Generation Church

How do you know how bad a crime is? Easy. By looking at the prescribed punishment for that crime. And no worse punishment is imaginable than what Jesus endured on the cross. He paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross. But do you truly understand how horrible that really was? It’s easy to celebrate our victory, but it’s important to remember His suffering first.

When God gave the Israelites the Promise Land, it immediately and instantly belonged to God’s people. Still, they didn’t take possession of it all at once. God said He would give them a little at a time. As you read about this epic conquering of the land and the reception of God’s promises, you can’t help but think about some of the struggles of your life and some of the promises of God you’re wai...

The tenth and final commandment says, “you shall not covet,” but does that mean God forbids us to desire anything? No. God wants us to pursue and desire the things of Him and aspire for a better future while remaining content, joyful, and grateful in Him. The fault comes when we covet the things of our neighbor and when we want the right things in the wrong way.

The ninth commandment says, “you shall not bear false witness,” but what does “false witness” mean? False witness is any misrepresentation of reality that hurts another person in any way, regardless of intention. This means that if you say something false, a partial truth, or a twisting of the truth that hurts someone else, that is being a false witness. Whether that’s physically, professionally,...

The seventh commandment, you shall not commit adultery, is often broken in today’s society. What starts as one bad choice will turn into a series of bad decisions. Many people will say it starts in your pants, but in actuality, it begins in your heart. If you are not careful, you may fall into a path to adultery. It’s only with Jesus’ help that you can avoid going down that path.

Don’t murder seems pretty straightforward, and it is. The sixth commandment, you shall not murder, is rooted in what theologians call God’s natural law. Truth deeply rooted in the fabric of creation that everyone intrinsically knows it’s wrong. Murder is wrong, but in God’s eyes, murdering a relationship is just as bad. We see how Jesus compares the most universally understood wrongdoing - murder,...

The fifth commandment, honor your father and mother, isn’t just a command for the kids in Sunday School. The commandment also applies to adults. So why is the fifth commandment so important? God commands us to honor our parents, so we learn to honor Him. Honoring your parents is the conduit to honoring God.

Why did God give us the Sabbath day and tell us to remember it and keep it holy? The Sabbath day is much more than a day off. It’s a special day that represents essential spiritual realities. God gave us the Sabbath, so we’ll remember to enjoy life and give thanks. He gave us the Sabbath to remember that we are no longer slaves – we are free. He gave us the Sabbath to remember to stop working and...

What does it mean to take God’s name in vain? It’s not really what most Christians have been taught. Knowing God’s divine name was a privilege for Israel and us. It means we don’t worship an anonymous deity but a personal God with a personal name who wants a personal relationship with his people. But the privilege of knowing God’s personal name can be something people abuse. Learn how you can avoi...

We love accumulating things throughout our lives, but the reality is that none will go with us when we leave this world. They are just things. The danger is when we worship these things more than the creator. God wants us to enjoy the things he created, but when we start worshiping them instead, we make them idols. The remedy is to see God and things from the right perspective.

The ten commandments were not rules to obey just for the sake of obedience. Instead, they were to be obeyed to discover the abundant life that flows from a full and prosperous relationship with God. The first commandment says, “you must not have any other god but me.” Anyone you worship is like a god. Anyone you look to for what you’re supposed to seek God for is potentially a god in your life. Bu...

How well do you know the ten commandments? Most Christians probably only really understand 3 or 4 out of them properly. To understand and appreciate the ten commandments, you need to understand what the Bible refers to as “The Law.” When applied, the ten commandments are the moral law for Christians. It restricts sinners from giving in to sin, convicts sinners of their sins, and instructs Christia...

For 2,000 years, Christians have practiced Holy Communion, but what is its meaning and purpose? In this message, we look back and see how the early church fathers understood and practiced Christianity. We'll gain a better perspective and understanding of why Christians practice Holy Communion today.

The birth of Jesus announces the arrival of the love that every human craves. We’ve all had moments where we experienced love. But because the love we’ve experienced originated from a human, it was not long after followed by a failure to love. People can love you, but people will always fail to keep loving you perfectly. We crave and long for the type of love we were designed for. A love that neve...

Our world needs more peace. We live in a constant state of turmoil with news of war, economic crisis, division and factions, LGBT militants, and jihadists waging war against biblical family values, trying to pollute the minds of children. It may feel like peace is out of reach until things get better. But peace is not found when life is perfect. You find peace when Jesus is present. Peace is not t...

We are only here today because of faith. God has great plans for our lives, and faith is what will get us there. Every miracle starts with a step of faith, and every step of faith leads us closer to our next miracle. What step of faith is God asking you to take?

Gratitude is the attitude that sets the altitude for living. Only a fraction of the human population ever truly thank God. There is much to complain about, but the reality is that there is much more to be grateful for. When you reflect on all God has done in your life, you cannot help but be thankful. In this thankfulness, your faith grows, and you experience God’s goodness.

Are you going through life trying to win on your own, with your strength and own wisdom, without God? Maybe it’s because you know if you let God into part of your life, He’s going to want to take over all your life. Or maybe there are some places where you don’t want God meddling. But if you’ve been trying to win without God, you’re already losing. You can’t win until you let Jesus take over every...

Provision is a big deal to most of us, whether it was manna from heaven 3,500 years ago or a paycheck from your employer today. We all have needs and depend on God to meet those needs, or at least we should. If you’ve been waiting for God to come through with a promise, hold on. Your promise is coming. You may not be able to speed up God’s timeline, but if you’re growing in faithfulness, you know...

We all could use guidance on voting for the right candidate during elections, especially as Christians. So how should a Christian vote? The good news is that we don’t have to sit around and wonder how Jesus would vote because we know what God’s Word actually says. This message will not tell you directly who to vote for but will provide you with 10 guiding principles for voting in this and all futu...

Do you realize everything you have is ultimately an unearned gift from God? You won’t believe that until you acknowledge that everything belongs to God. When you recognize this and handle money God’s way, you can build a true legacy, but when you manage money like the lost, your wealth will end up lost. It doesn’t mean money is evil. It’s nicer to have some than none, but it becomes a problem when...

When you put God first, everything can come into order. If He’s not first, then nothing is in order. That doesn’t mean you won’t have problems, but when you put God first in your life, everything else can fall into place. This includes putting God first in your finances with your tithes. When you don’t give your tithe, you rob God of what belongs to Him and deny Him the opportunity to bless you.

If God is good, even when our situation is not, why do we grumble and complain when we encounter difficulties? We think we’re just letting out our frustrations, but what we are really saying is that we don’t trust God. The Israelites were on the journey to the promised land, but all they could think about was their difficulties. They were grumbling and complaining when their blessing was just arou...

God parts the Red Sea and performs one of the most epic miracles in human history. What do the Israelites do next? They praise and worship God. Why is that? They recognized the awesome power of God at work in their lives. They saw that God loved them, God saved them, and God delivered them. They recognized the moment and chose the right response. They chose to worship God and that’s exactly what w...

We’ve reached the climax of Exodus with the epic, real-life event of the parting of the Red Sea. God is leading the Israelites out of Egypt but the route He takes them through is not what you would expect. In fact, it was the opposite direction of where they needed to go. It didn’t make any sense to the Israelites but God had a plan. A plan to not only save them but to set them free.