Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church Sermons: Recent Episodes
Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church
Joy can be a fleeting feeling. One moment everything seems fine with our world, then it all comes crashing down around our shoulders. But what of Joy is not a feeling at all? What if joy is a state of being that comes from being at peace? Join us in this 12 part series through Philippians as we focus on the joy that comes to us through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. Our society is obsessed with death. We try to avoid thinking about it by exalting youth. We marvel at those celebrities that age so well we wonder if they've actually aged at all. We fear death because we believe that will be the end of us and our only chance to "live our best life" is now. Because of this we become increasingly cynical as we age, knowing the end will soon come and we've squandered the life we've been given. How is it that some people can have joy when staring death in the face? Join us this week to find out.
Joy can be a fleeting feeling. One moment everything seems fine with our world, then it all comes crashing down around our shoulders. But what of Joy is not a feeling at all? What if joy is a state of being that comes from being at peace? Join us in this 12 part series through Philippians as we focus on the joy that comes to us through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. What tends to sap our joy? When we feel that we or a loved one have been wronged or are suffering, we usually respond in bitterness. We wonder why these things happen to us and fixate on ourselves. Join us this week to hear a secret of Paul's joy—that he was not focused on himself and his own situation, but the message that he was called to spread.
Unity is a virtue that is often lauded in the church and even in society. Unity can be a great thing when you are concerned about being a productive movement, but what determines its value is the end to which that unity is turned. We want to be a unified church—in fact, the Holy Spirit urges us toward it. But it is not enough to be of one passion and will; the church has a higher calling: to be of one mind with Christ. We don't tend to want that. We want to be in a place of prominence. Join us this week to hear how the Holy Spirit moves within us to give us Jesus' servant heart.
People can be afraid of a wide variety of things: animals that can bite, heights they can fall from, or the darkness that hides what might be lurking. Fear of the dark is really a fear of the unknown. We can feel trapped by our indecision without a light to guide us. We be frightened by noises when we can't see the source, but we can also be frightened by the silence that can be oh so deafening, making us feel alone. What is it that you fear in the darkness of life? Join us this week to trust that the promises of God can provide a light even when there is no other.
Life is hard. The world gives us so many answers to that problem, but as weariness sets in again we continue to find them wanting. The bad news is that there is nothing in the world that can give you a fulfilled life. The Good News is that in heaven there is. The Christmas season is often anything but peaceful. In addition to our usual busy schedules we have Christmas parties to attend, decorations to put up, houses to clean for family visiting, gifts to buy. We wonder if we're doing enough to keep up with our neighbors or our families expectations, if we're spending enough because how much we spend is directly proportional to how much we care for that person, of course. Everyone knows that Christmas is all about gifts, but so often we ignore the one gift that we truly need. Join us this week to receive the greatest gift God could give: your Prince of Peace.
Life is hard. The world gives us so many answers to that problem, but as weariness sets in again we continue to find them wanting. The bad news is that there is nothing in the world that can give you a fulfilled life. The Good News is that in heaven there is. Fathers can can have a huge impact on your life. If they are a good father, they can give you a strong foundation to build your life upon, through the kind of love only a father can give. This is best seen when it is absent. Those fathers who abuse their children, or are partially or totally absent, can cause great harm in their children's lives. The Bible is filled with examples of fathers, both good and bad, but both pale in comparison to our Everlasting Father, who came to us on Christmas day, 2000 years ago.
Life is hard. The world gives us so many answers to that problem, but as weariness sets in again we continue to find them wanting. The bad news is that there is nothing in the world that can give you a fulfilled life. The Good News is that in heaven there is. Counseling is lauded by the world as a godsend. Whatever your problem is, it can be solved by counseling. While we shouldn't believe every outlandish claim, there is certainly some value in the practice. Join us this week to hear about the Wonderful Counselor who can do more in your life than any earthly counselor is able.
Life is hard. The world gives us so many answers to that problem, but as weariness sets in again we continue to find them wanting. The bad news is that there is nothing in the world that can give you a fulfilled life. The Good News is that in heaven there is. Rules are meant to keep us safe, both from ourselves and others. We've all experienced bad rules, whether by overreaching their intended application, or by having unintended consequences. We all want to be the one who makes the rules, but can we really be trusted to rule well—making and enforcing rules that promote the flourishing of all of society equitably? Often it seems that even our elected leaders can't do that. Join us this week to see who we can trust to rule our world.
