Delight in Grace

In Daniel 3:26-30, King Nebuchadnezzar reacts to the miraculous protection over Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego. Those who looked on saw men willing to die for their faith. They saw a God worthy of the ultimate sacrifice, and they saw a God who is sovereign over life and death. And the only appropriate response to such sovereignty is surrender. Let’s listen in. This message titled No Other God Ca...

Chuck Swindoll said “we are all faced with innumerable opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” In Daniel 3:19-25, God shows His greatness and His faithfulness to His people, making Himself known to all who stood watching, including the king of Babylon! But what if Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had simply caved to the king’s demands? In this message, Pastor Rich reminds us...

Who is the God who will Deliver You? Daniel 3:8-18The church- and the world- need to see the power of people with a settled faith- not reacting in fear, but living out unshakeable confidence in God. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are an example of such unshakeable confidence. They believed God to be good, omnipotent, and sovereign and that knowledge guided their response to conflict and danger. I...

A massive golden idol. A king’s demand to bow down, or else. A life or death decision. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego find themselves in a dangerous situation, indeed. Most of us have not been commanded to bow before an idol, especially not on pain of death, but in this message from Daniel 3:1-7, Pastor Rich points out the intense societal pressure we face in the western world to bow to an ideolo...

In Daniel 2:46-49, we get to peek into a throneroom. We see a king on his face. A pagan king at that. King Nebechadnezzar confesses the greatness of Jehovah. He tells Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the King of kings.” And He is. The awesomeness of our great God is captivating. May His beauty captivate us today.

In Daniel 2:24-45, Daniel comes to the king who has demanded the impossible of his wisemen- to interpret his dream, but only after they tell him what the dream was in the first place! When Nebechadnezzar asks if Daniel can tell both the dream and its meaning, Daniel points out that no man could, but that there is a God in heaven who can. Nebechadnezzar sought his answers and his power in the stren...

Oswald Chambers said the clearest evidence that God’s grace is at work in our hearts is when we do not get into panics. From a human perspective, Daniel and his friends had every right to get into a panic. A king demanded the impossible and put a death sentence on failure. Daniel’s response is a portrait of what it looks like to deeply trust in the Most High God. Listen to this message from Daniel...

In spite of their captivity in a distant land, Daniel and his friends embraced the role God had for them and were soon recognized for their commitment to excellence. But what would happen when the King demanded the impossible? A demand that, if not met, would mean death for Daniel and his friends? In today’s message from Daniel 2:1-13, Pastor Rich sets up the predicament for us, showing the contin...

Dropped into a situation that must've felt dark, Daniel and his friends shone brightly- an outstanding contrast. They didn’t do so by hiding or even protesting. Instead they applied themselves fully to the role God had entrusted to them. We can be better equipped to engage our own culture with truth by observing their faithfulness, that shone all the brighter in the context of captivity and pagani...

As captives in Babylon, Daniel and his friends encounter a foreign worldview that clashes with their own. In the face of intense pressure to conform, Daniel purposes in his heart to stand firm in his convictions. Daniel chapter 1 shows us how to hold fast to God with truth and grace. A delight in God such as Daniel’s will stand in noticeable contrast to the world. Let’s listen to this message from...

Alexander Graham Bell said, “When one door closes, another opens, but we often look so long and regretfully at the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.” How do you handle change? God cares how we respond when things don’t go the way we had planned. Daniel chapter 1 introduces us to four young men whose lives took a sudden, dark turn. What will they do, captive in a new la...

Today we begin a series on the book of Daniel titled “The Most High God Rules in the Kingdom of Man”. The stories in the Old Testament are like puzzle pieces that come together to reveal God’s message, but Pastor Rich calls the book of Daniel “the box top” to that puzzle. For in it, we can see God’s overarching sovereignty to work His will, even through calamity and in spite of man’s rebellion and...

