How shall we endure suffering? Suffering is not a space that anyone is very comfortable with, however, the Apostle Peter shares how to exist in suffering while following the beautiful way of Jesus. As Peter writes to those he has concern for, he unveils a simple path of truths that we must make decisions to follow. When we do, we will continue to be blessed by our Father who is in Heaven.
Sermons by Rob Cupp
As those who have tasted that the Lord is good, how should we respond when we are being accused, persecuted, hurt or despised? The difficult answer is to bless those who are doing evil to you! The apostle Peter shares from a life of following Jesus how to do this in 1 Peter 3. Having the gentle kindness of Jesus as his guide, Peter points us to a way of responding to evil that breaks the endless cycle of hurting those who hurt you.
The Christmas Holiday is full of many traditions, emotions, memories and gifts, which make it “the most wonderful time of the year.” All of this celebration is fitting because we are celebrating the greatest news to ever be uttered at anytime on this planet. The angel who originally announced this great message described it as “good news of great joy that will be for all people.” Why is the gift of Jesus to cause such great joy? Do we live in the joy we were meant to have? What are the implications of this joy for each of our lives? Join us as we explore the great joy of this Christmas Season!
The Future is something we don’t control. For some it is something to look forward to. For others it is something to fear. As disciples of Jesus we have a future to be hopeful and excited about – Heaven! But, we are not there yet. How can we live well now with our heavenly future in mind? This week complete’s our series, The Relevance of Christ.
For many Christianity, is a religion of rules. Endless lists of dos and don’ts that prove to us that we don’t measure up cause us to despair. In fact, if we’re honest it often causes us to draw back from God and Jesus. Some may participate because it is “the right thing to do,” but this is only duty and it actually causes many people to steer as far away as possible from church, religion and anything that has to do with faith. However, in Mark 1, we read about two sets of sons who were working in their respective family businesses. One day these sons encountered Jesus during the course of their work day and the result was that they resigned from their Father’s businesses and became students of this up and coming Rabbi. What did Jesus teach that caused them to leave their life’s work so quickly and easily. It was very powerful, but it wasn’t a list of religious rules. Jesus was relevant to those men for the rest of their lives and He is completely relevant to us today because of the power of His Teachings.
What happens when following Christ doesn’t seem worth it anymore? The author of the Book of Hebrews was writing to a group of people who were thinking of “jumping ship” because of persecution and imprisonment they were facing. Sticking with Jesus was costing them a lot, but the writer makes a case that Jesus is better and has better things for us. We need this exhortation today. No matter what difficulty we face, following Jesus is the only option when we see His Greatness and we understand the rest He wants to give us.
God has always been speaking to the human race, calling us, inviting us, challenging us and communicating His desire for us to be with Him. In fact, He made us to be fueled by Him as we dwell on this planet. If we try to be fueled by anything else, our lives will not run properly. So, God speaks to us to remind us that without Him it won’t work. During the history of Israel, God used the prophets and his mouthpiece to remind them that He is the only way. Today God continues to speak and to call us to decide to be fueled by Him and Him alone.
Be careful what you wish for. Many of us look at the world around us and desire to have a different life in some way, and the Israelites were no different. They wanted to be like the other nations around them and have a human king rule over them. They asked, and God graciously gave them what they wanted – even though it wasn’t the best for them. Over the history of Israel there were good kings, but none of them were as good as God was. In our lives, we must be careful what we demand and ask for from God…we might just get what we want.
“Life Happens” is an often-heard phrase when we try to explain difficulty, pain and setbacks people face in life. Sometimes when “life happens”, the deeper and often unspoken question asked by those who have faith (and even those who don’t) is “Who is this God that allowed….or caused….or didn’t act in time?” We see this in the story of Moses. Israel finds themselves at the end of 400 years of being the slaves of Egypt and a God they have only heard about in family stories begins to move. And it doesn’t always seem that He moves in their favor. As they ask their questions, God is on a mission and revealing to His People who He really is.
Not all religions are the same. Nor are all “gods.” During the Christmas Season, we celebrate the incarnation of the All Mighty, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When He “became flesh” it revealed to us who God The Father is and how He loves, relates to and cares for us. As a result, the Incarnation is the reason we can sing “Joy to the World, the Lord has come!”