Foothills Bible Church podcast: Recent Episodes
Foothills Bible Church
It is our mission to help people become faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Lead Pastor Shawn Peterson, preaches from God’s Word and brings practical application to deepen and grow our faith. Everyone is welcome because nobody is perfect, and God has great plans for your life!
Jesus taught us to call God “Abba”, dearest Father, inviting intimate trust in His self-sacrificing love, shown fully through Christ. God lavishes grace on undeserving people, asking only for repentance and relationship.
When God reveals His holiness, it’s overwhelming—but because of the work of Jesus on the cross, the holiness of God the Father transforms anyone who believes.
We have an Abba Father who is Himself love. His hesed--his steadfast, loyal love--relentlessly pursues His people for their ultimate good.
God the Father is generous in every way—in creation, our senses, relationships, and grace. Through Scripture and Jesus’ life, we see Abba’s heart to give freely and without hesitation.
God the Father is completely trustworthy, not because of what we do, but because of His unchanging character. Jesus revealed Abba as faithful, loving, and near, inviting us into deeper trust.
This 8-week series, Abba Father, explores how Jesus related to God as a loving, intimate Daddy, and invites us to know and trust God the Father with the same closeness. This week, we explore what Jesus revealed about the goodness of God the Father.
On this side of eternity, pain makes creation and God’s people groan. Yet we groan with hope, awaiting the eternal spring and the joy of God’s full, eternal presence.
Seeing Jesus transforms lives—bringing clarity, salvation, empowerment, courage, and purpose. When we truly See Jesus for who He is, we can embrace the abundant, mission-driven life He offers.
Seeing Jesus brings fresh hope when life feels uncertain. In Luke 24:13-32, two disheartened disciples encounter Jesus, changing everything. Discover how seeing Him clearly can restore your hope.
Two thieves were crucified beside Jesus. One recognized Him as the true Messiah. Like him, we’re all invited to truly see Jesus—and receive forgiveness, hope, and eternal life.
A blurry vision of Jesus leads to brokenness. This week, we reflect on Matthew 27:27-31, where soldiers mocked Him with symbols of power, divinity, and authority—blind to the fact that He truly possessed all three.
As we walk down Peter’s path of denial, we realize that it mirrors the denial in our own hearts. Spiritual pride, frustration, and confusion are lurking if we don’t see Jesus for who He is - our merciful, powerful, sacrificial savior.
This series invites us to see Jesus clearly through episodes of His life, showing how misunderstanding Him leads to fear, but seeing Him rightly brings faith, trust, and transformation.
God expects us to wisely steward our time and talents, using them to serve others and build His Kingdom. We'll explore how to adapt to life’s seasons, prioritize rest, and invest our gifts for His glory.
The Parable of the Talents challenges us to steward our gifts—time, resources, and abilities—for His glory. We'll discover how to invest wisely for His kingdom.
As we wrap up our Jonah series, we see God’s relentless grace. Jonah ran, but God pursued. Jesus fulfilled the mission Jonah resisted—bringing salvation to all. Let’s live out His calling!
God’s loving-kindness and patience shine through the book of Jonah. Despite Nineveh’s wickedness, God extends mercy when they repent. His steadfast love remains unchanging, inviting all to receive it.
Jonah ran from God, blaming others for his anger. But God exposed his heart problem—idolatry of power and control. Like Jonah, we must confess, repent, and surrender to God's transforming grace.
Jonah obeys God’s call to Nineveh, proclaiming judgment. The people, including the king, repent, and God relents. It highlights repentance, God’s grace, and the importance of saying "yes" to His call.
God pursues Jonah in grace, showing us His relentless love even when we run. When we say "yes" to His call, we can experience joy, purpose, and transformation.
Jonah’s story reminds us that God’s Word remains timeless and relevant. We see humanity’s tendency to run, God’s relentless pursuit through life’s storms, and His transformative grace for all.
God often calls His people to assignments that challenge our understanding. This week, we explore Jonah’s response to God’s call, which provokes us to view our callings from God’s perspective, embrace His purposes, and trust His leading.
This sermon encourages us to embrace a new schedule for the new year, prioritizing wisdom, intentionality, and focus. It emphasizes slowing down, managing time wisely, and seeking purpose, gratitude, relationships, and spiritual growth.
This sermon emphasizes how the Bible enhances our perspective by helping us see others, Jesus, ourselves, and our mission more clearly.
Discover the joy, peace, and hope that come from trusting Jesus this Christmas. Join us as we explore how His love transforms our lives and fills our hearts completely.
Jesus’ perfect love is revealed through His choice to enter a broken world, pursue broken people, and offer life to everyone. We can experience true hope, joy, and peace by trusting in Him.
Jesus, the source of true peace, reconciles us with God through His sacrifice. When we trust in Him, we experience unshakeable peace and calm in the storms in life.
Hope is a gift that sustains, strengthens, and uplifts. True hope is found in trusting God’s unchanging promises, not fleeting worldly circumstances. As we anchor our hearts in Him, He fills us with joy and peace, empowering us to overflow with hope.
Knowing God the way our hearts were designed to know Him can transform our gratitude into a sin-conquering force. We can learn to give thanks to God because He is good, regardless of our circumstances.
In this final sermon on Ephesians 6:10-18, we explore the Sword of the Spirit, which is God's Word. We discover how to wield Scripture offensively to defeat spiritual attacks.
