A Place Of Grace

I am looking forward to discovering the book of Ruth with you today. The book of Ruth shows how the providence of God works through the covenant faithfulness of ordinary people to bring redemption out of ruin and advance His plan toward the coming King. But before we meet Ruth, we need to understand…

Open Good morning, everybody! I am going to be honest with you. In preparing this message this week, I got caught up in my thoughts. I got caught up in fear of speaking in front of you guys. I did not have joy! I got trapped up on my circumstances while preparing a message about not placing joy in your…

What happens when people insist on doing what is right in their own eyes while living under the sovereignty of God? Judges 9–12 gives two simultaneous answers: Man's self-rule leads increasingly toward destruction. 2. God's sovereign rule continues faithfully despite man's rebellion. WATCHING THE SPIRAL…

It was the summer of 2002, and the Hayman Fire was burning by the camp I was working at. There was no rain in the forecast, blue skies and hot weather was surrounding us. Everyone was praying for rain… yet nothing was coming in the foreseeable future. I remember telling the campers to pray for rain as…

We often think being ready means feeling ready. We expect readiness to come with confidence, clarity, resources, and a sense that we know exactly what we're doing. But Judges 6 gives us a very different picture. Gideon isn't confident—he's afraid. He doesn't have all the answers—he has questions. He…

A song or a melody has a way of not only allowing the words or a message to impact us through poetry… it also has a way of staying with us. There are some familiar words that were written in 1918 that became better known in 1938. I am confident most would remember them even today. These are those words:…

God’s hand may be unseen, but His work is unmistakable… Judges 4-5 is a good reminder for us when we face circumstances, trials, or situations that God is present, God is working, and God is in control… even when we ask: Where is God? In Judges 4 the people of Israel are asking this… But God is not absent…

Have you ever forgotten something that changed everything? Maybe you forgot your wedding anniversary... Maybe you forgot your wallet... Maybe you forgot your medicine... Maybe you forgot a promise you made… Forgetting can have serious consequences. But there is another kind of forgetting that is far…

Have you ever wondered how a people who had seen God part the Red Sea... watched the walls of Jericho fall... witnessed miracle after miracle... could, in only one generation, completely forget Him? That's the question the book of Judges answers. Church, if it happened to them … we would be foolish to…

It was the first Sunday of this year when we first opened this powerful letter that God, through the apostle Paul, sent to the church at Ephesus. And now here we sit— twenty-five messages later—coming to the close of this incredible letter. For many of you, this letter has become familiar ground. Week…

The American Revolution gave rise to dozens of rallying cries— In March 1775 in an address by Patrick Henry, written was an immortal line calling his fellow man to stand, “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! ” Henry’s speech convinced the Second Virginia…

I had to chuckle as I read Paul’s opening words to the next portion of this letter… “ A Final Word: ”… It’s like a pastor’s last point in his sermon, you know we are not done yet, but we are getting close. There is still yet a crucial point to be made and these words draw the listeners ears to attention.…

Paul, in Ephesians 5:22-6:9 presents a vision for family life that is deeply rooted in the gospel. He calls for a radical transformation of household relationships, framing them as opportunities for demonstrating submission and mutual respect, reflecting the relationship between Christ and the church.…

Who we are before God is what matters most ... this is true in all of our relationships and situations of life… and our workplace is no exception! Today we have a passage that still remains in the household text. It concerns slaves and masters. While we have a particular view of slavery in America, and…

It’s a special day as we look at celebrating our young people stepping from childhood to adulthood. That transition sometimes in our minds and hearts creates a dynamic in the home that tends to become less clear. They remain our children yet they have now grown into adulthood. What does this dynamic…

Let me begin AGAIN where Paul began in verse 21 with a command that applies to every believer : “ Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. ” That means the tone of this entire passage ( from husbands and wives, parents and children, slaves and masters ) is not domination. It is humility.…

Today we’re stepping into a passage that, if I am honest, carries a lot of weight. For some, it raises questions. For others, it brings tension. And for some, it may even carry pain. We’re going to be in Ephesians 5:21–33 —a passage that talks about marriage, about submission, and about love. And before…

In our passage today we are shifting form looking at and dealing with specifics in our lives and hearts to more GENERAL areas for us to consider. There is a strong emphasis of some BASICs here of living and walking this Christian life! As we make this shift our passage begins with “SO” or “THEREFORE”…

When I originally started my sermon last week it was going to be one message… due to time constraints and a desire for us to get a fuller picture I broke this into two Sundays. Verses 1-7 developed a picture for us concerning the DARKNESS of this world and even that we can find ourselves struggling with…

My wife and I could not understand why our two year old son was hitting his face with his toy phone. As new parents we felt this was not normal. It was a few days later that my wife determined it was my fault that our son was hitting his face. As Lisa observed me speaking on the phone she noticed how…

Someone once stated: “ If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down .” This statement is true of our Christian walk as well. Fortunate for us, we are not left wondering what is is that we need to “ give up ”. As we continue in this letter of Ephesians Paul clearly lays out for you and…