Peace In Aiken

Why is faith so important? As we examine the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus, we see what faith means to us.

We needed more than a teacher. We needed more than a model. We needed a champion who would live, obey, and die in our place so that his resurrection could be ours.

Transfiguration Day is the day in the church year when we celebrate glory. But there is a blunt reality to this day: we focus on a delayed glory. We don't expect God's glory to be on full display in our lives in the here and now. Instead, while we suffer under our crosses this side of heaven, we look forward to the day when we get to meet the glory of Jesus face to face.

God calls you salt and light. When he does that, he's doing 2 things. 1st, he is reminding who he has made you to be. You are already these things by the grace of Jesus. 2nd, he is reminding you of your calling. God has made YOU salt and light!

How does the way God speaks about us impact our self-talk? There might be times when God calls us to speak more kindly about ourselves. There might be other times in which we need to be reminded to speak more realistically about ourselves. Rule of thumb: Let's speak about ourselves the way God does!

God makes promises to his church. God does not lie. These are the two beautiful comforts we have going into Matthew 16:13-19. Why? Because Jesus makes 3 intensely important promises to his church as he speaks to his disciples.

Jesus' baptism is more than just a historical fact. It's more than a cool connection that you share with him. Jesus' baptism grants your baptism validity. It shows how our Savior placed himself under the expectations of God that he might meet all of them on your behalf. Now, when the Father looks at you, he calls you exactly what he called Jesus on the day he was baptized: "my beloved."

When the wise men visited Jesus, something unbelievable happened. God showed all of mankind that he didn't send his Son for a select few. He sent him for everyone. That means, through Jesus, God grants access to his limitless grace to everyone through his Word.

God sends his son so that he might expand his family. The work of Jesus makes you a child of God. Then, God sends his Holy Spirit to teach you, encourage you, equip you, and empower you to live as part of his family.

Why did God need to get so close to the human race? Why would he not have stayed in heaven on his throne where he belongs and hold to his perfect expectations? Why did God become flesh? To take away the sin of the world, God entered it and when he did so, he revealed his true glory.

Emmanuel literally means "God with us." That's what it took to pry mankind from the clutches of death and despair. It took God himself becoming a man so that he could set you free.

Jesus the Messiah is exactly who he is supposed to be. He's supposed to be more than a teacher and more than a moral model. He's supposed to be the promised Savior of the World.

The coming Savior is obsessed with one thing: calling sinners to himself. This is the very reason for his arrival. Since we have a Savior who has called us to faith, we carry with us his mandate to call others to him.

John the Baptist is known for preparing the people for Jesus. How did he do so? Did he tell them to clean up their acts? Not really. Did he preach love and understanding? Not quite. Instead, he preaches harshly about repentance. John knew something that we would do well to be reminded of today: On every day throughout our lives, we are called to repent because we know that the Kingdom of heaven is...

As we end a church year, we're left with a question: How many more times will we do this? How many more years will go by before Jesus comes back to take us home to be with him? Often it feels that day may never come. Today, in our lesson from Revelation, we are reminded to maintain our stamina and renew our hope in the day of the Lord. The place we do that? Scripture.

How does Zacchaeus go from scoundrel to good Samaritan? What drives such a change? Only the grace, love, and forgiveness of Jesus closes the book on a chapter of deceit and sin and opens the door to joyfully living in grace!

How can we go on? In a world marred by sin and sadness, how do we take the next step forward? How do we face tomorrow? As we celebrate All Saints' Day we are reminded that we have a God who carries us from one day to the next by his grace.

How can we be free? The world sees freedom as doing whatever you want, whenever you want. But true freedom is more than that. True freedom is not being a slave to urges, and it's not being a slave to the law... it's knowing Christ and living in him!

What drives your prayer life? Is it anxiousness or fear? Is it concern over the present life or the life to come? Is it care for the lives of the people around you that you love? ALL of these might factor into our prayer lives, but the reality is, there is one thing that drives it: the promises of God.

What drives us to be thankful individuals? In our sermon for this weekend, Jesus shows us that his mercy and forgiveness will always stir up thanks within us.

"Is marriage worth it?" I'm sure you've heard the question asked. Maybe you've even asked the question yourself. In a world in which marriage is being called "old-fashioned" and "not workable," do you feel like it's easy to honor marriage? Let's explore the reasons why God gave marriage and allow his gift and promises to inspire a newfound honor for marriage!

Do we use everything at our disposal for the sake of God's kingdom? No, that's not really a question about giving to the church. It's more of a question about our personal lives. Do we use every second, every gift, every treasure to accomplish the work of Jesus?

How does the Christian approach the broken world? Do they detach themselves? Do they get angry and lash out? God gives us a beautiful task in a world so full of ugliness. He calls us to pursue the lost with the same care and passion with which he pursued us. Our power is the gospel. Only through that gospel are lives eternally transformed!

In our reading this weekend, God presents before his people 2 paths. One path walks with him. One path walks without him. The first path is characterized by trust and obedience. The second path is characterized by doubt and disinterest. The first path leads to life. The second path is a death march. God lays these paths before his people and tells us, "I have set you on the first path... stay ther...

Is humility a nice quality to have, or is it necessary? Jesus shows us that humility is important to our eternity, not just helpful for getting through life. When we humble ourselves this side of heaven, we are humbling ourselves before the Savior who humbled himself first. Jesus humbled himself and was exalted by the Father. We humble ourselves before Christ and because of his work, we are exalte...