Last week Arik was led to remind us that we are a people of hope. We have a God-given picture of the future that effects how we live in the present. Today, we consider how God sent Jesus to ignite hope in His generation and how the church, as the body of Christ, when prioritized by all who are a part of it, has the privilege of continuing to provide hope in our generation until He comes again!
Sermons by Dean Wertz (Page 20)
Throughout the book of Proverbs wisdom calls us to work diligently and plan thoughtfully while also declaring that God is at work in the world and no plans will succeed if they are not from Him. So, which one is it? Does God do the work or do we? Today we explore Prov. 21:31 which nods at a resolution to this conundrum and a beautiful approach for life.
What does the Lord, who owns it all, want us to do with the resources He entrusts to us? Last week we learned that He wants us to be generous by sharing the first portion. This week we discover that He also wants us to save an appropriate amount, so we are prepared and at ease, without dread of disaster.
Since everything we have is a gift from God, what does He want us to do with it? For the next three weeks we will consider instructions from God regarding what to do with His resources. This week we discover that He wants His children to take the first portion of all that He sends our way and share it in ways that honor Him. When we do this, according to Solomon and King Jesus, God sees and rewards.
Cars run best over the long haul when all 4 tires are aligned. In this 4-week series we will align our finances in 4 key ways to God’s vision. In this first message we are challenged by the declaration in God’s Word that He owns it all. When this reality is embraced, the unexpected gift of gratitude returns to our life and relationship with God!
Have you been disappointed by God? On the Sunday after Jesus’ crucifixion, two of His followers were walking away sad because they thought God was going to work differently than how reality played out. In this message we discover that God uses our spiritual disappointments to correct and then deepen our youthful, blissful and inadequate views of Him and His mysterious ways.
Home inspections reveal that which is good and that which needs improvement. So, our world is filled with shooting stars and shooting victims. Jesus began a cosmic restoration during His brief life and He invited others to join Him in healing the world and humanity. For united with Him, His death was the death of the project for worldwide renewal and personal wholeness. So, His resurrection, was more than His resurrection. It was the rebirth of all that He began, His disciples now continue, and He will complete when He comes again at the end of the age – the renewal of all things!
Whether Jesus rose from the dead is the central issue of the Christian faith. If false, the implications are huge. If true, the implications are infinite. As we begin a new series entitled Living with the Resurrected Jesus, this message raises questions about the resurrection and then presents some of the many reasons to believe Christ is risen!
Through His resurrection, Jesus revealed that He is Lord of all. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Crowds gather for sporting events, national holidays and religious ceremonies. Why did they prepare, come together and shout Hosanna for a traveling Rabbi riding a colt during on the Sunday preceding the Jewish Passover? Beyond reporting the events of Palm Sunday, the Apostle John shares the basis for the gathering on that day. It is for this reason that we continue gathering, waiving branches and re-orienting our lives toward the One to whom every knee will one day bow.