Sunday Sermons

This week we continue to explore the abundant and lavish blessings bestowed on the Church in Christ Jesus. Last week, we praised God for the blessing of being chosen. This week we turn our focus toward the amazing blessing of being redeemed and why it is integral to God’s plan “to unite all things in Christ.”

The letter to the Ephesians begins with an explosion of blessing. We see how God has abundantly blessed his people with spiritual benefits in Christ, while also recognizing that our response to this immeasurable blessing should be our blessing and praise of God.

As we embark upon a new series in the book of Ephesians, we start with the initial two-verse greeting of the epistle. However, a closer look reveals that these two verses are much more than simple greeting formalities. They set the tone and give us insight into the entire epistle.

This week we examine the final lines of The Apostles’ Creed. We turn our focus from what has been, and is, to what will be. As we finish this series, consider how what we verbally say that we believe must then translate into an action-filled testimony of those beliefs in our daily life.

Having spent three weeks focused on the person and work of Jesus, this week we are turning our focus to what The Apostles’ Creed says about the Holy Spirit and the Church. As with all good theology practice, the creed first helps us see who God is so that we can accurately see who we, as God’s people, are to be and how we are to live.

The story of Jesus saving sinners does not end with his death and burial. In fact there is much more that Jesus has accomplished and will do that is crucial to who we are as his Church and why he is our hope in life and in death.

This week, we continue to explore what we are called to believe about Jesus. Whereas last week we focused on more general truths of who Jesus is, especially in relation to the Father, this week we are zooming in on his earthly life, specifically his birth and his death.

As we continue our study of the Apostles’ Creed, this week we direct our attention to the second member of the Trinity, Jesus the Son. The fact that the early church dedicates so much of the creed to Jesus, should, in and of itself, alert us to the supreme importance of the person and work of Jesus Christ as foundational to the Christian faith.

This week we begin a short series to help us gain clearer understanding of The Apostles’ Creed. This creed helps us to remember and rehearse what the Bible states are the beliefs of those who are truly in Christ. The creed begins with God the Father and tells us who he is and what he has done.

This past week, we had the great honor of serving our Lord by ministering to over two hundred children at Vacation Bible School. Throughout the week, they learned that our God is the Magnificent Marvelous Master of the whole wide world. In these two stories from the gospel of Mark, we are given a glimpse of this glorious truth as it is revealed in the person and work of Jesus.

This week, we conclude our study in the book of Amos. Although the book has consistently exposed Israel's sin and warned of God's coming judgment, it concludes with a message of hope. The Lord promises the future restoration that awaits those who remain faithful to Him.

In this concluding chapter of Amos, the Lord reiterates much of what he has already declared throughout the book to the nation of Israel. This passage brings into sharp focus the certainty of his judgment to arrogant and unrepentant people who have persistently ignored the prophet’s warnings of the destruction they deserve. God will fulfill his word and there is nothing that the unrighteous can do...

As we continue through the book of Amos, God further exposes Israel’s sin and their determination to persist in disobedience. Yet, God’s plans will always prevail. In 8:4-14, we see a people who insist on ignoring the word of the Lord, as well as the overwhelming magnitude of the judgment that awaits them.

Last week, we looked at two visions of judgment for Israel that the Lord revealed to Amos concerning Israel, in which the Lord relented in response to Amos’ intercession. In contrast, the two visions in this week’s passage depict judgments that will certainly come to pass. They serve as a sobering reminder that God’s patience will not endure indefinitely and as a warning that His people today must...

As we approach Amos 7, we are confronted with a series of visions that the Lord shows the prophet concerning Israel’s future destruction. However, the opening section of this chapter (7:1-6) provides a slight shift in tone from everything we have read so far. It provides a glimpse of God’s mercy in response to Amos’ intercession on behalf of the people.

After calling Israel out for their meaningless and superficial displays of worship in chapter 5, the Lord continues to expose the nature of a life lived devoid of genuine acknowledgement of God. Even though they are the Lord’s chosen people, their sin must be addressed and punished.

In the second half of Amos 5, God confronts Israel’s false assumptions in their standing before the Lord. This misplaced assurance is evident in their eagerness for the “day of the Lord” to come, as well as their continued outward religious practices. Yet God is not impressed with their external displays of devotion. Their hearts remain far from him and his righteous judgment will soon come upon t...

Amos 5 continues to reveal the nature of Israel's coming judgment as well as the reason for it. Even in the pronouncements of his righteous judgment, we also gain a greater glimpse of God’s heart for his people. Though the message of what is to come may be sobering, there is still hope to be found for those who are genuinely seeking it.

The second half of Amos 4 focuses on the things that God has done to get Israel’s attention. Even so, they refuse to turn to him and continue their rebellion. This week’s passage offers a glimpse of God’s incredible patience towards his people while also revealing the extent to which the human heart can become hardened.

This week, we move into chapter four, where God has a word for the women of the land who are complicit in the nation’s sin. This passage gives us greater clarity regarding Israel’s actions and what God is going to do in response. The issue is not only their outward behavior, but also the posture of their hearts toward God that lies behind those actions.

In God‘s continued indictment against Israel, Amos moves the case further in 3:9–15. In this passage, we get further explanation into the nature of Israel’s evil as well as the way God is going to punish them. It is a lesson that serves as a warning for us on what we can expect when we are insistent to hold onto sin.

After calling out the nations for their sin and proclaiming judgment upon them, God turned his attention to his own people in last week’s passage. The focus will remain on Israel throughout the rest of the book. In the beginning of chapter 3, God reminds Israel of their relationship to him as his people and shows how the very nature of this relationship actually serves as a witness against them in...

In last week’s passage, God delivered a word of judgment for the outside nations. In this week’s text, the Lord centers his attention on the sins of his own people. This serves as a humbling reminder that God’s grace is not to be taken lightly and that the way we live our lives matters to Him.

Last week, we were introduced to the idea that God has a difficult word to deliver through Amos–he is about to roar at his people, Israel. However, before he delivers his message to them, the Lord declares judgment on the nations that surround them (1:3-2:3). It is a reminder that all people will be held accountable to a holy God, and that no injustice will go unpunished.

Now that we have concluded our series in Matthew, we go back in time approximately 700 years, before the birth of Christ, to the book of Amos. It is a time of prosperity for God's people. But it is also a time of moral decay and empty worship. In these first two verses of the book, we see that God is sending a messenger to deliver news that will upend the comfortable life of the people of Israel.