Liferoads Sermons

God is involved in all history and He is sovereign, He has a purpose for all that happens ( Isaiah 14:26-27 ). And in the midst of judgement shines hope. Isaiah shares a powerful vision of God's coming kingdom. God will prevail. The proud will be humbled and death itself defeated ( ⁠Isaiah 25:1-12⁠ ). "Oh death, where is your sting" ( 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 ). All things will be new,...

It is hard to imagine the prophesies in Isaiah being written 700 years before Jesus, but when a young Bedouin shepherd found a scroll of Isaiah in a caver near the Dead sea predating Jesus by 150 years, there was pretty sound proof that these prophecies were not added after the fact. By the time of Isaiah, the kingship of the nation was a wreck. How could God fulfill His promise to David that Isra...

"If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all" ( Isaiah 7:9 ). These are the words given to Ahaz, a king who trusted wordly strength over trusting God. Isaiah told him to ask God for a sign and God will deliver him. But, Ahaz would not. Under false spiritual pretense ( Isaiah 7:12 ). So God gave a sign of deliverance. "A child will be born" ( Isaiah 7:14-16 ). This...

The book opens with the nation of Judah under trial. God calls all of creation to be witness to the corruption of humanity. God did everything possible to offer us a full, purposeful life. And though the garden that He gave has been robbed and is vile, He has not given up. He always leaves a path for redemption and healing. He always has a remnant. There will be a day of victory and peace for ever...

Seven hundred years before Jesus was born the prophet Isaiah was called to give a message of warning and hope. That message has echoed through the entire Bible, through history and still speaks today. The scene was shocking ( Isaiah 6:1-8 ), the full glory of Jesus on the throne ( John 14:41 ). Though Isaiah recognized his sin and the unrighteous state of his nation God purified him and sent him w...

Paul's primary point through Romans chapter 8 is all about what Jesus has done for us on the Cross. No matter what you are up against, look to the Cross. God does not condemn those who are in Christ, He will use all things for good. The good news is the love of Christ! And He invited us into His love ( John 15:9 ). Live in that truth. No matter where you are at, no matter what is against you,...

How things should be and how they are do not match up. The reason is sin. Like a crack in a screen, there is a flaw in the perfection of creation. All creation groans, we groan, the Spirit groans for the completion of redemption ( Romans 8:18-30 ). It is not that suffering should not be minimized, it is that the glory of God's redemption should be maximized ( 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ). God will...

Romans 8 calls believers to take sin seriously, not by living in fear, but by remembering who they are in Christ. This message explores the battle between the flesh and the Spirit, the call to “put to death” sin by the Spirit’s power, and the incredible reality that through Jesus we are adopted into God’s family as sons and daughters. Rather than being defined by shame or slavery, Christians are i...

The Gospel is more than a being door opened to a new relationship. It is a relationship with Christ the creator. The Gospel is God transforming us. Paul wrote, maybe, the most encouraging words of what the Gospel is. Romans 8 tells us our verdict (no condemnation), how we should respond (in thought and action), an how we are empowered (with Christ spirit in us). We are not condemned, we are in uni...

Most of us know the story of Gideon ( Judges 6:1-16 ). He found himself in a oppressed society because the future generation did not make an intentional effort to hand pass of their most important inheritance, faith in God ( Judges 2:8-12 ). We need to understand, this is not an automatic hand-off. God warned Israel of the blessing of following Him, and the curse that comes upon us when we put ido...

Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4 shows that worship is not about a place, but about putting all worth in God - in spirit and truth. Humanity is drawn to worship but we often misdirect it, while all along, God is calling us back to Himself. Worship involves the whole person and is shaped by what is true about God. Different styles and expressions of worship have always existed...

Over and over again the Bible calls us to worship. It is a command to sing and give worth to our Lord. This sure makes sense, because we were created to sing ( Psalm 98:7-9 ). All creation worships The Creator. Jesus even said, if we don't worship Him the stones will cry out and worship Him ( Luke 19:38-40 ). Worship is a community activity, not only are we to worship together ( Colossians 3:1...