In our spiritual battles, the helmet of salvation protects our minds, ensuring confidence in our salvation through Jesus. As we stand firm, praying and loving, we guard against doubt and discouragement.
The lies of Satan come flying at us like flaming darts seeking to knock us down and draw our attention and affection away from God. God has given us Himself and the truths of the Gospel as a shield against the lies of the enemy.
In Ephesians 6:15, we look at the power of spiritual traction, protection, and mobility through the “shoes of peace”. We learn how the gospel of peace equips us with spiritual readiness to navigate life’s challenges with agility.
In Ephesians 6:10-18 Paul urges believers to prepare for spiritual warfare by putting on the full armor of God.
In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul tells the Church that we are in a very real battle, against a very real and powerful enemy. As we stand in the truth of God, we devote ourselves to prayer and push back against the evil forces against us.
The final sermon in this series reminds us to trust God in our waiting, knowing He refines our hearts. Trust is built on His infinite power, perfect love, omniscience, and sovereign rule, leading us into deeper relationship and surrender.
Drawing from Psalm 57, we can follow David's example of how to intercede regularly. We turn to God, frame our circumstances through His character, be honest in our lament, and seek His glory in our waiting.
John 15 shows that abiding in Christ strengthens our connection with Him, turning waiting into spiritual growth. Through this, we experience God’s love, joy, and pruning, prioritizing connection over production.
In moments of waiting, we often face temptations like grumbling and despair. Drawing from Israel’s experience in Exodus, we'll explore how to trust God, resist negativity, and embrace His guidance.
This five-week sermon series, WAIT, explores how biblical waiting deepens our trust in God amidst life’s challenges. As God works, we’ll discover how to lean on Him and increase our faith.
Words have the power to create, harm, and heal. As we seek wisdom in our speech, we recognize that true transformation comes from a heart changed by Jesus, leading to words that bring life, peace, and encouragement to others.
In Proverbs, Solomon provides a comprehensive view of money, highlighting its inherent goodness, the spiritual risks associated with it, and the value that God’s people should place on it.
Pride is a sneaky sin, subtly leading to self-destruction. Pride is being consumed with yourself but true freedom and joy come from humility and surrendering to God.
Envy rots us psychologically, socially, and spiritually. Freedom comes through a profound encounter with God, shifting our desires and finding contentment in His presence and guidance.
In Proverbs 5, we look at God’s design for our sexuality. It should cause us to marvel at Jesus because all its pleasures point to the glorious One who made them.
Anger is a powerful emotional response when what we love is threatened. Slow to anger is even used by God to describe His character! But somewhere along the way, our disordered loves tempt us to use anger to protect ourselves.
In Proverbs 3:1-12, we learn that trusting in Jesus, who embodies perfect wisdom, is key to growing in wisdom. This growth happens as we walk the path of life, embracing God's love, self-awareness, wise companionship, God's truth, and His discipline.
This begins our 9-week journey to seek wisdom, explore its value, and uncover unexpected facets. We aim to understand and embody Christlike wisdom, navigating life's complexities with insight, prudence, and action.
As we conclude our 16-week journey through Ephesians, we focus on Paul's final message of peace, love, and grace. We discover how Paul's contentment, faith, and encouragement can inspire us today.
Ephesians 6:10-20 emphasizes the importance of spiritual strength and armor to stand firm against evil. It encourages believers to put on the full armor of God to remain vigilant and resilient in spiritual as well as life battles.
In Ephesians 6:1-4, Paul explains how the home is to be the primary formational force on children, and gives instructions for gospel-centered families, through obedience and discipleship.
This week we look at Ephesians 5:21-33. Focusing on the Christian household, we’ll see how love and submission, when rooted in Christ, pave the way to unity and reflect God's plan to unite all things.
Ephesians 5:1-20 encourages believers to imitate God by living in love, avoiding darkness, and embracing the light of righteousness. Becoming an imitator of God includes growing in inner confidence and Warmth
In Ephesians 4:17-32, we discover our true identity in Christ. We’re encouraged to embrace the transformation from the old self to the new self, living in the love, grace, and righteousness of Jesus.
Ephesians 4 portrays marks of a healthy church: unified through humility, gentleness, patience, and love; diverse in roles and gifts; and maturing collectively toward Christlikeness.
In Ephesians 3, Paul prays for Christians to move beyond surface faith, embracing the depth of Christ's love and power. He prays for inner strength, Christ dwelling, understanding love, and fullness of God.
This week we look at God’s design for whole-heart work, examining the purpose, identity, and approach to work from a biblical perspective. God created people to create, protect, and use our minds and hands to serve.
We look at various proverbs to discern God’s design for whole-hearted friendships. We discover friendships through availability, emotional connection, heartfelt counsel, and truthfulness, all rooted in the example of Jesus.
Based on Ephesians 5, we look at God's blueprint for redeemed marriages, exploring the original design of marriage, the influence of sin, and the roles of husbands and wives in loving leadership and submissive support.
We look at Psalm 107 to see what kind of relationship God wants with us. As we ponder His steadfast love, our response is to love God with our whole heart, mind, and strength.
Ephesians 2:11-22 As a new people, redeemed by Christ and given a Holy mission, Paul cements our new identity as citizens of one Kingdom, siblings in one family, and living stones in one temple.
