Fun Stuff

The Beginning and End of False Religion – Part 2

This message continues our study of Revelation 17 and the final end of all false religions.  As we said last time, false religion is like fake medicine.  It is taken by someone who is dying hoping to be made well.  Worse than just being sick, the person taking fake medicine believes they are getting better.  They think they are okay and therefore are not seeking help. Satan uses false religion to accomplish his goal of redirecting all worship away from the true God and manipulate mankind to follow him instead.  Satan’s superpower has always been deception and death and during …

Revelation / Sunday Sermons

The Beginning and End of False Religion – Revelation 17

False religion is like fake medicine.  It is taken by someone who is dying hoping to be made well.  Worse than just being sick, the person taking fake medicine believes they are getting better.  They think they are okay and therefore are not seeking help. Dr. John MacArthur Jr. writes “All the false religions of the world are attempts to run from the true God. They’re all satanic counterfeits sending men in the opposite direction from God. Isaiah 53, verse 6 sums it up: “All we like sheep have gone astray, turned everyone to his own way.” We’re like sheep …

Revelation / Sunday Sermons

The Final Judgment of This World

Justice requires judgment.  Evil cannot ultimately coexist with justice and righteousness.  Contrary to popular belief, however, God is not eager to judge.  He is actually very slow to do it.  In the Bible, in 2 Peter 3:9 we read, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  God is waiting for more people to receive the gift that Jesus provided.  He is waiting for more people to turn to Him.  Justice, however, cannot wait forever.  There has to …

From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

Avoiding Dullness in the New Year

Dull is not usually a positive word.  No one wants to be accused of being dull and we aren’t usually looking to have a boring time.  This message is about how to avoid dullness; not being boring or plain, but rather it discusses our spiritual condition. It is about our minds and hearts when it comes to things of God.  It addresses a very serious topic in a positive way.  I hope you will choose to start your year joining the service, either in person or right here online. Our morning service begins at 10:45.

Fun Stuff

Seeing God’s Perfection in Our Weakness

We usually try to put our best side forward and often, try to present ourselves better than we really are. In a world where weakness is exploited and only the exceptional are celebrated, it is understandable that we never want to let our flaws or limitations show.  Unfortunately, our efforts to always appear perfect and in control only serve to isolate us and discourage.  Some keep trying harder to convince themselves and others they are champions.  Other begin to experience hopelessness. Hopelessness is an understandable feeling, as there are many forces beyond our control that make the world a scary and …

Christmas / Sunday Sermons

Trusting God While He Works His Plan

Trust has to be earned – correct?  Do you have a doctor you trust?  A mechanic or home contractor?  If you do, it is likely because they have earned your trust.  You have done business with them, or you know them, and they have proven themselves.  They have a reputation of doing what they promised; of knowing their stuff and keeping their word. In this sermon today, I hope to build your trust in God and His Word by showing how He does what He promises.  This message will connect some of the prophesies we looked at in previous sermons …

Christmas / Sunday Sermons

Dropping Hints Part 2 – Hope in the Darkness

Have you ever been on a treasure hunt?  A hunt where you follow a string of clues to eventually arrive at the treasure?  In the Old Testament of the Bible God has given us a treasure hunt of sorts.  Throughout the books of the Law, the Poetry and Wisdom books, and of course, the Prophets, God has laid down all kinds of clues, “hints”, of the coming Messiah.  In the book of Matthew, in the New Testament, we see some of these clues highlighted, but the real blessing is going back to the beginning and following the treasure hunt to …

Christmas / Sunday Sermons

Dropping Hints: Key Old Testament Prophecies of Messiah

Evil, pain, and suffering fill the pages of the Old Testament and all of human history.  Evil men commit evil acts that bring death and destruction.  Is there any hope in all that?  Can God bring good from that? Last week we began looking at the roots of the Christmas story and why it was needed.  We looked at the beginning of sin and suffering – how death entered God’s perfect creation.  In this message, we will continue to look stories of the after-effects of sin but also the redemption in them.   We will see the hope God brings not …

From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

In the Beginning – The Roots of the Christmas Story

Why Christmas? Why did Jesus come to earth as a baby?  Why did He die on the cross?  To understand the importance of Christmas and why it even exists, we need to go back to the beginning.  Not the beginning where the angel appears to Mary. Not even the account of John the Baptist’s birth being announced, nor the prophecies of Isaiah.  I am talking about going way back, to the very Beginning, to Genesis, to understand why we needed a Christmas. In this first installment of a 6-part Christmas series, it is my desire that we will all grasp …

From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

The Praise Solution for Hard Times

What is your natural response to difficult times?  How do react with the going gets tough?  If you are like most of us, your response is not rejoicing!  It is not giving of thanks.  What if I told you, however, that those things are the right response? Now some of you might be thinking of the Bible’s teaching from James 1 where it says “my brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different trials, knowing that the testing of your faith works patience”.  That verse is true, but it might lack the depth of explanation you are looking …