Mountain Christian Church | Sermons

It can be uncomfortable to talk about finances in church. Is there anything more cliche than that? But when there are dynamics at play that are sucking the joy out of life and imprisoning us in debt and worry and creating stress in relationships—all because of something that can be a great gift and literal enrichment to life. Money! It can be such a force for good and a means by which we can flour...

We can’t ignore the elephant in the room when our finances get out of control. The resulting stress impacts every other area of life, stealing our joy, snatching our peace, and locking us into a prison that makes us believe there’s no way out. It’s hard enough to talk about money when things are going well, but regret and anxiety over financial mistakes makes it even harder. No matter how well or...

We are living in a time when there is an epidemic of worrying and complaining that is crippling all of us. When you look at the life of Jesus it looks like He knew something about this--the worry and complaining. Jesus was fully human. He encountered all the things that we encounter. Scripture shows Him in very tough situations where He has these same impulses and He has to make choices. We see Je...

We are what we repeatedly do. Habits shape us. They form our future. It may not seem like a big deal if we have a habit of biting our nails or licking our lips, as annoying as that can be. But outbursts of anger, incessant worrying, lusting at pornography, patterns of lying, running to unhealthy escapes or working so much it messes with your health and relationships -- that’s something else. These...

We were all created for love. But what happens when that human desire for connection and acceptance goes unmet? How does it so easily distort our sexuality and drive us to dark places? What should we do with these fantasies and temptations- Even if it's just in our minds?   Lust. Porn, one night stands, wandering eyes... Our culture says that this is normal. "Get what's yours- It's not hurting any...

When you’re feeling bad, sad or mad where do you turn? Life is hard. In the middle of the stress, difficulty, and trauma we tend to look for some kind of relief… we look for an escape. And occasionally we all need some of relief. We all need a break. Jesus did too. Escapes start innocently enough and they seem to promise to make it all be OK, but they never actually provide the relief that we’re l...

When anger wins… we do things we regret. We silo ourselves. Nothing good happens when anger wins. We can feel anger, but we CAN’T let it win.  You don’t need to be handcuffed by your anger, but counseling without submission to Christ, will not truly transform us. We need to fully surrender EVERYTHING to Jesus. Jesus can heal and change us from the inside out as we surrender our spirit of “flesh” t...

We are what we repeatedly do. Habits shape us. They form our future. It may not seem like a big deal if we have a habit of biting our nails or licking our lips, as annoying as that can be. But outbursts of anger, incessant worrying, lusting at pornography, patterns of lying, running to unhealthy escapes or working so much it messes with your health and relationships -- that’s something else. These...

What does God’s word say about work? How should Christians think of their jobs? What is our VOCATION and how does it differ from our OCCUPATION?  Let’s lay out a quick overview of a theology of work, productivity, retirement, and service of God -- so that we know how to STAND at Work.

  As a Christ follower you see a future with Jesus. And that future with Jesus should shape your life right now as you are reading this. It should create something in you that transforms you, renews you—the way that you think and the way that you act in this life. You’re not just waiting to punch your ticket to heaven, you’re looking for tangible ways to bring heaven to Earth—at your workplace, in...

How do you react when suffering comes? Maybe you're going through a struggle right now. Maybe you've prayed that God would take it away but it's still with you. Peter says sometimes God takes those things away, sometimes He helps you get over it, or around it, and sometimes He just takes you right through it. Peter wants to help us see we have to STAND FIRM. Life's not always easy, it's a call to...

When we think about the church and the life that Jesus has called us to inevitably it is against the grain and it causes us to stand out. But when we’re unified and we’re doing it with others like us it not only has a great impact but it is a reflection of what unity looks like to the world. For today's message, Mountain welcomes Joshua Symonette, former NFL Safety for the Washington Football Team...

Peter. The most famous among all those that Jesus invited to follow him when he was on earth. He was the most noted, the most quoted. He lived with a certain intensity. Ultimately it was his boldness that, through the Spirit, was the catalyst for the Jesus movement taking off and just exploding all over the world. If there’s anyone who should be coaching up other Jesus followers, if there’s anyone...