Ephesians 2:11-18 shows how Jesus brings us all together, tearing down the things that separate us. Because of what He did for us, we can find peace and be part of God's family, held together by love and grace.
In Ephesians 1:15-23, Paul prays for Christians to know God better, and know greater hope and a greater power. He’s reminding believers that our identity transcends worldly circumstances and we're rooted in eternity.
According to Ephesians 1:11-14, our inheritance includes being sealed with the Holy Spirit, marked as God's possession, and guaranteed our share in Christ's eternal glory.
Ephesians 1:8-11 highlights how Jesus is at the heart of everything. He shows us God's plan, bringing everything together with specific people in specific ways. It's exciting to know that as believers, we are part of His big plan.
The Book of Ephesians helps us gain a deeper understanding of peace, faith, truth, God's Word and standing firm in our salvation. We more fully grasp the significance of prayer and spiritual disciplines.
In Acts 15-17, Paul said “yes” to the Spirit’s call to serve others. He had no idea of the bigger, complicated, unexpected, and beautiful plan that God was orchestrating. All we have to do is obediently serve others and God will take care of the details.
In Acts 8, Philip obediently followed God's leading even though it didn't make sense to him. God often guides us through troubles and hardships we endure because He’s going to provide in a new and unexpected way.
In Acts 3, we discover that God leads His people through what may seem like limitations. Realize that God may have already provided what you need; all it takes is your willingness to say "yes”.
Before creation, God had already set in place a plan for His Church to be the herald of His Gospel. Each believer is uniquely gifted and specifically placed by God to abound in His good works. Your life matters!
In John 15:11-17, Jesus shares a message of joy rooted in abiding in His love. He calls us friends, urging a selfless, transformative love for one another.
Matthew 1:18-25 illustrates that God's longing to be with us resulted in Jesus' humble arrival on earth as a baby. This was God’s plan to restore our ability to be in relationship with Him.
In Mark 16:1-8, grace unfolds: Women, encountering an empty tomb and the angel's words of Christ's resurrection, are tasked to spread this miraculous news. Grace, a divine gift of unmerited love and forgiveness, empowers their mission.
Mark 15:39-47 beautifully showcases Jesus' selfless sacrifice, embodying the transformative power of love. His burial goes beyond historical account, giving us a glimpse of the Kingdom of God breaking into human history.
Mark 15:33-39 portrays the poignant crucifixion of Jesus. Darkness descended, and the temple veil tore, highlighting the transformative impact of His sacrifice for humanity and the power of faith.
In Mark 15:16-32, we find the account of Jesus' crucifixion, a divine act of love and sacrifice that reversed the tide of sin's shame and guilt, granting us a triumphant victory and everlasting hope.
In Mark 15:1-15, we witness Jesus' unwavering dedication to advancing the Kingdom of God, even in the face of immense pressure. His focus and purpose remind us to look beyond worldly power, politics, and comforts of this world.
In Mark 14:66-72 we see that trust in Jesus' words is the key to experiencing His love. This profound change, one person at a time, is exemplified by Peter's transformation from a disheartened denier to a messenger of love, grace, and forgiveness.
In Mark 14:53-65, Jesus remains steadfast amid false accusations and mockery. His unwavering strength and divine grace should change the way we see and relate to God and others.
When we meditate on God’s Word, the Holy Spirit does His amazing transformation within our hearts. The Spirit will transform us as individuals, as families, as friends, and as a church.
What a great reminder in Proverbs 3:5-6. To trust in God wholeheartedly, relinquish our understanding, and acknowledge Him in all we do. In return, He guides us toward a fulfilling and purposeful life transformed through Jesus.
Psalm 1 reminds us to meditate on Scripture day and night, like a tree by flowing streams. God’s Word inside of us changes us into people of substance with deep roots.
In Joshua 1:8, we're encouraged to embrace the power of meditation. When we think about scripture over and over, with a soft, teachable heart, the Holy Spirit uses those thoughts to transform our hearts.
Romans 12:1-2, reminds us to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to God, transforming our minds to discern His perfect will, which leads to a life of purpose and renewal.
In Mark 14:43-52, we see the picture of Jesus who was alone but in complete control, as He triumphantly moved to the cross. But why would He subject himself to such horror? So that we might be fully known and fully loved.
In Mark 14:32-42, Jesus was distressed and troubled as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. His human vulnerability reflects His sacrificial love and willingness to fulfill God's plan.
Mark 14:22-31 reveals Jesus' unwavering love and foresight. Amid betrayal predictions, he shares a sacred meal, emphasizing unity, sacrifice, and the strength of faith even in challenging times.
In Mark 14:12-21 and 27-28, amidst adversity, Jesus exemplifies hospitality during Passover. His unwavering purpose, despite trials, inspires us to embrace our mission and gifts with courage, showing love and serving one another.
In Mark 14:1-11, Mark contrasts two types of people: someone who is in relationship with Jesus and whose life is radically transformed (like Mary) and someone who is in relationship with Jesus and really hasn’t changed at all (like Judas).
In Mark 13:28-37, Jesus urges His followers to live with a posture of anticipation and a new perspective on hardships as we experience the world unraveling.
Mark 13:14-27, Jesus is giving the description of how this world completely unravels to emphasize the mission of sharing the Good News and discipling people until it happens.
