Anthem Church

We know that faith and works both play an integral part in walking with Jesus, but often these two principles are seen as two separate things that need to join together somehow. What if, instead, they are part of the same thing, brought together by a heart that treasures Jesus?

As followers of Jesus, we are not to show partiality towards others. How, then, do we navigate through life, growing in discernment and avoiding discrimination?

Our relationship with God is based primarily on faith, but what does this faith look like? Far from simply a mental assent to a collection of belief, we begin to see in the book of James that pure faith, which pleases God and blesses us and others, works itself out into every moment in all of our life.

If we are going to follow God's way when we face hard times, we are going to have to trust his character? Is he trustworthy? Is he good?

If we are going to follow the way of Jesus with all of who we are, his way needs to work in the high times of life and in the low times. Can we trust his way to work when life is hard?

In our last sermon of the series, come face to face with the final deadly sin: wrath. Anger has a unique way of making itself at home in our innermost being. Anger, in the moment might be reasonable, but while it might be ok to be mad, it's never ok to stay there. Wisdom shows us what anger does to us and the way out. 

Fighting lust is not simply about fighting disordered desires, it is about recapturing who we were truly made to be.  

Gluttony is the silent sin. It's entirely acceptable to talk about how lust or greed are sinful, but it is not often that we talk about how we are affected by our relationship to food and drink and how that might be a sign post to a deeper need: satisfaction. Comfort. The wisdom of God gives us a better path. 

Sloth is not simply overindulgent laziness - the problem is much deeper. Instead, sloth is a disruption of our calling as image-bearers of God as we love ourselves and our comfort more than our neighbors, family, and even God. How do we navigate out of spiritual apathy into fortitude and a life of sacrificial love?

Scripture speaks loudly about our love of possessions. Many of us have believed a lie: life is a zero-sum game and if I don't look out for myself, then I'm missing out. So we take because we do not trust. Wisdom corrects this lie and preaches to us that God is generous and that generosity is the path to life.  

Envy does not just rob us of joy - it is a distortion of our very role and calling as those made in God's image, designed to be satisfied in him. How do we walk the path of peace, away from envy and towards a proper love for God, ourselves, our neighbors, and even our enemies?

God is not indifferent to pride - He opposes the proud but gives abundant grace and favor to the humble. How do we wear and walk the path of peace towards humility?

God prescribes a way of being in the world that leads to life and flourishing. Proverbs gives us practical insight into what that looks like. But before we can travel down the paths of wisdom, we need to understand exactly what wisdom is and why it's so valuable. Wisdom begins with wisdom.  

The great news of Easter Sunday is not just that Jesus is alive, but that in him we get to live with God all the days of our life.

This week marks the turn: Heavy judgment produces hope and healing in the lives of God's faithful people. This has always been God's pattern, which means you and I have hope in the here and now. God's refining judgement produces goodness in the lives of those who love Him.  

Zephaniah is a book that is equal parts hope and sorrow—joy and pain. Our tendency is often to skip to the good part. But there is no hope without sorrow, no joy without repentance. Hope is coming, so let’s do everything we can right now to be ready for it. It’s time to return to the Lord.

What would it be like to be fully, completely, and perfectly known and loved? God sees, hears, and knows all, even our imperfections and our failures. And yet, he is, without doubt or compromise, the God who loves, deeply and fiercely.

God's anger and desire for us to turn from sin is more about what we love than what we do. How do we know our repentance is genuine?

What if God's love, which both comforts and refines, is far deeper than we know?

The book of Zephaniah starts from a place of strong condemnation for the people of God. Why is God so angry with Israel and what can we learn about idolatry as the people of God today?

What is communion and why is it important? Listen in as we discuss this sacrament, explain what it means, and show why it matters in the life of the church.

What is baptism and why is it important? Listen in as we discuss this sacrament, explain what it means, and show why it matters in the life of the church.

The story of Jonah shares a primary message: God is full of grace and he gives it freely, even to those of us who don't deserve it. 

This chapter helps us understand the grace of God. His grace for us in Jesus is unending; will we let this grace change us from the inside out?

Jonah has run as far as humanly possible from the presence of God. But where can man go to escape the Lord who is King even of life and death? Jonah prays to the Lord from a place of death and despair and we modern readers get to see God's sovereignty over all things on full display.