Life is hard. The world gives us so many answers to that problem, but as weariness sets in again we continue to find them wanting. The bad news is that there is nothing in the world that can give you a fulfilled life. The Good News is that in heaven there is. Many believe that as society moves forward throughout history, we are progressing toward an enlightened age, and that one day we would have peace, harmony, and prosperity for all. As proof, we look to our ever growing breadth of knowledge, our slowly decreasing crime rates or our marvels of engineering. All these things which we look to for inspiration will fall, will fail. We will never reach that "enlightened age" of mankind because it would require man to be instrumental with its building. Unless we first deal with the evil within all of our own hearts, we will never reach that "enlightened age". Join us this week to hear how it WILL come about.
Life is hard. The world gives us so many answers to that problem, but as weariness sets in again we continue to find them wanting. The bad news is that there is nothing in the world that can give you a fulfilled life. The Good News is that in heaven there is. We have a money problem. No matter how much we have, how financially comfortable we are, we always feel like we need more. We think that we've earned all that we have, and it should be used to further ourselves. We don't understand that everything that we have has been provided for us by God and He will continue to provide for us. Join us this week to hear all that Jesus gave for you, and his you can respond in faith.
Life is hard. The world gives us so many answers to that problem, but as weariness sets in again we continue to find them wanting. The bad news is that there is nothing in the world that can give you a fulfilled life. The Good News is that in heaven there is. No one likes favoritism. We value an even playing field. Everyone should have a chance to compete and earn their just rewards. The problem with that mindset is that we have an an inflated view of what we deserve. Romans 3:23 tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We deserve death and damnation, but the Good News this week is that God shows favoritism towards us and we "are justified by His grace as a gift"!
Life is hard. The world gives us so many answers to that problem, but as weariness sets in again we continue to find them wanting. The bad news is that there is nothing in the world that can give you a fulfilled life. The Good News is that in heaven there is. Our lives are full of waiting. We wait in line for mundane tasks. We wait in hopeful expectation for that one thing which fulfil our lives. Maybe it's the newest gadget, or that movie you've been looking forward to. Maybe it's something a little more substantial, like your impending nuptials What are you waiting for? What are you placing your hope in? Join us this week to learn about the hope for which all Christians wait expectantly.
Many Christians don't read the bible regularly. They don't understand what it does, so they see no need for it. Many others read it often but make it a law to follow, doing their duty in order to make God happy. Join us this week to hear the many ways God serves us through His Word.
Life is hard. The world gives us so many answers to that problem, but as weariness sets in again we continue to find them wanting. The bad news is that there is nothing in the world that can give you a fulfilled life. The Good News is that in heaven there is. We have a tendency to hear the demands of the law and immediately search for a loophole because we believe that life would be better for us if only we could do that thing which is forbidden. This week's bad news is that there are no loopholes in God's Law. To be righteous you must follow the law in both spirit and letter. The Good News is that following the Law in spirit is simpler than you may think—it involves trusting in the One who made the Law and upheld it. When you see your own shortcomings and trust in Jesus, God will credit His righteousness to you.
Life is hard. The world gives us so many answers to that problem, but as weariness sets in again we continue to find them wanting. The bad news is that there is nothing in the world that can give you a fulfilled life. The Good News is that in heaven there is. We are born into conflict. We are inherently selfish and our desires inevitably clash with those of everyone else and God. We all want to lead and when everyone leads, no one does. The good news today is that when we allow Jesus to lead us, we can have peace with God and each other.
We tend to look at the beatitudes as a lesson in moral living. We look at Jesus saying "blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God" and read it as a command. We want to see God, so we read it as BE pure in heart. So what do we do? We read the Bible, go to church, confess our sins, etc., but we find that doing those actions doesn't actually change our heart. How can one who is impure make itself pure? Indeed, our hearts need to be purified by one who is already pure.
Ask anyone on the street what it means to be evangelical. 9 times out of ten they'll talk about political causes that the group has been known to be advocating for. Churches are called to be evangelical, but what does that term really mean?
"God will never give you more than you can handle." If we can handle any situation that comes to us, why do we need God? This phrase amounts to self-help reassurance and when we rely on ourselves we will ultimately be disappointed. God will give us more than we can handle—i expect he already has. He gives us those situations in order that we can rely not on ourselves, but on Him whose grace is sufficient for us.