In Mark 13:1-13, Jesus' predictions of the temple's destruction and warnings about tribulations, false prophets, and persecution hold relevance for us today. We are reminded to proclaim the gospel, even as the world unravels.
In Mark 12:35-44, Jesus highlights God's deep love for us by showing the superiority of the Messiah and praising the widow's sacrificial offering, a testament to her unwavering faith and devotion to God.
In Mark 12:28-31, the religious rulers, in their final attempt to trap Jesus and have the people turn on Him, want to know if the foundation of His kingdom is solid. Jesus reorients their hearts to what should have always been the most important thing.
In Mark 12:13-27, religious leaders question Jesus about taxes and resurrection, hoping to trap him. Jesus wisely responds, exposing their hypocrisy. He wants us to understand that He is the only one worthy of our affections and allegiances.
In Mark 11:27-12:12, Jesus faces traps and deception from religious authorities, yet, he stands firm in his teachings with wisdom, grace, and unwavering faith.
In Mark 11:20-26, Jesus teaches the disciples about the power of faith and prayer. When we have faith in God, we experience the Fruits of the Spirit and a life filled with expectant supernatural prayer.
Jesus is the King of Kings, therefore, also has full authority to judge us. We all are at fault of sin and deserve judgement, however, Jesus took on that burden when he died on the cross.
In Mark 11:1-11, Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey. Jesus is mighty and powerful; He is God! He could have chosen any way to enter as a king yet, he humbly moves toward the cross, riding an animal the world thought to be unworthy of a king.
In Mark 10:32-52, Jesus isn’t done shocking the disciples with an impossible expectation. He has one more lesson to teach on Kingdom of God living: He teaches them how a person leads and influences by putting the needs of others first.
A wealthy man approaches Jesus to ask him how to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus tells him and the disciples it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
The Pharisees attempted to trap Jesus with the question of divorce. Jesus tells them how the Kingdom of God views the covenant of marriage.
The disciples didn’t understand how to follow a crucified and resurrected King. Jesus teaches that to follow Him, we must sacrifice our pride to serve others and sever our sins.
What happens after Jesus’ transfiguration is a beautiful demonstration of His inner character. Jesus loves people enough to slow down, look them in the eye, and listen.
The transfiguration of Jesus confirms that, despite looking like a normal man, Jesus is in essence fully God. This experience stands apart from miracles and healings and is more than His teachings. This is the glory and splendor of God being revealed.
In the Bible, there are eyewitness accounts surrounding Jesus’ claim to be the Resurrection and the Life. Either this was the greatest global hoax of all time or He is legit. This sermon helps us see how Jesus offers us abundant and eternal life.
In Mark 8:33, Jesus rebukes Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” What Jesus is saying is when we think, see, and act in contradiction to God’s design we are aligning ourselves with Satan. Instead, we must focus on making Jesus the king of our world and our hearts.
In Mark 8:22-31, the lesson is that we are all spiritually blind and our blindness clears in stages. As Jesus works in our hearts, we see Him more clearly for who He is and what He offers us.
In Mark 8:1-21, the disciples are confused. Their lack of understanding revealed a problem in their hearts. The heart of every human has sin growing within and the only way to deal with it is to repent and believe the Good News.
In Mark 7:24-37, Jesus revealed through His interactions with two Gentiles that the Kingdom of God reaches farther than we can imagine, and has effects greater than we can dream.
In His interaction with the Pharisees, Jesus said nothing they do will ever work because it doesn’t change a person’s heart. The only way to remove guilt is to let Jesus take it away.
In the last part of Mark 6, Jesus walked on water and showed the disciples a side of Him they had not yet experienced. He did this to show His glory, character, and nature are no longer far off. He has brought them near to us.
Jesus looked at the huge crowd and as the Good Shepherd, He saw they were like harassed sheep. Through his teaching in Mark 6:33-44, He showed them that heart satisfaction is only possible when a person receives the Gospel.
Sin promised Herod everything but only delivered inner turmoil. Jesus offers abundant, eternal, and joy-filled life to anyone who will surrender to Him.
The people in Jesus’ hometown did not experience the fullness of what Jesus had to offer them because of their lack of faith. Faith is believing that Jesus is who He says He is and possesses supernatural power.
Mark 5:21-43 points to the fact that it really happened and it's included as an account of the life of Jesus. People often create their own version of Jesus and Mark wants them to know the real Jesus.
According to the Bible, there are demons on earth, bent on destruction and it’s a reality in the Kingdom of God. Demonic forces are the opposition but Jesus has full and eternal power over demonic forces.
We understand what it feels like to be terrified by a storm, whether a literal storm or a “storm of life.” In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus shows the disciples that He sees the storm but calmly and sovereignly rules over it all.
Mark 4 begins Act 2 of Jesus’s ministry. After 16 months, people are confused. They had expectations of what the Kingdom of God would be like but Jesus is not conforming to their expectations. To bring clarification, he shared 4 parables. His explanation was about power that brings dead hearts to life.
Jesus, the one God promised would bring salvation to the world, is here! When we see Jesus for who he really is and surrender our lives to his will, our hearts will experience true freedom and find real rest.
As we conclude our series with the culmination of the birth of Jesus, we look at the shepherds. They were just regular people experiencing something unusual. They could've responded in many ways, but they chose to respond with joy.
