Gospel Life Sermons

Guest Pastor, Ryan Welsh, preaches through Ruth Chapter 1 and describes the rock-solid theology of Naomi and her belief that God EXISTS, God is SOVEREIGN, and God is GOOD. We see ourselves and our own story in Naomi as, we too, need faith to understand how these truths of God play out in everyday life!

In the grace of God, the road to nowhere may yet turn out to be the first leg of the long journey home.

Series Intro and Overview

Sex is misunderstood, misused, and frankly missing in many Christian marriages today. Rather than offer 5 tips to a better sex life, we need a redeemed understanding of the purpose of sex, a refocused commitment to the gift of sex, and deep gospel healing for the wounds caused by the misuse of sex in our world today.

Christianity is quite noteworthy, even unique, in lifting up singleness as a commendable way of life. Jesus and Paul embody a life lived in God's service as single adults. Single widows were paradigms of service and caregiving in the early church. Godly singleness, the so-called gift of singleness, was seen as a sign that our future is guaranteed by God, not by our family.

Men and women are image bearers, equal in dignity, value, and worth. God sovereignly gives unique and distinct roles to men and women within marriage, the family, and the church. Unfortunately, all of this has been corrupted by men and women. Fortunately, by God's amazing grace, the broken views and roles have been redeemed in and through the person and work of Christ. Only by understanding where...

Carrying the power of truth in confrontations with your spouse must always be covered in love and accompanied with grace, which always has its focus on redemption. Using powerful words to the appropriate end is crucial. Spouses are to help each other grow into something more profoundly beautiful than anything they could create on their own. This is the way to use the pattern of God's loving redemp...

Friendship is at the heart of the purpose of marriage. When friendship is cultivated, it is a tremendous gifts to be enjoyed. Far from the inconsistent and self-centered type of friendship, marriage is meant to seal two friends in consistency, transparency, and sympathy. They are committed, open, and want to share each other's interests and heart-felt longings. The key here is that friendship cann...

Love is a deep longing for the Object of love, Jesus Himself. When the Bible speaks of love, it measures it primarily not by how much you want to receive but by how much you are willing to give of yourself for the sake of another. To say that marriage is unrelated to service and self-sacrifice is an indicator that one does not fully understand or more likely has not experienced love Himself: Jesus...

What's worse than the prevailing impulse we all have to first serve and please ourselves is the fact that most of us are convinced that this impulse is ok. To top it off, many are deceived into thinking that not only is selfishness normal, but even necessary because everyone around us is looking to take from us. But Paul announces that Jesus' way of divine wisdom is death to that very impulse. We...

Marriage is a profound mystery and if this precious relationship is going to flourish, it involves both the husband and wife dying to themselves out of sacrificial love for one another. By God's grace, continual sacrifice will not only unveil the beauty of the gospel for all to witness, it will also lead each partner into a deeper union with their spouse.

We are relational creatures by design and relationships shape our lives more than anything else on earth. However, because of sin, every single one of us is relationally broken. We have relational wounds. We're in unhealthy relationships. And worst of all, we've been looking to the wrong relationships to fix us. In this marriage series, we hope to see marriages redeemed and relationships restored....

Paul concludes his letter to the Thessalonians with what sounds like a call to Christian faithfulness. This is not the case. Instead, Paul’s final remarks tell the Thessalonians that God himself will sanctify them completely and that His faithfulness alone will accomplish the great task of keeping them blameless. This is the miracle of the grace that is ours in Christ Jesus that God always works o...

Paul encourages the church of Thessalonica to submit to church leadership, love well, worship regularly, pray consistently, and be led by the Holy Spirit. As he does this, he is painting for them a picture of what a flourishing church looks like in an environment of hostility. A healthy and flourishing church is identified by how its people relate to one another and to God.

As Paul comforted the Thessalonians regarding the dead, he now comforts them regarding those that are still alive and gives them hope for when Christ return. His hope, as such, is three fold. He tells them that because they are 1) children of the light, 2) not destined for wrath but instead 3) destined to obtain salvation they have no need to worry about Christ’s return. God’s message about future...

Paul comforts the Thessalonians regarding believers who are already dead, affirming that they will not be left behind when Christ returns. Instead, when Jesus comes back, he will take with him those who are dead first and then those who are still alive. God’s promises about tomorrow give us hope for how we face today.

Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to continue to love one another and to work hard for the sake of unbelievers. A genuine love for others is reflected by how you live and work.

Paul tells the Thessalonians that sexual purity is both a private and a public endeavor. Not only does sexual sin harm the one doing the offending, it also harms those that are offended. Because God has called us to holiness, we must flee from any form of sexual impurity.

Paul’s affection for the Thessalonians moved him and caused him to long to join them in their suffering that he might encourage them in their faith.

The Thessalonians received the gospel as the divine Word of God as opposed to the created word of man. As such, they were equipped for great suffering and for persecution through the word of God, which was at work within them.

Paul’s ministry was above reproach, his message was true, and his method was pure. Authentic Christian leaders will reflect a genuine love for and commitment to the people they have been called to lead.

The Thessalonians had faith, love and hope because they had been chosen, changed, and transformed by God’s gracious work for God’s gracious work. The gospel of Jesus Christ will affect every area of our lives, including our passion for living today and our hope for what is coming tomorrow.

When the gospel of Jesus Christ is boldly proclaimed and lovingly connected to the hearts of real people, in real cities both will be transformed forever.