Sunday Sermons

Jesus intentionally set a perfect example in every way, and He proved that He is Lord by His resurrection. We must live as if Jesus did arrive, because He DID. We must live as if He is with us, because He IS. We must live as if He is returning, because He WILL return. Series: Love Incarnate:Then Speaker: John Pryor Live as if He did arrive, because He did! We celebrate Jesus Christ as Emmanuel bec...

The Arrival. Based on everything that is celebrated during Advent and most of the key passages read during this season, it focuses on four ways Jesus has arrived, does arrive, and will arrive. It will also focus on how all this should shape every day of our lives. Series: Love Incarnate Speaker: John Pryor Turn your volume up when Jace is guiding Wyatt to hear what is being said. Notes God keeps H...

SLOTH (laziness) literally means unstrung (as in a bow that's not ready to be used) or deceitful (not as good as it seems). Sloth keeps us at others' mercy—even if we are in a position of leadership. We must break free from Sloth and focus on Wisdom (tangibly living out the best possible choices) and Diligence (consistent, relentless work, over time). Hard work leads to success; it's not the...

LUST also turns natural and even holy desires into dangerous cravings and actions that destroy relationships instead of build them. Lust destroys our ability to love others as people and their ability to fully trust, respect, and love us. Lust trades intimacy for brief, unsatisfying, and lonely sexual experiences. Feeding lust creates habits and addictions that can derail all our relationships. We...

WRATH counterfeits righteous anger but—unlike God's wrath—it never results in true justice. Our wrath is selsh and uncontrolled. It blinds us, leading us to measure God Himself against our views of right and wrong and our anger as a justication for anything. It ends us hurting the angry person even more than those they hurt. We must break free from Wrath and focus on Patience (waiting...

GREED is rooted in two lies: whatever we want is good, and things can make you happy. When we fear scarcity and believe we deserve what we want, we can justify just about anything; this is the essence of “the lust of the esh and the pride of life.” We must break free from Greed and focus on Generosity (meeting others needs with our resources) and Peace (living resolutely—focused,...

GLUTTONY is seeking pleasure at all costs. It turns natural hungers and needs into dangerous cravings. It makes us feel guilty for wanting things that aren't wrong—and powerless against persistent sinful desires. It turns good things designed to bless us and bring us closer to God and others into lonely, painful things that destroy us. It makes us addicts and hurts our witness. We must break...

Envy distorts reality and steals our joy. When we see blessings as needs and rights, we expect them—and justify whatever it takes to “get what we deserve.” When we evaluate God, life, others, and ourselves by these distorted standards, everything and everyone seem unfair and unjust. When we step in to do God's job for Him, it never works; in fact, it destroys everything and disco...

Pride is the rst and most fundamental sin; if we did not believe that we know better than God and act on that belief, we would never commit any other sins! Adam and Eve believed and acted on lies and deliberately disobeyed God; this is what made picking and eating fruit the original sin. Pride blinds us, leading us to misunderstand, judge, distort, and reject God's truths, actions, character, and...

Description: We must approach God humbly and expect to lose parts of ourselves as He transforms us. Remember: sparks y o when iron sharpens iron! A true friendship with God must include daily prayer—which includes making time to just be with Him, truly listening as well as talking and studying. We must allow Him to transform us; “this our spiritual act of worship.” Our greatest h...

Encouragement isn't always comfortable—for either person. The best “worship responses” are actions. We should all engage with a variety of activities, people, personalities, and potential. Encouragement works way better than criticism. Series: Healthy Friendships: As Iron Sharpens Iron Speaker: John Pryor Notes: Choose encouragement over comfort. Life-shaping, “iron sharpen...

Relationships must trump tasks. Healthy relationships require time—and quantity produces quality. Don't be “unequally yoked” in your most inner circles, but also don't let others' fears and opinions keep you from starting new transformational relationships. Always ask, “What's best for the kingdom?” not “What's best for me?” Series: Healthy Friendships: As...

