It keeps us awake, diminishes our creativity and reduces our ability to love others. What is the antidote to fear? In this message we will discover God’s strategy to empower us to live in freedom rather than fear.
Sermons by Dean Wertz (Page 12)
We’ve come through a rough stretch. How are you doing? Having seen one thing after another not right in the world, how have you responded? Did you hide and deny, fight to fix and/or experience despair? What did you dwell on in the most difficult times? Years ago, on the first day of the week, at early dawn, God gave us something new to consider. For though the wrong seems oft so strong, there is a Ruler yet.
Woody Allen acknowledged, “I’m not afraid of death; I just don’t want to be there when it happens” and Solomon observed, “the fear of man will prove to be a snare.” What if our fears are actually opportunities for growth? In this message we grapple with the realities of fear and discover from an ancient story how to grow in freedom, trust and courage in the legitimate concerns of 2021 and beyond.
Photobombing and birth are alike. We unknowingly enter a story. Did you know that you, like the people in the Bible, were created to walk into a divinely authored adventure? In this week’s message, you will learn about an ordinary person who entered the joy of God’s story and discover how you can do the same!
Religious liberty is a gift we enjoy in most countries around the world. So, why did Jesus say that His followers should expect to be persecuted for His name? What did He mean and how is this relevant for us who can worship and follow Jesus freely in the 21st century? In this second message from the life and death of Abel, we discover a reality about opposition that all who walk with God must know, remember and embrace as we seek to live and die in union with God.
Some lives are brief. Too brief. Way too brief. It was this way for Abel. Though his life was cut short, he lived carefree with God and as an inspiration to all who desire to walk moment by moment in the presence of God.
Does God prefer that we walk with Him or work for Him? A fuller look at Enoch’s life points us toward God’s thoughts on this all important question.
What does God expect of me in 2021? Am I doing enough to please Him? Isn’t there something else I could do to make my life matter for God glory and the good of the world? In this ancient genealogy we discover that maybe doing one thing is enough. “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” Maybe walking with God is enough.
Have you ever used poor judgement and then found yourself in trouble? If so, you can probably relate with Adam and Eve who hid in fear after eating forbidden fruit. In God’s response to our ancestors, we discover good news! God loves you and comes not to shame you but to walk again alongside of you!
Much is bruised in our world and lives. International conflict, political division, disease, relational tension and anxiety. In this 2nd week of Advent, we receive God’s desperately needed vision for peace through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.