Giving and helping the needy is simply to be normal activity of the Christian. We are not to be self-conscious in our giving. Don’t sit and calculate how generous you are. How much you gave. Just do it and forget about it.
There is one time when Jesus says that we as Christians look most like our heavenly father. There is one quality that undeniably shows that we are God’s children. When we do this one thing people can look at us and see that we look just like our Father. It’s not that cowlick in your […]
Our sinful, human nature certainly likes to get back and get even. We demand our rights and give others what we feel they’ve got coming. But our Lord calls us to be generous with grace. Instead of getting even. He calls us to show the very same love he showed us, a love unearned and […]
Forgiveness and Reconciliation can cure an angry heart. They stop murder before the hate even starts. And forgiveness and reconciliation are what God desires most of us.
As we continue our series on the Sermon on the Mount, we come to a passage where Jesus describes the kind of influence we, as Christians, should have on the world. Jesus doesn’t call us to withdraw from the world and leave it, but neither does he call us to attack the world and conquer […]
True blessing, it turns out, comes from the places we least expected it. Not just fleeting, momentary happiness, but blessing – what Max Lucado calls sacred delight.
In the opening verses of Matthew 5 Jesus offers us something more than happiness. He offers us divine blessing. In these 8 beatitudes Jesus marks the path to true “sacred delight.” In a world where everything leaves us empty, Jesus shows the way to fulfillment.
Often the question is not whether God is speaking; the question is are we listening. There are many many things that help us listen: reading scripture, meditation, solitude and silence, conversation, listening to good teaching, watching the beauty of a sunset, listening to great music, however, there are a few things that are essential to […]
First of a two-part series on hearing God. Prayer isn’t supposed to be a one-way monologue. It is a conversation with God, but hearing God speak to us can be challenging. In this message we navigate around some of the potholes that can keep us from hearing God.
We live in a world filled with sin. We also live in a world filled with the goodness of God. Which is greater – everywhere sin or everywhere grace?
Three simple words in English – “It is finished.” In the Greek, it’s one word. Picture Jesus on the cross and he yells out this one word before breathing his final breath. He draws up all his last remaining bit of strength to make this one final proclamation, “Tetelestai!” This one word tells us so […]
If you ask most people why they don’t go to church or why they don’t become a Christian, or why they left the faith, one of the most common answers is a variation on this, “The church is full of hypocrites.” Jesus was well acquainted with hypocrisy and had much to say about it. So, […]
He was a musician. He was a singer. He was a worship leader. His songs sung by believers all over. His songs sung by generations of worshippers. They are included in the greatest hits of praise of all time. He fathered a long line of singers and musicians with a legacy of worship. And yet […]
Making good decisions and sticking with them is essential, especially when it comes to our financial freedom. The challenge is going to be you’re dealing with more than just the normal difficulty in sticking with a commitment. Following God’s way leads to freedom, but it is never easy.
Are you living the life you chose, or a life that was handed to you by someone else. The reality is that financial freedom is something you choose, not something that happens to you. Yes, our starting points vary widely. Some of us were given a head start. Others of us had to start a […]
In this series we’re asking you to dare to dream about living your life differently. Don’t just be another debt statistic. Be the outlier. Have you ever wanted to live a life of financial freedom? To know that all your money isn’t already spent before you even get paid? You can live a life of financial […]
True intimacy with our Creator requires stillness. We must still, because the divine lover of our souls often shares himself in stillness. If we want to know God more fully, if we want to experience his tender healing on our deepest wounds, if we want to be lifted out of our darkest places, we have […]
Psalm 46 centers on the city of Jerusalem, home to the temple and thus the focal point of God’s presence. It is there in God’s presence that we find our safety and security weather from the storms of life or from human conflict.
Moses makes an amazing promise to the nation of Israel, “The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still.” What exactly does this mean? What does it mean for us? What does it require of us?
For a channel so devoted to Christmas, it’s amazing how little actual Christmas there ever is in any Hallmark movie. Don’t expect any signs of Christmas beyond cozy fireplaces, time with family, decorating trees and giving gifts. It’s a Christ-less Christmas. No one ever mentions Jesus. If you’re lucky you might get a verse of Silent Night sung in a caroling scene or a glimpse of children in shepherd’s costumes in the background. It’s all style and little substance.
The movie ends, but life goes on. We need more than fuzzy feelings for a life that isn’t lived in a 90 minute window. Suffering and sorrow are still a real part of our lives. For many of us, the holidays are the most painful days of the year. The reality is that family gatherings often bring out the worst in some people, and Christmas has a way of straining our finances to the limits. Hallmark movies can’t offer you a hope that doesn’t disappoint, even when life does. That kind of hope is only found in Jesus.
Despite all the songs and sentiment to the contrary, the truth is that Christmas rarely works out that way. Christmas has a way of frazzling our nerves and not living up to our expectations. It’s enough to make a Scrooge out of the best of us. Maybe there is a way we can change our approach to Christmas and maybe do more than just survive the most wonderful time of the year.
One of the things we need if our lives are going to be truly rooted in Jesus is the church. So many today see the church as an optional extra, or as something that just gets in the way. The truth is we need the church.
We all share the story of the things we love. We declare the praises of what we like about it. We urge others to give it a try. It might be music. It might be a favorite restaurant, the unputdownable page turner your just finished, or the latest Netflix binge that kept you up half the night. What if we talked to others about Jesus the same way we talked about all this other stuff?
Stewardship is about much more than the offering plate or the church budget. It’s about how we handle all that God’s given us. Stewardship is a very practical matter that affects the majority of our waking lives.
Jesus has called you to reach more than your potential. He’s called you to more than just fulfilling yourself. Jesus’ mission wasn’t just to make sure you have a place with him in heaven when you die. He calls us to manifest his redemption and restoration in this world.
Superman had Lex Luthor. Harry Potter had Voldemort. Sherlock Holmes had Professor Moriarty. Luke Skywalker had Darth Vader.
And you…have an enemy also. An enemy bent on your destruction. Join us this Sunday at 10 am as we talk about the enemy.