We look at Zechariah’s life to help us experience the great joy and love that Jesus offers. It’s not until a person acts upon their belief by putting their trust in God’s plan, that the Holy Spirit gives a person God’s joy.
When Mary heard from the angel about God’s plan, she responded in obedience. This was courageous and humble faith but incomplete without joy. The Spirit worked through Elizabeth to help her understand the blessing! God regularly uses other Christians in our own lives to help us experience the joy God wants for us.
Through looking at the lives of the disciples, we’ll see that true followers of Jesus live in a way that reflects their nearness to Him.
The major theme in Jesus’ ministry is introduced in Mark 2:12-3:6; He offers the Gospel and which is offensive to the self-righteous but delightful to the humble.
In Chapter 2 Jesus starts demonstrating forgiveness to people that seemed unforgivable. This was confusing and shocking! Jesus wanted people to see that while we think we know our bigger problem, Jesus shows that forgiveness is our biggest need.
As we look at the life of Jesus told by Mark, we see several aspects of Him. He is the great physician, is consistently prayerful and joyfully purifying. He is all these things while being astonishingly personal.
Being generous and ready to share, like 1 Timothy 6:18 instructs, works as a protection on our hearts from the trap of loving money. Giving protects us from the trap, unclenches our hands, and is the antidote to greediness in our hearts.
Mark’s approach was to record specific conversations and events from Jesus’s life to create a picture like a collage. He wanted to provide enough evidence from episodes of Jesus’ life to help people understand the real Jesus, and that he was the Messiah.
As we conclude this series, we see the grand plan to spread the Good News throughout the world was Jesus flowing His truth and fruit into 12 men. Everything rested upon these men, filled with the Holy Spirit, to overflow Jesus’ truth and fruit.
As we continue our journey of learning to overflow like Jesus, we look at confrontation. Before we confront someone, we must be willing to slow down and invest quality time with them. We do this because we love them and that's what Jesus modeled for us.
As we are transformed to be like Jesus, we will overflow like Jesus. To be most effective, we want to overflow the combination of truth and fruit. If truth and fruit are separated, then we are nothing like Jesus.
As Christians, instead of being like a stagnant pond, we are like a flowing river. God flows into us and He has designed us to overflow into others. To be effective, we cannot live in isolation, we must be in intentional loving relationships.
In this 5-week series, we’ll look at God’s design for discipleship. As we begin, we see a beautiful image in scripture of God abundantly flowing His goodness and blessings into His people, expecting us to keep the flow going.
In the final part of this series, we look at walking in faith. Taking steps that seem impossible to us can be scary, but we don't do it alone. We trust that out Creator is in control of all things and meets us in the chaos.
In part 2 of this series, we look at building spiritual fitness through repentance. As we grow closer to God, we see how far we fall short so we confess our sins. This is repentance that changes the direction of our lives.
In this 3-part series, we will look at abiding, repenting, and walking in faith. As we go through this spiritual journey, we look forward to the Holy Spirit transforming us into more spiritually fit people.
In the final sermon in this series, we look at the 10th commandment. God commands us “do not covet” because He loves us, and He is offering us protection. Coveting destroys individuals, friendships, marriages, churches, and nations.
In the 9th commandment, the Bible tells us not to bear false witness against our neighbor. When we tell the truth, we reveal the true nature of God to others.
In the eighth commandment, God instructs us to manage what we’ve been given with wisdom, work hard, generous sharing, and to hold our material possessions loosely.
Commandment #6: Do Not Murder
July 17, 2022
Brad Ellgen
In the sixth commandment, God tells us not to murder. Why does God give us this universal command? Because all human beings are made in His image and are of immense value to Him.
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In the fourth commandment, God tells us to keep the Sabbath Holy. Sabbath means taking intentional time of rest in God to reconnect with Him. This is an incredible eternal gift from God to find true rest for our souls.
In the third commandment, God tells us not to take the Lord’s name in vain. God takes carrying His name very seriously. We are to carry the glorious and majestic character and reputation of the LORD everywhere we go, in everything we do.
In the second commandment, God forbids us to make idols. God doesn't want anyone to worship Him incorrectly. He takes it very seriously because He wants to be truly known and loved.
The First Commandment
Nick Jones
June 12, 2022 In the first commandment, God forbids that we tie our hearts to anyone but Him. God requires the full devotion of our hearts, and promises eternal satisfaction in Him alone.
To what degree are the Ten Commandments binding to us today? Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial law but what about the moral law? God gave mankind this laws because He cares about our spiritual health. This is God's gift to His people so they can live well.
Heart, Money, Blessings pt. 2
Shawn Peterson
May 29, 2022
Our money is a tangible way we show our heart. Through the use of our money, how we truly feel is revealed. God promises that when we trust Him and love Him with all our hearts, we will experience a flood of His blessings.
In the first part of this two-part series, we look at the Biblical connection between our hearts, money, and God’s blessings. God designed us to know our greatest fulfillment by giving Him ALL our hearts.
Asking for a friend... “Is Jesus the only way to God?" The words of Jesus and the story of the Bible make it clear there is only one way to know God and spend eternity with Him: Through His son.
We learn from scripture that this broken world is not what God originally created. And when we are in the midst of suffering, it doesn’t mean God is distant. Finally, through Jesus God redeems our suffering.
We look at 4 biblical truths about God and humanity: God is holy, humanity is sinful, God justly judges sin, and God offers us escape from eternal punishment.
