King Jesus was born in Bethlehem not Rome. His arrival in this small unnoticed town demonstrates that our king came to shunned places and overlooked people in order to be with and exalt them. Do you ever doubt God’s presence and love? This 4th week of Advent be encouraged, Jesus has come to be with YOU! Do you know someone who is…
Sermons by Dean Wertz (Page 32)
In this 3rd week of Advent we consider, “What is it we are waiting for?” In other words, what is God’s vision for the future? Jesus and the whole Bible reveal that God’s vision for the future is a second advent of Christ followed by a renewed cosmos free from destruction, racial division, injustice and everything else that disrupts the harmony that once existed in Eden. Once this picture becomes clearer a second question must be addressed, “In light of this hope, how shall we now live?” This week we hear God’s invitation for us is to participate in making earth look more like Heaven while we anticipate Christ’s 2nd advent after which He will make all things new.
Has life been more difficult than you expected? If so, December may be a tough month as you see others celebrating while you struggle. On this second Sunday of Advent we recall a series of disappointments in Joseph’s life and we discover how these difficulties were used by God in a way that Joseph could have never imagined. His setbacks paved the way for the coming of Christ for the good of the whole world. In his first advent (“coming”), Jesus also modeled bowing in the midst of unexplainable difficulty and He taught His disciples to do the same. Therefore, we bow to our Sovereign God to plead our case, worship in our pain, and trust with full confidence that our difficulties in this damaged world will contribute (most likely in ways that only God currently knows) to God’s glory, our future joy and the restoration of all things.
Having invested the past 12 weeks growing as disciples who love God, one another and our neighbors, we now transition to Advent. “Advent” means “coming” and it has become a term to describe the 4 Sundays that precede Christmas in which God’s people celebrate Jesus’ first coming in Bethlehem as well as His second coming which we await. In this first Sunday of Advent, just before the busy month of December begins, we exalt Christ who declared during his first advent, “Come to me … and I will give you rest.” In Christ we have rest with God and rest within ourselves so that we may accurately represent our King Jesus as faithful ambassadors in this restless world.
With so many pressures from family, friends, co-workers and voices inside our head it is easy to become anxious and perplexed in life. Fortunately, Jesus modeled and taught a way of life that listens to God and then carries out what he directs. This week we explore how to hear God’s assignments as well as the tremendous rewards for all who live…
Did you know that you are uniquely made to bless others in the family of God? Are you clear on how God has created you to serve the body of Christ? This week we explore this reality so that we can all pursue serving in the right roles for the right reasons. Once we discover how God has made and equipped us…
One of the greatest ways to show God’s grace and love to others is by simply listening to them. Yet, with so many ideas floating around our world and inside our head it can be difficult to really hear what others are saying. Fortunately, God is a great listener and so He has a lot to teach us. This week we explore some barriers that can keep us from listening as well as some tools from God’s Word that will help us be better hearers. When we grow in the ministry of listening, we and those we listen to can experience the invaluable gifts of God’s grace and love.
Having invested the past 4 weeks focusing on our relationship with God, this week we begin to build upon this foundation as we spend the month of October growing in our love for one another. In this message we learn from I John 4:10-12 that grace is cyclical. When we discover God’s grace toward us, we can extend His grace to other…
When we hear the word, “worship” we often think of music or a Sunday morning service. Throughout the Bible worship is described with words like delight, honor, ascribe supreme worth to, enjoy, give the best of what has been given to us to, and find pleasure in God. This week we look to David, a man after God’s own heart, to see how we can worship God in all spheres of life including, but not limited to, when we gather with others for corporate worship.
When we buy a book, car or home we consider it “ours.” We have the receipt, title and/or bill of sale to prove that the product, building and land is ours. When we are given an unexpected day off, that day is “ours.” Yet, a careful reading of the Bible reveals that we, who are students of Jesus and lovers of God, are not ultimately owners but stewards. “Stewardship” is the management of the property or resources belonging to another in order to achieve the owner’s objectives. In this message we discover that God, the Owner of everything, is clear to reveal both his objectives, through his written word, and to give us a perfect example of stewardship, through his Son, his living word. This is great news for all who long to hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”