Greater Life Church

The scene that is the setting of our text, is perhaps one of the most remarkable in David’s life. He was in a very low place. He was on the run from Saul and surrounded by a band of supporters. He is in a cave that was very familiar to him. His enemy occupied a place that belonged to him. Looking out of the cave down to the well of Bethlehem, David was taken back to a time when he was in a better...

Our text is known as the beatitudes. It is a compendium of His doctrine. Some believe that when Jesus went into this setting, he was there for a week or more. Luke’s telling of these events is spread out across the whole book, while Matthew condenses these events from Jesus’ ministry and compiled them in chapters five, six, and seven of his gospel. The principles spoken here are a picture of what...

Our text is a great message of hope. God has equipped us to move forward from where we are with what we have. God wants to give us the fresh opportunity of a new beginning today. He wants us to know that that is unquestionably possible to do that today. Third, God wants to remind us that there are enemies of that possibility. The biggest enemy is our own mind that recalls all the times before we h...

If we were to have had the choice, most of us would not have chosen many of the paths we have taken in life. We would have preferred a less dark or rocky path. This hindsight is not a luxury that we have. Life often happens on dark and rocky roads. Paul knew his way. He knew the hardships that awaited him in Jerusalem. He said, “I go bound.” We are also bound to things in life. We cannot escape th...

In biblical times, oxen were the primary tools of agriculture. Oxen are not pretty. They are large, strong, and messy. To have the benefit, we have to live with the mess. If we want to harvest revival, we have to live with the mess. We cannot reap the harvest without the mess of the oxen. The cost of a clean stable is the loss of the harvest.

Wait is a word that we despise. No one likes to wait. We want what we want, and we want it now. It is even more frustrating when we do not know the time of the wait. Not knowing how or when is frustrating to our flesh. Waiting is painful, but it is not the wait that is painful. It is the humanity of our flesh in the waiting that is the problem. The word wait, or some form of it, occurs in the bibl...

To be used by God is one of the greatest blessings that any man could receive. We say that we want to be used, but few understand the process that results in us being useful to God. The miracle of the loaves and fishes is told in all the gospels. That God could do so much with so little is so illustrative of how He uses things for His glory. All they had was a boy’s lunch that was five loaves and...

It is easy for us to lose our bearing and direction in life. We are affected and confronted by so much, that we make mistakes and choices that complicate life even more. Everyday life has a way of causing questions to arise and can dislodge us from our comfort zone. On the road of life, we sometimes hit a pothole that causes our alignment to change. Like our cars, we have to maintain it to keep it...

Our text today is a foreshadowing of the gospel message. It defines the transforming power of God’s spirit in our lives. It is a passage of hope and a prophecy of better things to come. It declares an everlasting truth: that when God is our lives, there is a transforming power that is not found anywhere else. Isiah talks about thorns. This is a reminder to the result of the fall in the garden. Isi...

The sermon on the mount is the subject of many sermons. Matthew’s recording lets us know that this message was not a single occurrence. The Greek word taught that is used, is continuous action. The illustration of building a house that Jesus uses is powerful. The difference between the two houses is the foundation on which it is built. The illustration of the rock and the sand is often portrayed a...

Our text says that the stuff they had was enough. Another translation says that they had more than enough. No matter the situation we may be in, God has given us enough to see it through. Some feel like what we have to offer has no value. The boy with the five barley loaves and two small fish must have thought he did not have anything to offer, but in the hands of Jesus, it was more than enough. T...

At first glance, our texts this morning seem to be disconnected. However, if we discover what the people in our text discovered, life would be forever changed. Each of these people had problems; something difficult in their lives to deal with: Empty nets, withered limbs, and even death itself. In all of these cases, their problems defined them. Their lives were greatly affected by what was wrong w...

Verse 17 of our text says “My Father worketh hitherto.” That is present tense. God IS working in our lives. God is active. In the ancient Greek's view, Gods lived far away and were not concerned about the affairs of men. That is not the biblical view of our God. Our God is ever-present in times of trouble and will always work. He is both immanent and transcendent. He is everywhere, and He is right...

Dr. Hughes teaches from the story of Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well. As Jesus talks to this woman He knew about her background, but He treated her with respect and honor. Jesus tells her true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. In order to worship in truth, we have to strive to be like Jesus. To do that, we have to understand the nature of Jesus. Only by...

The lives of Israel was defined by the laws that God passed down during their passage from Egypt and their wanderings in the desert. One of the laws handed down dealt with land ownership. Land ownership was established by the placement of a physical landmark. These landmarks served as a reference point for the boundaries of the property, and therefore the ownership. These reference points could ea...

Our text tells us that Abraham accepted God’s invitation to travel by faith into a new land. This journey and what sustained him became the cornerstone of the new testament believer's life. Abraham is known as the father of the faithful. In verse four we see where faith begins. In verse five we learn about the character of faith. Beginning in verse seven we see what it is like to live a life of fa...

Paul spent his life trying to help people understand the principles and promises of God. People misunderstood his life, his ministry, and his passion for the gospel. He begins the chapter with an explanation of all of it. There were four things that Paul prayed that the Ephesian church could experience. First, he prayed that they would have an encounter that would change their life. Second, Paul p...

After spending hundreds of years in slavery, God freed the children if Israel in one night. He brought them to the border of the promised land, but because of Israel's choices, they were not able to possess the blessing that God had for them. Despite their unbelief, God protected and provided for them during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Out text is taken from the end of that wond...

The water system in our community is capable of supplying millions of gallons of water per day to our residents. There is a massive supply of water available, but the size of the pipe into the house limits the amount of water we can get into our homes. If we want to get more water into the building, we must install a larger pipe. There is a spiritual parallel. God’s possibilities are immeasurable,...

Intellect can only take you so far in finding God. In order to find a place or a greater place with God, we have to be drawn there by the spirit. When the spirit moves, we too often try to analyze it from a human perspective. Reason and logic have their place, but we have to be very careful in applying them to spiritual things. When we start applying logic and reason spiritual things, we run the r...

God can heal our sickness. He can touch our need, and He can do it right now. He can do it as easily as He could yesterday, or that He could do tomorrow. In our text, we read desperation in the calling of blind Bartimaeus. The bible does not describe him by his name but as Blind Bartimaeus. He had become known by his problem. If we become known by our problem, we have allowed our problem to become...

Our text is the story of Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers in the temple. The Bible tells us that Jesus would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. Jesus decided to give them an object lesson that just because you carry it into the temple, does not mean you have to carry it out. Just because you come to church with a burden, does not mean that you hav...

Our text is familiar to those who have been around the church for long. Paul’s words describing the communion are among the holiest we have. The description of the events of the last supper, the betrayal, and the subsequent trial and execution are core to our faith. Paul reminds us that Jesus’ description of communion occurred on the same day that Jesus would fulfill His purpose. Jesus knew as he...

We do not often speak of the providence of God, but is evident from His word, that God provides for His people. God is always governing, guiding and providing for His people. There is a will of God that is working out in each of our lives. He is in control of everything and if we rely upon Him, He will see us through. The bible tells us that the steps of a good man are ordered. No matter where we...

Our text is set at Simon’s house. Many were there including Lazurus, the Disciples, and Mary. As they sat at the table, Mary came to Jesus and anointed Him with a costly ointment. Most historians value the spikenard at one year’s wages. The fragrance of the ointment filled the room. This selfless act of sacrifice spoke of a deep and profound love that many did not understand. The moment is broken...