Healthy, transformational relationships focus on others' needs. We must relentlessly show love to others—even when they say they don't want our love. We must make time to communicate and learn with those we love. Each person should play their role rst (e.g., be the parent now, friend later), and we must constantly do our best to play our part well. Series: Healthy Friendships:As Iron Sharpen...

If living life expecting Christ's return were a tree, the roots would be an authentic hope, the trunk would everything He told us to do to prepare and all we do to remember and accomplish the mission He gave us. The branches would be every action we take in that direction, and the fruit would be the gospel reaching every nation and disciples being made in all of them—then Christ actually ret...

If growth were a tree, the roots would be a healthy, growth-inspired environment. The trunk would be strategies designed to reach more people and help people who already know Christ to connect more deeply with Him and with each other. The branches would be implementing those strategies, and the results would be tangible, ongoing growth. Series: Authentic Faith: The Church Speaker: John Pryor Notes...

If suffering were a tree, the roots would be sin—but the trunk is what salvation and transformation require in a fallen world. The branches are the disciplines we choose and the actions we take, and the fruit is actual salvation and transformation in ourselves and in all our relationships. We choose to reject the world, follow Jesus, and discipline ourselves or we suffer the inevitable conse...

If giving were a tree, the roots would be the fact that God owns everything, that “every good and perfect gift comes down from above.” The trunk would be that giving is an act of worship and trust and an investment in His. The branches are tithes (a consistent pattern throughout scripture of a 10% minimum being God's share) and offerings (what we choose to give out of compassion, abund...

If discipling were a tree, the roots would be the need to be like Jesus and His command to follow Him and make disciples. The trunk would be teaching disciples to obey everything He commanded—beginning with baptism. The branches would be actually doing those things—baptizing, teaching, obeying, mentoring, and making more disciples who make more disciples—and the fruit would be Hi...

If worship were a tree, the roots would be the glory of God—how deserving He is of our praise and pledges of allegiance. The trunk of the tree would be anything He specifically says or requires about worship, plus a little wiggle room for our personal gifts, preferences, facilities, etc. The branches would then be what we actually DO, how we worship, and the fruit would be God experiencing j...

If leadership were at tree, the roots AND the branches would be “taking someone from ___ to ___” or “taking someone out of ___ into ___.” Leadership is an action, not a position. The trunk of the tree is responsibility, and the fruit is results and more leaders. Elders primarily lead spiritually and deacons primarily serve, and both have specific qualifications. Still, ALL...

If the church were a tree, the roots are koinonia —the complete fellowship of the Trinity in Whose image we are made. The trunk is ekklesia —gathering around a common purpose. The branches are what we do to expand and deepen our fellowship, and the fruit is all the results. Series: Authentic Faith: The Church Speaker: John Pryor Notes: Authentic Faith means: 1) Faith that is placed in...

Last summer, multiple speakers kicked off the year with a series called OTHERS FIRST. Like all of the 2018-2019 series, this one explored 1) what the Bible actually says, and 2) how we, as a congregation, are trying to apply what the Bible says. This year, we are building on that foundation. We will revisit each of our core themes assuming that everyone knows what we're talking about and why it's...

Last summer, multiple speakers kicked off the year with a series called OTHERS FIRST. Like all of the 2018-2019 series, this one explored 1) what the Bible actually says, and 2) how we, as a congregation, are trying to apply what the Bible says. This year, we are building on that foundation. We will revisit each of our core themes assuming that everyone knows what we're talking about and why it's...

Last summer, multiple speakers kicked off the year with a series called OTHERS FIRST. Like all of the 2018-2019 series, this one explored 1) what the Bible actually says, and 2) how we, as a congregation, are trying to apply what the Bible says. This year, we are building on that foundation. We will revisit each of our core themes assuming that everyone knows what we're talking about and why it's...

Last summer, multiple speakers kicked off the year with a series called OTHERS FIRST. Like all of the 2018-2019 series, this one explored 1) what the Bible actually says, and 2) how we, as a congregation, are trying to apply what the Bible says. This year, we are building on that foundation. We will revisit each of our core themes assuming that everyone knows what we're talking about and why it's...