We live in a fallen world and you know it. You know it when a relationship breaks, when natural or man-made disasters hit, when you are confronted with crime in your neighborhood. We are given different and often contradicting messages by the world about how to relieve the angst that we feel when surrounded by that hurt. Join us in this six part series to hear the bad news that none of those methods will ultimately help and the good news that will. Our society is radically individualistic. We place certain aspects of our life into a "personal issues" category—among other things we want the "government to stay out of our bedrooms", it's not proper to talk about your political or religious views, and nobody can tell me how to raise my children. But if you truly believe what the Bible says about the way of salvation and the danger of ignoring it, wouldn't you share it with those you love? If you truly believe what the Bible says about God's love for all of mankind, how can you sit complacently when you see the suffering of so many? If you truly love your fellow countrymen as God loves them, and you have the political influence to affect their lives for the better, why would you not? Join us this week to see how the true gospel of Jesus Christ affects every aspect of our lives, both public and private.
This past week we had our annual VBS program. We used 50+ volunteers to teach 80+ campers about God's power. We learned on Monday that God is powerful to provide. On Tuesday we learned That God Is powerful to comfort. On Wednesday we learned that God is powerful to heal. On Thursday we learned that God is powerful to forgive. On Friday we learned that God is powerful to love us forever. Join us this week as we celebrate a great week of ministry.
We live in a fallen world and you know it. You know it when a relationship breaks, when natural or man-made disasters hit, when you are confronted with crime in your neighborhood. We are given different and often contradicting messages by the world about how to relieve the angst that we feel when surrounded by that hurt. Join us in this six part series to hear the bad news that none of those methods will ultimately help and the good news that will. We all know that we're not perfect, but it's our intentions that really matter, right? The world tells us that as long as we try to do good, whether or not we actually succeed, that's all anyone can ask for. The problem with this is that God is perfectly good—He tries to do good AND he always succeeds—and He expects the same from us. What hope do we have in the face of such demands? Certainly not in our ability to do good. No, our hope rests solely in the promise of God that when we believe that God, in the person of Jesus, lived that perfect life and took the punishment we deserved for our sin He will credit to us Christ's spotless record.
We live in a fallen world and you know it. You know it when a relationship breaks, when natural or man-made disasters hit, when you are confronted with crime in your neighborhood. We are given different and often contradicting messages by the world about how to relieve the angst that we feel when surrounded by that hurt. Join us in this six part series to hear the bad news that none of those methods will ultimately help and the good news that will. We don't like to be told that we're wrong. We sweep our problems under the rug, because if no one else knows about then, maybe we can convince even ourselves they don't exist. And so we project this desire onto our self-made "god"; we make our "god" a lord who doesn't judge, who lets evil into heaven. That doesn't sound like paradise to me—join us this week to learn how God does deal with evil for good.
Hear from guest preacher, Chase Trusnovec, as pastor Fred is serving at Tuscarora's Teen Week this upcoming week.
We live in a fallen world and you know it. You know it when a relationship breaks, when natural or man-made disasters hit, when you are confronted with crime in your neighborhood. We are given different and often contradicting messages by the world about how to relieve the angst that we feel when surrounded by that hurt. Join us in this four part series to hear the bad news that none of those methods will ultimately help and the good news that will. One of the ways the world tells us to fix our lives and the world around us is that we just need to feel better about ourselves. That no matter what is troubling us, a quick trip to the gym, the mall, the fridge, TV land will make us feel better and we'll be in a better place to tackle the world head on. The not-so-good news this week is that you have problems that can't be fixed by focusing on yourself and what makes you happy. We need something to be done about the root cause of our pain and our selfishness and the good news is that Jesus has already done that.
Paracelsus once (allegedly) said, "the dose makes the poison". Anything, even that which may be good in moderation, will destroy you when taken in excess. We are in constant motion in today's world; there is always more to do. Why is that? We fret over the world around us, we feel the need for more of the fruit of our labors—pick your poison. Join us this week to receive the antidote.
We have a problem. We are ultimately selfish. We are ruled by our desires and bend our moral code around those desires to put ourselves in a good light. We are convinced that what we do is right—perhaps not perfect, but good enough to make us a good person. Join us this week to hear how we are not good—we are dead in our evil. There is nothing that we can do to make us good, to make us alive. But Jesus can remove those evil desires and raise us to new life. All we need to do is stop trusting in our ability to make ourselves good, and trust that only Jesus's death and resurrection will do that.