Independence Day:God's Closeness in Uncertain Times
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Faithful to the Finish
Peter's final call to a young and growing church
Grace and Glory
A short series through the highlights of 1 Peter
Entrusted
Gifts, risk, and the return of the King
Another basic concept – sin creates spiritual blindness. Let me illustrate with my favorite sin to talk about… GOSSIP. I’ll stop right here and make sure you know how I define gossip. Before you tell someone a story about another person (even disguised as a prayer request), it needs to pass all ...read more
Scripture: Luke 6:37-45
Tags: Sin, Gossip, Spiritual Blindness
Denomination: Methodist
There is NO COMPARISON between the power of satan and the power of the HOLY SPRIT IN YOU. The power of satan is like a little firecracker while the power of the Holy ...read more
Scripture: Ephesians 3:20, 2 Timothy 1:7, Acts 1:8
Tags: Holy Spirit, Satan, Power
I hate to be the bearer of bad news… but there is a deep divide in this sanctuary. No – it’s not what you think. It’s not political parties. It’s not hot-button social justice issues. Nope, it’s our view of “What is truth?” Here’s a way to view our divide from Os Guiness: “Three baseball ...read more
Scripture: Luke 11:24-36
Tags: Baseball, Absolute Truth, Umpires
HOW I FOUND HOPE By Danielle Strickland — I stole my first car when I was twelve years old. In family court, when my fate seemed to be incarceration, a leader from my church insisted I was going through a hard patch, but I could be sentenced to community service at a camp. The judge jumped at the ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-9
Tags: Jesus, Hope
Dr. Daniel B. Wallace has taught Greek and New Testament courses on a graduate school level since 1979. He wrote about this idea based on Matthew 4 “19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.” 20 They left their nets immediately and followed him.” “It’s strange ...read more
Scripture: Matthew 4:19
Tags: Fishing, Evangelism, Hell
That’s right – heaven or hell is the final destination for every human being. I want to crystal clear about this! All humans have been born into a state of Sin (with a big S). We commit sin (with a little s) because we are Sinners – not vice versa. At the instant of salvation, our Sin nature is ...read more
Scripture: Psalm 103:12-19
Tags: Hell, Atonement, Sin, Heaven
I want to give you a shorthand way of remembering the difference between the hope in our Bibles and the hope out in the world. Hope ain’t hoping. Today, folks plan outside events and say, “I sure hope it doesn’t rain.” Every Sunday, some folks may show up here and say, “I sure hope PJ doesn’t ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-5
Tags: Faith, Hope, Hoping
According to the 2022 U.S. Census Bureau, 18.4 million children, 1 in 4, live without a biological, step, or adoptive father in the home. That’s enough children to fill New York City twice or Los Angeles four times over. Research shows that a father's absence affects children in numerous ...read more
Scripture: Colossians 3:21
Tags: Dad, Fathers Day, Reading
In every war there are stories of courage, bravery, and acts of heroism that go beyond all human limitations. Do you know the name Desmond Doss? He was a soldier in WW2 that came from Lynchburg, Virginia. Because of his faith tradition that prevented him from carrying a weapon, he enlisted as a ...read more
Scripture: Acts 7:59-60
Tags: Courage, Heroism, Bravery, World War 2
There is a sin committed by many Bible-believing Christians, a sin that borders on the curse of Revelation 22:19, taking away from the words of the Bible. More specifically, it is a common sin of the enemy: Redefining the words of Scripture. What word? Joy. A well-meaning Christian says, ...read more
Scripture: Philippians 4:4, Matthew 13:44
Tags: Happiness, Joy
Leaving the City of Regret by Larry Harp I had not really planned on taking a trip this time of year, and yet I found myself packing rather hurriedly. This trip was going to be unpleasant, and I knew in advance that no real good would come of it. I'm talking about my annual "Guilt ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-16
Tags: Freedom, Regret
Imagine you were in a courtroom standing before a judge and you are being charged with a crime that carries the death penalty. Every person is born a sinner. The penalty of that sin is eternal death without the atoning sacrifice of Jesus’ blood. Back to the courtroom – the judge reads the verdict ...read more
Scripture: Revelation 20:11-12, Romans 3:23
Tags: Mercy, Blood, Guilty, Courtroom
Ephesians 2:1-3 “2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves ...read more
Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-5
Tags: Born Again, Zombies, Spiritually Dead
The change of regeneration is total and complete – at least is should be that way. Dr. Dale Sides calls it “re-gene-a-ration.” It like a whole a new DNA has been placed in every cell of your body. That’s how vast and powerful is the work ...read more
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ezekiel 36:25-27
Tags: Regeneration, Dr Dale Sides
The foundation of your house is important to making sure it continues to stand. The foundation of a skyscraper is even more important. Years ago, I read that the challenge for making buildings taller and taller was not adding floors on top – the challenge is adding to the base. Three ...read more
Scripture: Matthew 7:24-27
Tags: Bible, Foundation
“I believe that people who are watching television more than (reading) the Word of God are living in idolatry. God wants us to turn off our televisions and turn on the Word of God, to spend time watching His Word, that we will be washed in His Word and conformed into His image and likeness.” ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-3
Tags: Bible, Television, Idols
I once saw a video of a pastor who had figures, covered with sheets, up in the front of the church. As he started to preach, they were uncovered and you could see monsters and scary characters related to Halloween. The preacher kept asking, “Should these be in the House of God?” The congregation ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:11-12
Tags: Holiness, Halloween, Hypocrite
I also believe we are at a unique time in history where most folks today would identify with these three descriptions: • “Living in darkness” • “Not a people” • “Without mercy” Have you noticed this in folks? They are desperately trying to fit in and be a part of some group. These groups seem ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9-10
Tags: Evangelism, Anxiety, Listen, Hoplessness
Most of the time, we have no control over the circumstances of our lives, so we react by way of rebellion and complaining. Let me share a little formula with you: E + R = O Event + Response = Outcome We have no control over the events – things just happen. We often try hard to control ...read more
Scripture: Romans 12:18
Tags: Peace, Response, Outcome, Event
One example of living for Christ in the midst of suffering is William Wilberforce (1759 – 1833). There is a wonderful movie about him that came out in 2006 – “Amazing Grace.” You can watch is for free on Youtube. The movie opens in the year 1797 with Wilberforce suffering and feeling very ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:21-25
Tags: Slavery, Amazing Grace, William Wilberforce, Abolition
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