In response to Easter last week, Jesus victory over death, we worship ( Matthew 28:1-10, 16-20 ). It is important to accept that everybody worships, it is a matter of what/who you worship. Worship can be misdirected or misguided, there are plenty of examples in the old testament, and plenty of examples today. That which we worship transforms us ( Psalm 115:1-8 ). Let us be transformed into the ima...

Happy resurrection ( Luke 24:1-12 ). Life is a journey, isn't it? On the short journey to Emmaus Jesus listens to the disciples, He teaches them and then He reveals Himself ( Luke 24:1-12 ). Let Jesus join your journey and He will do the same. Let confusion become clarity, despair turn to joy, and watch fear dissipate and be replaced by mission ( John 16:16-22 ). Jesus will meet us on our road...

Jesus is everything we need. In John 11 Jesus interacted with three siblings and gives each exactly what they needed. Martha needed to clarity, she needed to know the Jesus is the Messiah. Mary needed compassion, Jesus wept with her. Lazarus needed resurrection, Jesus IS THE resurrection and life! We all need each of these gifts from Jesus ( Ephesians 2:1-9 ). Come to Him and be born again. Lifero...

In the ninth chapter of John , Jesus heals a man blind from birth. Now this man did not ask to be healed and then he was heavily questioned about the healing. His response was simple and pure, "One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." Though he was not seeking Jesus he know the truth and he boldly spoke the truth. In a way, we all carry defects from birth - sin. If you f...

In this message from Luke 9:28–43 , we see Jesus revealed in glory at the Transfiguration before the disciples quickly return to the broken realities of life in the valley. The passage reminds us that while mountaintop moments strengthen our faith, real spiritual growth often happens in the everyday struggles of life as we learn to trust Jesus. Liferoads Church Spokane

We are often delayed in our appointments. How do we feel about God's delays? On His way to heal a prominent leader's daughter, Jesus delays to heal a woman who had been suffering for 12 years ( Luke 8:40-56 ). During that delay the child died. In Jesus' perfect timing, He gave much more than healing. They both were desperate; they both had faith, and they both needed something much mor...

Storms come, you can be sure of it. Literal or metaphorical, they often come without warning and without reason. Jesus has power over these storms, power over the literal storms in His creation, and power over the storms in your life. When Jesus calms the storm ( Matthew 8:23-27 ), the disciples even ask, 'What sort of man is this?' echoing Psalm 107:24-31 . He is the master of creation! T...

When we have needs or even great desires, it is exciting when are they are fulfilled. There is great joy, rightfully so. When we are talking about the miracles of Jesus, there is even more excitement. However, we also need to be careful to not treat God as a vending machine, which has been the pattern of many pagan beliefs. When looking Jesus' first miracle in John 2:1-11 , we see that it is a...

We conclude our series in Job ( Job 38:1-11, Job 42:1-5 ) by looking at God’s response to Job’s many questions. Instead of offering explanations for his suffering, God meets him with His presence and a sweeping reminder of His wisdom, power, and care over creation. In the end, Job discovers that what he needed most was not answers, but a clearer vision of God Himself. This message invites us to tr...

We do not serve a pocket sized God. If we get anything from the book of Job it is that our God is big - and we can trust Him. Though Job's friends comfort him at first ( Job 2:11-13 ), they slowly turn from good, to the bad and the ugly. Too often (like Job's friends) we have a karma attitude about bad things happening; that there is a deserved. Let's not be miserable comforters ( Job...

Job is a challenging book. He experienced suffering for no apparent reason ( Job 1:8-22 ), though his friends are certain that he must have done something to deserve it ( Job 2:1-12 ). In the end, God's response is to remind him of the power, knowledge and sovereignty of God himself. But we are left without a satisfying reason for suffering and questions of justice. This is exactly how we expe...

There are several metaphors used to describe the Church . The most common description used in the Bible is a family. But, Paul also used the image of living bricks, and members of a body ( 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 ). We all desire to belong. People are always forming clubs and groups and teams. We build community to support each other and encourage each other. The Church differs in that Christ is th...

No one claims to be an expert on prayer; we all feel inadequate. There are many difficulties and many distractions. In one way, prayer is very easy; however, it is also deeply complex. Prayer should be the business of Christians; it is our duty, and it should be our delight. In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he describes this rich, deep desire to know the love of God ( ⁠Ephesians 3:14-21⁠ )....