When God created the world, it was completely aligned with his will. But, when humanity sinned, it became misaligned, resulting in pain, death, and war. Throughout history, godly leaders have helped us realign our wills with God’s and have helped reestablish peace but it has never been complete nor permanent. Individually and collectively, we alternate between more and less alignment with God’s will but we never achieve perfect or lasting peace. Often, it seems like there will never be a leader capable of achieving it and that thought is truly devastating. However, it’s wrong. There is in fact a leader who can and will enact God’s redemptive plan for the world and such a leader is worthy of all the worship the world can muster.
"hope" Tagged Sermons
Many of our neighbors, classmates, teachers, coworkers, supervisors, friends, and family don’t believe and may never believe that they’re sinners who need a savior. But they will believe, at some point in their lives, that they’re mortal, that death is inevitable. This universal human experience is where Jesus, who died and rose again, is relevant to all people.
Whether you grew up going to church, or found Jesus later in life, there are always moments we learn something about our faith that feels upsetting, difficult, and confusing. Scripture is not always immediately clear and there are passages and ideas that feel contradictory. In church we also hear many different voices and opinions from many different leaders – maybe even those who are trying to lead us astray. In short, as a Christian, it can be hard to know who to trust. In the next installment of our Hebrews series, Ministry Coordinator Tara Farrell brings us a message titled “Jesus is the Better Priest” as we explore some difficult questions of faith and exalt Christ as the ultimate and trustworthy priest!
Have you noticed how tough it has become to live faithfully with God among those who don’t share your God-centered worldview? How can we walk honorably with so many opposing voices and views around us? Join us Sunday at 9am to worship the Lord, and be encouraged and equipped to honor God among those who think and see life differently.
Have you ever been in a difficult season where you didn’t know what to do? When it was hard to hear God’s voice or you felt distant or without guidance? How do we walk faithfully with God during times of hardship and despair? This week, Tara Farrell brings a message on story of Ruth and Naomi and how their boldness and courage brings them through tragedy and suffering – and how God is faithfully working with us and for us no matter what.
Jesus demonstrated his kingdom and his kingship in his life, death, and resurrection, so that all who believe that he is king can glorify him and enjoy him both now and forever. Join us on Sunday at 9 a.m. as we consider this compelling invitation to believe.
God created life. But sin created death. And the inevitability of death is troubling. We have a variety of ways of coping with this reality, of protecting our minds from fearing it. We deny the inevitability of death or rationalize it to try to lessen its burden. But none of these things actually prevent it or our fear of it. Only one thing can truly alleviate our fear of death: the assurance of salvation, of life after death. The assurance of salvation is a helmet that protects our minds from fear.
Many people pray. Who we pray to and what we pray for makes all of the difference. As Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, he expresses his thanks to God for them following Christ and then he shares with them what he prays for them. What he prays is not for their safety or their prosperity, but for their full experiential knowledge of what they have in Christ – Hope and His Great Power! What would change in our lives if we received this type of prayer and prayed it for each other?
We’ve come through a rough stretch. How are you doing? Having seen one thing after another not right in the world, how have you responded? Did you hide and deny, fight to fix and/or experience despair? What did you dwell on in the most difficult times? Years ago, on the first day of the week, at early dawn, God gave us something new to consider. For though the wrong seems oft so strong, there is a Ruler yet.
As we begin our advent journey this year, we encounter Hope. Jesus came as a baby, but not just any baby. He was Emmanuel – God with us! And the great Hope we have is that we serve a God that is with us! Through everything and anything we experience we can long for and hope that Christ will come into our situation and lives because He has done it before, He is doing it now and He will do it again!