In this Easter sermon, we’ll look at 4 life-changing miracles. To deeply examine these miracles, we’ll go on an eyewitness journey, back 2000 years ago to the weekend Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead.
Being a member of a church is like being a player on a baseball team. On a team, everyone has a specific role. Every player shares the goal of winning the game and they work together to reach that goal.
God wants local churches to function as a body, God has designed the leadership structure for local churches and He has designed each local church around involvement and commitment to one another.
Everyone wants to be part of a community that’s larger than themselves. We’re meant to live in community and in relationships. God’s created a family for us. It’s the largest family and He’s invited us to be a part of it.
In the final sermon in this series, we look at serving others. When we look at the life of Jesus, it’s clear that he came to serve. We are also created to serve. God has placed us where we are with a purpose to serve the good of the city.
In this sermon, we discover practical ways to show that we truly care for people. In scripture, Jesus instructs us to care for all people. It’s so important to care for others that nothing else matters if we don’t.
We see, we care, we serve the good of our city - this is how we live like Jesus. In this 3-week series, we’ll dive into scripture to see how we can integrate this into our own lives and in our community.
By faith Abraham followed God’s calling, he looked beyond his circumstances, and he trusted God’s faithfulness. Just like Abraham, taking a step into the unknown is part of the story of our lives.
In Genesis 23, we look at discerning God's will for us. First, we seek God’s plan based upon His Word. Then, we take bold action while praying continuously. Finally, we humbly seek validation of the plan from others.
God gives us a powerful lesson about the tension between living in the world & our calling to live as exiles. As an exile, we're not meant for troubles to shape our character. We're meant to live above it because the world isn't our everything.
In Genesis 22, we see God calling Abraham to offer up the very promise He fulfilled, Isaac. Abraham chooses to trust God, who wants us to hold on to His promises with clenched fists and trust Him, even when it doesn't make sense.
God is an Everlasting God
Shawn Peterson
January 30, 2022
This week we look at Genesis 21. Abraham felt tired and weary as he waited for God to fulfill His promises. And now, seeing God’s partial fulfillment through the birth of Isaac, his hope and strength is renewed. Being an Everlasting God means that He keeps His promises and He wants us to cling to them tenaciously.
This week we dive into Genesis 20. This message gets to the heart of repetitive sin. Breaking the cycle begins with identifying our core idols: comfort, control, power, or approval. We must make the choice to trust God partially or completely.
Genesis 19 talks about God being a righteous judge. But what we learn is that Jesus came to take the punishment that we, the wicked, deserve. Jesus came to break the cycle and brought the ultimate Restart.
As the people of God living in the New Covenant, we must remember the full Gospel to appreciate the beauty of Christ.
Merry Christmas! In this final message in our advent series, we look at Love. When we realize the depth of God’s love for us, we can’t help but praise Him!
In this part of our Advent series, we look at Joy. What is this great joy that we hear of in Luke 2:10? We know that it’s not happiness, denial, or based upon our circumstances. Great joy begins with salvation through Jesus.
This week we look at Peace as part of our Advent series. In the song, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, there’s a powerful line, “God and sinners reconciled.” God made a way through reconciliation for us to experience peace on earth.
The thrill of hope can feel like riding a roller coaster. Not knowing what’s next is thrilling but sometimes we also experience fear. Putting all our faith in Jesus is the ultimate thrill of hope.
In Genesis 17, Abram meets with God Almighty. The all-powerful and all-benevolent Almighty God gives new life to something dead. This is why there is always hope for life.
In Genesis 16, we see how Abram and Sarai deal with waiting by running ahead of God instead of turning to Him. Amazingly, we learn that even when people run away from God, He is on a personal rescue mission to find us.
In Genesis 15, God made a promise to Abraham. He chose to trust Him even though it didn't make sense. We experience doubt when our circumstance don't match God's promises to us, but that's when we choose to believe in faith.
This week, as we look at Genesis 14, we will follow Abraham and Lot to see their wise and foolish decision-making. We can learn from them how to make wise decisions in our own lives.
Abraham returned to faith after a spiritual failure in Genesis 12. When he's faced with discouraging obstacles, he has another choice to make. He chooses to trust God to keep His promises.
This week, we begin our series on the life of Abraham in Genesis 12. In this chapter, we see the beginning of God’s redemptive plan for the entire world in the incredible promises God makes to Abraham.
In the last part of this series, we see that the Spirit’s ways are mysterious and sometimes don’t seem to make sense to us. But, He is at work in our lives through His timing and leadership and we get to take part in a great adventure.
As we continue to learn more about the Holy Spirit, we look at what visible evidence we can see from the Spirit living within us. When we recognize the evidence, we see the Spirit is overflowing out of us.
Who is the Holy Spirit and what does the Spirit offer to do in our lives? Scripture informs us that the Spirit is a distinct person who speaks to us and offers us an incredibly abundant life.
Scripture tells us that we are the temple of the spirit. Being the temple is not getting more of the Holy Spirit, it’s about you giving Him more control of yourself.
As we begin this series, we dive into the Old Testament and ask God to provoke wonder and awe for the Holy Spirit in us. The terrifying, awesome Spirit from the Old Testament, who was in Jesus, is the same Spirit living within every Christian.
The church is about making faithful followers of Jesus Christ. This mission lives in our hearts and causes us to sacrifice for others.