When looking at the life of Moses, many relevant and practical lessons in leadership emerge. Moses models a leadership that is defined by following the Lord's way, but he certainly learned on the job! From trusting God to provide, to planning for succession.  From to handling complaints and criticism, to sharing the load.  From simply doing things the right way, to this overarching theme of being...

Have you ever looked at the Bible and thought, "That's a lot of rules?!" When we look closely at the story of the Israelite people, we learn that those rules on the surface are actually an invitation to a deep, fulfilling relationship with God. God is awesome, fearsome, majestic, HUGE, and not to be trifled with. To Moses, God said I want to give you guidance and help so you will know how to live...

"God, can you, will you do anything about this?" If God didn't say 'Yes' to this question then The Bible couldn't go any further than the first few pages. The pages of The Bible turn only on the depth of His love and strength and His hand to restore what we've ruined. That's also true for you and your story as well. The Bible was assembled through history so that you would be able to meet and know...

Most of us deep in our hearts want a bigger purpose that will inspire us to live and do more than we can do on our own. Some of us have so much to live with, but so little to live for. For Moses, there was one day that changed his life, his purpose and his next steps. One. Day. There in the desert Moses was thinking that there was no way that God could use him with all his failures and mistakes. N...

We all mess up and find ourselves where we don’t want to be—in a wilderness place enduring serious affliction, or deep trauma and setbacks in life. Sure we all want the rich, good beautiful life of depth of maturity, strength and joy and to arrive at the promise land of success and strength. But the reality is sometimes we find ourselves in the wilderness of failure, hardship and struggle. It happ...

An origin story is the story of your birth and your beginnings, how you got here and the stuff you overcame. We all have one. It tells us: Who am I? Do I matter? Do I have a purpose here? When we look at Moses’ life we see an origin story that’s complicated, filled with loss and hardship, separation and loneliness. Maybe your origin story is a bit like Moses’. Maybe it was hard or different from o...

The things that stress us out the most are when we begin to lose control of something. It brings up insecurity in us and reveals the cracks in our perfectly-controlled world. And religion is sometimes the last place people look when things start spinning out of control. Thing is, none of us are in control. We can't fix everything. We need help of the supernatural kind. We need grace. We need God....

You can do a lot of blessing without any words--praying for others, listening, eating together, and serving. But one of the best ways to really bless people the way Jesus did and to help others find Jesus is to share your story. You may be thinking that sharing your story with others feels a bit intimidating or scary or uncomfortable. However, The Bible promises us the spirit of God is always with...

B-L-E-S-S. It’s pretty straightforward. These are some of the hallmarks of being Jesus’ people. It’s who we’re called to be. It’s what we’re called to do. We bless. In tangible ways. And to reiterate, the foundation for all this blessing activity is pretty simple as well. It goes like this... We live in a broken world. God wants to heal it. God wants to overcome evil with good. To bring blessing a...

What if we became more intentional with how we used our meal times? What if we became more thoughtful and relational about who we eat our meals with? Something special happens when we eat with others. It’s not about what’s on the table, it’s about who is around the table. When we invite, include and welcome others to a meal it deepens friendships and good things happen. Something as simple as shar...

What if we simply stopped long enough to listen? One of the most difficult skills to develop is listening. It’s true. We live in a time when hardly anyone really listens to one another. Think about it… How often do you catch yourself preparing for what you’re going to say next as the person you are speaking to is still talking? Are you truly listening? Jesus’ way of loving the people around Him wa...

You are blessed to be a blessing and as a follower of Jesus you are on mission every day. Jesus is inviting you to open yourself to practice your faith by daring you to begin with prayer. God uses prayer to change us and then God uses us to change the world. Today ask God to show you who He wants you to BLESS. Whoever you are and wherever you are on your faith journey, God has plans for you to joi...