Cornerstonekaty

James 5:13-20

Colossians 2:6-15

Ephesians 4:17-32

Exodus 24:1-11

Ephesians 4:11-16 If you remember we started this series on discipleship with a question: What is God doing in your life? You’ve had several weeks to think about that. Have you been able to come up with a list? Remember, the gospel is the power of God for salvation at work in you. So let me ask you another important question.  What do you need to reach full maturity?  If we were talking about your...

Colossians 3:12-17 Last week my son Mercer, who lives in Oregon, surprised us with an unannounced visit home. We had a great week together and it was sad to see him go. We talked the next day and he shared with me what he had come to realize: being part of a loving community is vital. He moved there 4 years ago and has worked in a variety of places and met a variety of people. He has plenty of fri...

Mark 2:23-28 After last week’s message on Sabbath Rest, one of our elders loaned me a book that describes in far more detail the things I was saying about the importance of sleep for your health, written by preeiminent neoroscientist and sleep expert, Dr. Mattew Walker. He concludes,   Sleep is of vital importance. It enhances our ability to learn and to make decisions, recalibrates our emotions,...

Hebrews 4:9-13 There may be no greater need in today’s busy world than rest. People everywhere tap into this as a market with the rise of airbnb and vrbo, cruises, and timeshares. They are all selling rest and most of us are buying it. We buy it believing that it will somehow wipe away the weariness of our daily grind. And we love these times. We come home with good stories to share and memories t...

Genesis 6-8 Selected verses In the story of Noah's faithfulness at the end of the world we see the faithfulness and power of our covenant God, who is at work today in his church to gather a people for himself from all nations.

Psalm 96 Last week we started a series on discipleship. We’re looking at this because every Christian is on this road. Where is this road leading? It’s leading to the land of promise. That’s how we defined the gospel last week. The gospel is the good news that God has come to his people  to set them free from their enslavement to the false gods of the world,  bring them into a relationship with hi...

Romans 1:16-17 You are here this morning hoping to hear good news. I have good news for you. You’re going to hear good news. That’s what the word “gospel” means, which is our particular focus this morning. But let’s take a step back for a moment and talk about the relative nature of good news. It is relative. News effects people differently. For example, if I was the one to tell you that the Texan...

Revelation 3:1-6 It is a tale that is all too familiar: A new rescue station is built on a dangerous mountain. A new seminary is founded. A new community center is constructed. A new charity comes on the scene. A new nation emerges from the fires of revolution. A new church is planted; usually these new ventures begin with great hopes and a clear, passionate purpose to save, teach, support, aid, l...

Ezekiel 40-48 Ezekiel 43:1-9, 47:1-12. In 1941 CS Lewis gave one of his most famous sermons entitled, “The Weight of Glory.” In that sermon he challenges the Christian’s pursuit of God. Most of us, it would seem, are far too apathetic in our faith. We make too many compromises with it and approach it with such a measure of casualness that one who observed you might wonder why you believe at all, a...

Ezekiel 38-39 This week is often called Holy Week. This week we remember the final week of Jesus some 2000 years ago beginning with his triumphal entry on a donkey end ending with his resurrection. In between was a whirlwind of events that led to his arrest, trial, beating, crucifixion, and finally resurrection. If you had been one of Jesus’ disciples during that week, you would have been through...

Ezekiel 36:16-28 When you’re growing up, there are some things you simply don’t want your parents to know. For example, you don’t want to tell them about embarrassing things that happen in junior high. The last thing you want is for your parent to make things worse by going down to the school and trying to make things right. They may have good intentions, but you know their mere presence will make...

Ezekiel 33:10-20 Is there still time to turn to the Lord? Yes! There is! We are called to trust in a gracious and long-suffering God. Even when it seems all is lost, that you’re too far gone, that God couldn’t possibly accept you because of your long history, whether that is a history of shameful living or simply a history of agnosticism toward God, there is still time. We are called to a good and...

Ezekiel 28:1-19 When I was young, there were public service announcement commercials that promoted the importance of children having a sense of pride in themselves. According to the PSA, pride was good. I remember it because it conflicted with what I had been taught about pride from the Bible. Pride was bad. There are no shortages of passages that speak of the dangers of pride. There are six thing...

Luke 18:1-8

Ezekiel 26 Before we look at Ezekiel 26, let me give you some context. Ezekiel can be most easily divided into two parts. The first part is chapters 1-24, which we finished last week. The 2nd part is chapters 25-48, which we are beginning this week. The dividing event is the fall of Jerusalem, the darkest moment in the history of God’s people in the Old Testament. Why was it so dark? Jerusalem rep...

Ezekiel 24 When I was young, my parents smoked cigarettes. It seemed that most people smoked back then. Cigarettes can be terribly addictive. I recently asked someone who stopped smoking over 40 years ago if they ever had a desire to do it again and their answer surprised me. “Everytime I smell a cigarette I want one.” It reminded me of an episode in the sitcom Frasier when one of the characters o...

Acts 2:40-47

Psalm 139:1-16 Did you know that God ordained not only the day you were born, but the day that you die? That’s what this means. Death does not surprise God like it surprises us.

Ezekiel 20 The Boston Red Sox have one of the most passionate fan bases in the nation, evidenced by their reverence for Fenway Park. It is considered one of the most beloved and historic stadiums in all of sports. The emotional well-being and “mood” of the city hinges on the Red Sox performance. Sadly, most of their history has been one of disappointment. In fact, they felt that they lived under t...

Revelation 2:18-29

Ezekiel 18 “God is not just.” is a sentiment that has caused many to reject the Lord. Have you ever run across this? It can happen in a variety of ways. For some who grew up in the church and were part of a church for a time saw or experienced things that shouldn’t have happened; things that brought pain, and went unchecked. That’s a tragedy. They feel justified in leaving not only the church, but...