The story of widow's oil from 2 Kings. We learn that if we're facing a challenge that relates to a promise of God, then God wants us to have a "huge Jair of faith" & cling to it tenaciously. God's miraculous work in our life is proportion to our faith
When we look at the story of Elijah at Mount Carmel, we see an impossible situation. God called Elijah to show the people the one true God. This story teaches us that trusting His promises leads us through impossible situations.
When we look at the story of the fiery furnace, we see seemingly impossible protection. There was a choice to obey God & face the fiery furnace, or to compromise their faith. This story inspires us to live with zeal knowing God uses it to reveal His g
The story of the Israelites & the Red Sea is a relatable example of facing an impossible situation & feeling overwhelmed, unprepared, & boxed in. Like them, when we are in seemingly impossible situations, we have a choice to react with panic o
As we read this parable, we learn that it’s about prayer and asking our Heavenly Father for what we need. When we look at how we pray, a good guide is to approach, acknowledge, admit and ask.
The parable on the Good Samaritan inspires us to move out in love for others because of seeing the mercy received from Jesus. We should evaluate what needs to change in our hearts to move out in love.
In response to a servant asking Christ how often he must forgive his brother, Jesus responds with the parable of the unforgiving servant. The main point? We have been forgiven over and over, and the Kingdom of Heaven expects us to do the same to others.
As we look at the parables of the weeds, we see how to recognize citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven and how to fight the kingdom of evil, dealing with the weeds growing around us.
The parable about the treasure and the pearl in Matthew 13:44-46 can be confusing. As we break it down, we see that Jesus is talking about the kingdom of heaven and how it exceeds everything.
In the parable of The Master of a House, Jesus tells the story of workers who all receive the same payment for different amounts of work. As we dive into this parable this week, we’ll learn about God’s perspective in contrast to our own.
Jesus told the parable of the wedding banquet to illustrate the kingdom of heaven. Like a wedding, heaven is a party. Jesus wants everyone to come to the party but people have different responses to the invitation.
In the parable of the 4 soils, Jesus talks about seeds that land on different types of dirt. This story helps us think what kind of seeds he is talking about, what kind of soil we are and what the fruit of good soil looks like.
In Matthew 7, at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus extends an incredible invitation to those who would listen: Come and build upon the Rock
What does the Bible say about our citizenship? As Christians, we are citizens of Heaven - an integral part of His kingdom. But we also still live on Earth, where we are citizens of the State. This week we discuss how to manage our two citizenships.
This week we will be diving into what God says about wealth. We'll discover what God does with His, and what we should with the money He has given us as well. God owns everything , and therefore our wealth is a gift to be used in the building His kingdom.
This week we look at Psalm 95 to explore what it means to worship. There are things in our lives that compete for our worship but we can chose to focus on God, with a soft heart and experience worship together in community.
This week, we look at what the Bible has to say about parenting. Children are a gift from God and they are our legacy. God also uses children in our lives to help us to grow spiritually.
Marriage is designed to reflect glory back on Christ. We’ll look at how we can live out God’s design with our spouse and know a new better Marriage.
What does the Bible say about rest and sabbath? Scripture is clear that God wants us to rest. When we take a break from working, it allows us to focus on God and feel His presence in our lives.
As we look at the subject of friendships, we see the Bible has a lot to say. Jesus spent most of his waking hours with people for a reason. As we return to normal life after COVID, we should evaluate friendships & see how to improve them.
This strange season of COVID caused us to reevaluate why & how we do things in life. Why do we work? Why do we do the particular work we do? There's a Gospel answer. We dive into understanding what is Gospel work & define a new better work for our
When Jesus Christ rose from the dead, he changed history and he changes lives. How has your life been changed by meeting the living Jesus?
On Good Friday, we reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Because this led to his resurrection and his victory over death and sin, we can call it good.
For Palm Sunday, we look at the story in Matthew 20 of Jesus entering Jerusalem. We see who Jesus claims to be and the conflict to crown Him or crucify Him.
As we wrap up the series, we see how Philippians 4:8 has one final instruction on how to control our anxiety which is to think about good things. When we focus our minds on good things, God promises that we will experience His peace.
When we are overwhelmed with anxiety and worry, the very peace of God is promised to those who seek it.
In Philippians 4:6-7, we're instructed to pray with supplication & thanksgiving which means sharing specific needs with God with an attitude of gratefulness. We can then focus on God who is always good with an understanding that we don't deserve anyth
This week we look at how the way we spend our money reveals what we love. The scriptures describe the love of Jesus as influencing, satisfying and overruling other things we’d call needs.
We all long for contentment but why does it seem to elude us? Maybe we're looking in the wrong places. As we look at Philippians 4:10-13, Paul learned how to experience contentment in any circumstances. Here are the 5 main ingredients for contentment.
Does it seem like the world is growing more and more unstable? How can we stand firm? It's possibly to have stability like a rock when everything around is shifting sand. Paul tells us how to find peace in the principle through poise, prayer, and presence
We take a deep dive into Philippians 3:7-16 and what it means to receive, forget and press on. These are instructions for how we can live in freedom of imputed righteousness which results in unexplainable to break out!
As we stop placing our confidence in ourselves but instead place all our confidence in knowing Jesus, we can rejoice in the Lord. It comes as a feeling of inner gladness based upon God’s victory over sin and death.