As Paul closes out his letter to the Galatians, he emphasizes one last time legalism’s incapacity to produce a changed life and the beautiful power of grace. The law cannot define the status of the believer, nor transform his heart, only Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection carries that kind of power. Let’s listen to this last message in our Galatians series. This message titled New Creation f...

What you sow, you reap. This isn’t only an Old Testament principle. Galatians 6:8 reminds us that if we sow to the Spirit- drawing near to God, abiding in Christ, letting His Word dwell in us- we will reap eternal life. But if we sow to the flesh- fostering bitterness, self-pity, pride, entertaining wrong thoughts and attitudes, lingering in bad company, we will reap corruption. How does the sow/r...

In Christ we are freed from the law. We don’t hold the burden of living up to a set of rules. Instead, we are under the law of Christ, governed by the Holy Spirit, constrained by the love of Jesus. That freedom allows us to love and serve with joyful sacrifice. See, The law of Christ actually raises the bar for the behavior of God’s people, and provides the ability to rise to the character of Chri...

Has there been a crucifixion in your life? Galatians 5:24 tells us that those who belong to Jesus have crucified the sinful flesh. In this message, Pastor Rich shared 7 signs that you might still be sowing to the flesh instead of walking by the Spirit and what it will look like when we have crucified the flesh. Let's listen i

The Bible uses phrases like walk by the Spirit, about in Christ, and draw near to God. If the meaning of these feels vague to you or if you are wondering what such phrases look like lived out, this message is for you. How do I walk by the Spirit? Let's listen to this message from Galatians 5;16-18.

In Christ, we become a new creation, free to follow Jesus. But our sin nature doesn't go away. Why does the Spirit-filled Christian still sin? What does it look like to, not just manage our behavior, but to be transformed to truly look like Christ? Pastor Rich answers these questions from today's passage in Galatians 5:16-18.

There are two natural extremes in religion- to indulge the flesh or to restrict with rules and regulations. God calls us, not to follow the flesh or a code, but to follow our Lord Jesus. This is the new way in the Spirit. The new way in the Spirit is to use the freedom in Christ to one another. Let’s listen to this message from Galatians 5:13-15.

What beautiful freedom and relationship there is in walking with Jesus! It stands unique from every religion and moralistic code of living. Maybe you are asking what it looks like to walk with Him or why those who follow Him sometimes lose sight of the freedom and joy Jesus offers. In this message, Rich answers these questions for us from Galatians 5:7-12. May God root out obstacles in our thinkin...

Galatians 5:5-6 says 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. What is this hope we eagerly await? Does performance lose all its value in Christ? And how does faith express itself through love? Let’s listen as...

If your ticket to heaven lies in what you do or don’t do, you aren’t following Christ but moralism. What is moralism and how is it different from Christianity? Pastor Rich answers this question from our passage today in Galatians 5:2-4. Find out how our new life in Christ, in all its beauty and goodness, shines brightly against the sham of moralism. Let’s listen in. This message titled The Advanta...

Galatians 5:1 tells us that it is for freedom Christ has set us free. Paul continues with a warning, “stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.” We are no longer slaves burdened under obligation to a code, but sons and daughters, walking with our perfect hero, our Father, in a loving apprenticeship to become like Him. What a beautiful picture! Listen wit...

God is doing great things in the heart of a Christian faithfully submitted to the Savior. Phil. 2:13 tells us that it is God who works in us, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. As followers of Jesus, our fruit-filled life comes as the upshot of walking with and treasuring God. In Galatians 4:21-31, Paul continues to draw a clear line between religion that simply follows rules and a fl...

The Galatian church had slipped back into old patterns- tying itself to moral codes and practices instead of the transformative grace of Jesus. In Galatians 4:12-20, Paul calls to them as a loving parent reaching out to a wayward child. He lovingly and truthfully reprimands them, calling them to the freedom and transformative work of Christ that was once precious to them. Let’s listen in.