Joel Gilbert

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled…

Do you believe in chance encounters? Two people meet on a bus ride and end up getting married, remaining so for over 70 years. A random introduction leads two men to become the best of friends and end up establishing Apple computers. A random encounter between a 9 year old girl and a Theology graduate…

Have you ever noticed that some studies seem to be contradictory? One study will note that coffee is good for you as it is made of up of mostly water while another will state that it dehydrates you because of the caffeine. One study states that eating eggs will give you high cholesterol while another…

Declare the Gospel (7-9) Display the Gospel (10-11) Benefits of the Gospel (12-13)

Open your Bibles or the Pew Bible to Psalm 66 . As we have over the last couple of weeks, I’d love for you to be able to look at that while we are walking through these last several verses. Throughout this Psalm we have seen an example of worship and witness acting as a sort of call and response. This…

In the year 715 BC, Shalmanezer, the King of Assyria besieged the Northern Kingdom of Israel. For three years, his army starved the nation of Israel until finally they surrendered. In 712 BC, the northern Kingdom crumbled, Israelite citizens were marched off to a foreign land, and Assyria began to rule…

Introduction Last week, we began considering the relationship between praise and thanks and how we are called in this Psalm to verbalize or express our gratitude. That expression should include some discussion of God’s attributes and the affect that he has on us, on creation, and even on his enemies.…

Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah Over the next…

Paul Confronts Peter approx. AD 40 Peter was eating with a group of Gentile believers - maybe a church picnic. He had shared the gospel with Gentiles and had received confirmation from the Holy Spirit that salvation is for them too. Some guys from James came to the same picnic - these guys where part…

Introduction In his profound book on the importance of prayer in the life of a congregation, John Onwuchekwa shares this quote - which is attributed to several different people including Martin Luther: To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. Martin Luther…

In the run up to the 1988 Presidential Election, Vice President George H.W. Bush famously said “Read my lips: no new taxes.” He was running on a platform of consistency. He sought to take the policies and success of the Reagan years into a new term. He, in essence, swore an oath, made a promise to American…

On the night before Jesus was crucified, He told his disciples And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. Jesus went to the cross, leaving them hope beyond the cross, hinting at the resurrection and eternal life in the Kingdom…

Mistakes along the way? In February of 1995, nearly 30 years ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to me in a clear way that has impacted the course of my life - and yet it has not been without mistakes and missteps. He urged me to go to the church the Danielle grew up at and help out with the youth ministry. The…

One of my favorite bands is the group “Switchfoot.” While I like their sound (it is unique and often very easily identifiable), what I like most is their lyrics. Switchfoot is a band that is made up of Christians. Their lyrics and songs have made their way onto both Christian and secular charts and into…

There are decisions that all of us make on a daily basis. Some of those are minor and relatively inconsequential, others are major and potentially life altering. Some impact only us (or so we think), where others reap ramifications on our families, church, workplaces, school, community, and more. How…

Our tongues have a way of getting us into trouble. Jeff L Lamont S my children Before we dive into the main content of the message today, I want to point out something rather obvious - there are no notes in your bulletins. There is a sense in which this sermon is set up fairly similarly to others - a…

As we’ve been studying the book of James - we have observed how he calls us to have a “spiritual wholeness” - a faith that runs throughout all that we are. A faith that is revealed in our character, exhibited in conflicts, and heard in our conversations. He calls us to… persevere amidst trials, pursue…

Mean Girls and Bullies Are a common theme in the movies and entertainment in part because… It is a part of human nature - to be accepted and to be close to people who can help us get ahead. In school that might look like working your way into the crowd of cool kids - even if that means compromising values.…

critical situation, easy to take offense, respond defensively because adrenaline is pumping The second person always gets in trouble (football fights, police brutality) the refs or the cameras often only get part of the picture and can tend to make a hasty judgment based on that brief bit of information.…

in 2016, Rosario Butterfield was speaking at university. After her talk, she met a young woman who was struggling. To Rosario and this lady went to visit the campus Chaplin, who was also a counselor over the course of their conversation they found out that this young woman had been listening to a certain…

How do you respond when your rights as a citizen or resident of the United States collides with the life that God has called you to live as a follower of Christ? Can there be a conflict? This week, one of the the guys who came through for training was a man named Stephen. Story: malfunctioning washing…

Title: The Servant that brings Light to the world (Show Slide 1) Sermon Text: Isaiah 49:1-7 Introduction Story: The Obstacle course at Fuge Camp (Show Slide 2-4) A few weeks ago, we took a team to M-Fuge camp at Regent University and for me one of the highlights of camp was participating with all the…

Some people seem to make an indelible mark on history. Their impact brings enough of a splash on the sea of time that the ripple effects are felt for generations. Arguable, Jesus is probably the single most significant person. Our calendars are dated by his life. Our eternal state is wrapped up into…