On this first Sunday of Advent, we begin in the beginning. The Triune God created the heavens and the earth and then He made His children to live with Him. Yet, temptation invaded, and for the first of many times His children exchanged joy in their Maker for something else. How would God respond? How would He deal with His children after their first wandering? His reaction in the garden, in His later advent and today is consistent. He’s a gracious God!
Sermons by Dean Wertz (Page 22)
Why are some people so generous? What moves a woman, man or child to cheerfully share their food, home, clothing and money? Jesus observed that a woman who had been forgiven much loved much by generously anointing Him with her expensive perfume (Luke 7). While there are many motives for giving, in this message we consider gratitude to God for His grace as divine fuel for generous, sustained and joyful giving.
God’s vision for the church is love. Love for God, love for neighbor and love for one another. In this message we discover how to keep loving one another earnestly and with joy. More importantly, we learn why this command to love one another has implications that reverberate from the local church to the ends of the earth and beyond!
Why do so many followers of Jesus gather consistently with a group of friends during the week? After meeting to worship God together on the 1st day of the week why would anyone in their right mind add another commitment somewhere on the 2nd through the 7th? One of the many reasons why Christ followers have come together beyond Sunday for the past 2,000 years is to help one another live with and follow Jesus in all of life. Or, as King Solomon described it to his children, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise.”
Though we know prayer is important, it is easy to neglect it for many reasons. Busy schedules, tiring workloads and feelings of inadequacy. When God became man, He taught about prayer in ways that brought freedom. In this message we consider some of Jesus’ instruction on prayer and are encouraged to grow in the habit of simple conversations with God.
Busyness, work and increasing responsibilities can keep us from one of the greatest gifts in life – the habit of delighting in God’s Word. In this message from Psalm 1 we are reminded of the rewards afforded to those who cultivate the daily habit of delighting in God’s Word and we consider practical steps to grow in this essential habit for all followers of Jesus.
On the night before His crucifixion Jesus extended a new invitation to His followers, “Abide in Me.” To abide means to live in a close continual dependent relationship with our resurrected Christ through the presence of his Holy Spirit who indwells all who put their faith in him. In this message we discover move about this beautiful way of life and the…
An essential ingredient for a growing relationship with God is belief (also known as faith). Faith is being confident in what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see (Heb. 11:1). This kind of belief is essential for beginning and growing in our relationship with God. As we begin this 4-week series entitled, Ways to Grow, we are encouraged to cultivate the ability that God has given us to see His unseen realities and be awakened to the certainty of them.
“All the church wants is my money!” Living in a post-Christian culture has unique challenges. Loving neighbors in a society that, in many ways, is a reaction against Christianity is even more difficult. In this message you will be equipped and encouraged to love your neighbors in a way that may be more in line with Jesus’ approach than he approaches some of His followers (including us) have used in the recent past.
Ancient wisdom affirms, “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.” (Proverbs 18:1, ESV) Yet, according to the General Social Survey reported in Time magazine, “the number of Americans who say they have no close friends has roughly tripled in recent decades. ‘Zero’ is the most common response when people are asked how many confidants they have.” (Time March 18, 2015). During His time on earth Jesus lived in loving community with a handful of friends. Before His departure He commanded His small group to love one another as He had loved them. In this message we consider a few of the many reason why followers of Jesus should unite with a few others as one way to obey Jesus’ command to “love one another.”