As Christians we can truly rejoice in the Lord in all circumstances. This week we will look at the difference between happiness and joy and ways to train our hearts to rejoice.
When we look at honor and respect, is it something we give freely, or does it need to be earned? As we read Phil. 2:19-30, we'll explore this question in the context of Timothy and Epaphroditus.
Have you noticed the big W2, G2, & S2 logos around the church? They're based in Scripture and remind us what we're about at FBC. As we enter a new year, what has God called us to do? How? Why? This week we look at how we gather to display God's beauty
We wrap up the series with a look at hope through the eyes of Simeon. He teaches us that when we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our focus and our movements, we can experience eternal hope.
Why were shepherds the first to hear about the birth of Jesus? God intentionally chose men of low status because he wanted people to know that the eternal hope of salvation is available to everyone.
This week, we look at Joseph's perspective in the Christmas story. Surely, he was fearful upon hearing that Mary was pregnant. We all experience fear from time to time, however, we can choose hope. Hope is the antidote to fear.
Sometimes God's big plans are simply placing us among other believers with an open heart. Maybe you're in a place like James, Jesus's brother, and God wants you to just keep showing up and continuing to grow. Then allow your hardships to increase your wisdom.
As we look at the life of Nehemiah, we see that understanding God's plans for our lives involves our heart, seasons of intense prayer and a call to action. It's also important that God's plans are different for everyone.
Have you ever wondered what God's big plans are for your life? Moses was a man, born a slave, raised in Pharaoh's house and sovereignly protected by God. He was trained up from a murderer to a humble man that God used to lead the Israelites.
Christians are called to be a community showing radical grace like the grace we've received through our salvation. We should not be showing judgment, withholding intimacy or grumbling with one another.
Bearing one another's burdens means staying with someone who is dealing with the crushing weight of sin and trials. We must also be willing to let others do the same for us.
Being humble with one another means we should do nothing out of selfishness or self promotion. Instead, we should devote ourselves to lifting up others because of the work God is doing through them.
Christian unity means accepting and embracing other Christians who think, believe and act differently than us because our focus is on salvation. We can experience unity when we remember that we've received grace that none of us deserve
Jesus commanded us to love one another, so as Christians, the most obvious quality of our lives should be how we show love to others. In fact, loving one another should be the most stand-out quality of us and of the church.
A deepened understanding of the nature and character of God will lead the believer to worship. Our theology must become doxology, and God deserves it all.
When we are in a close relationship with Jehovah Tsidkenu, we will live in freedom. Freedom from guilt, comparison, insecurity, anger, etc. We will experience freedom as a natural byproduct from accepting Jesus our righteousness.
God taking on flesh and dwelling on the planet He created is the most shocking example of sacrificial love ever demonstrated. Jesus came to earth with a mission to save us from our death sentence.
As we begin to understand the majesty of God, we explore how He has no limitations and He has complete sovereignty. When we peer into God’s majesty, it’s mind-blowing! In response to this, we should feel led to repentance, worship, and obedience.
God’s love is continually being flooded into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. His love is not just reserved for super spiritual people. God’s love is a simple, basic gift for everyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ.
God's grace is where our relationship with Him begins, how it grows, and the driver behind our growing love for Him, those around us, and ourselves. As we get to know the Gracious God more intimately, we will experience a revolution inside and out.
God is faithfully watching over us, protecting us, strengthening us, loving us and keeping us safe. He provides escape from temptation, He meets our needs, and He forgives us. He does all these things because He is 100% faithful.
Whether it’s global, national or personal, peace comes the same way. It only comes through a personal relationship with the God of Peace, Jehovah Shalom.
LORD, Jehova, I Am...they all mean that He is a promise making and a promise keeping God. He is trustworthy, loving, and He never forgets. He is telling us that He is our everything.
Encountering God’s holiness strips us of everything we take pride in. When we admit our nothing, God gives us His everything. His holiness is who God is. Words cannot even express the immensity of His holiness.
God is all wise. This means that God always judges correctly, has unlimited knowledge and perfect timing. His ways are impossible for us to comprehend but we are just asked to trust Him because He has our best interest in mind.
We shouldn’t confuse our current circumstances with a permanent situation. Many have concluded that since we’ve waited for an answer to prayer for so long, that it’s too late.
When we experience things that are hard and painful, we may wonder if God is in control. God’s Word tells us that God is sovereign. He is always working His plans through His perfect love and wisdom.
If you feel like your at the end of your strength and resources, call on the LORD of Hosts, the commander of armies, who is ready to fight for you. He is stronger than your circumstances.
Everything in our world is changing constantly. It should be comforting to us to know that God never changes. He is dependable and steady. God is the only rock of stability on which to build our lives, everything else is sinking sand.
What does the all glorious nature of God mean? It’s the total manifestation of all His qualities: perfect love, compassion, holiness, sovereignty, etc., in its full saturation. God fills us up with His glorious nature so we can shine it out to the world
Our final look in to Psalm 23 where we see that wherever you go, God makes thoughtful preparations, God guides you little by little and you are never outside of God's goodness and mercy.
A continued look at Psalm 23 - Your trust in your shepherd makes a difference because it reveals God's character to people who don't know Him yet. Let's trust our shepherd.
Join us as we start a 3-part sermon set on Psalm 23. We learn about how we can have defiant hope!