The word Advent comes from a Latin word meaning “to come.” On this 1st Sunday of Advent we celebrate the first coming of Jesus as the light of the world. Similar to the transformation from darkness to light that we all experienced when we were born, so everything changes when the light of Christ shines into our spiritual darkness and we experience our new birth from above.
Sermons by Dean Wertz (Page 38)
As life gets busy it can be easy to drift from our created purpose of worshiping God. As a man after God’s own heart, David worshiped God on the battlefield, in solitude, and with the gathering of God’s people. In this message we learn from David’s example how to grow in worshiping God.
Loss is hard, especially when we lose someone or something we love dearly. In this message from the book of Ruth we meet Naomi and Ruth who combined have had many losses: death of their husbands, death of children, loss of homelands, moving from familiar childhood cultures and so much more. How do you respond when you’ve lost so much? These women chose to honor God and remain kind to people. As a result, God blessed them by including them in His vision to bless the world. The good news is that God desires to do the same for all of His children who walk faithfully through unexplainable loss.
Do you ever drift away from God and His ways? If so, you are not alone. We all are “prone to wander” from the God we love. In this message you will see that Israel repeatedly abandoned God during the time of the Judges, you will discover two hazards that can cause us to drift, and you will be encouraged by God’s consistent compassion for His children both then and now.
God fulfilled His promise to Abraham to bless his descendants with the Promise Land in Canaan. After 40 years in the wilderness and the death of Moses, the book of Joshua records Joshua’s rise to leadership and then Israel’s conquest of city after city. In this message we celebrate God’s fulfillment of His promise, grapple with some difficult questions raised by the complete destruction of the Canaanite cities and marvel at God’s grace toward Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho.
As thousands of runners passed by mile 21 ½ for the Denver marathon this morning, many people encouraged them to keep going all the way to the finish. In our service we received 3 encouragements from God’s Word to “run the race with endurance that is set before you.” Endurance is the ability to continue in the midst of pain until the task is finished. If you ever consider giving up on Christ because it is too hard, first reflect on these encouragements and the huge reward at the finish line for all who run with endurance!
Don’t waste your life! Israel wandered for 40 years because they doubted God’s command to conquer Canaan. Listen to God’s clear and loving voice and trust Him by doing what He commands and promises. In this you will chose life. In this you will not waste your life!
The Ten Commandments were unveiled when God called Israel to a family meeting at Mt. Sanai. While they initially showed Israel, God’s redeemed children, how they were to live among the nations, they have implications for us as well. In this message we discover that Jesus and His disciples saw the Ten Commandments as useful for both unbelievers and believers today.
Sometimes God allows His children to enter seasons when we are trapped, stuck, ensnared and bound in such a way that we cannot rescue ourselves. When we are unable to deliver ourselves we tend to either fight or flee. In rescuing His children from slavery in Egypt, God reveals that He is our deliverer who is mighty to save us from any and every form of bondage in His time and in His way. As God commanded Moses and Israel to act in faith as He delivered them from Egypt, we discover that walking in step with God through the process of deliverance is better than our typical flight or fight tendencies.
Some days are prosperous. Some days are adverse. Joseph’s life, like ours, was filled with ups and downs. What was it that enabled Joseph to walk with God and honor God whether he was in the palace or the pit? He consistently lived with and walked with God. For all who walk with God there is great hope that He can use us, in ways that we might never expect, to advance His vision to make earth look more like heaven.