Pastor Dirk's Sermons

While every kingdom seeks to become an empire, only one Kingdom can truly claim to be both universal and eternal.  As followers of Christ, we long for the day when God’s reign truly does permeate every heart and mind. The Point: Prayer inspires us with God’s vision for our future. Next Steps: What one thing will this vision of Christ’s kingdom inspire us to do this week? Sermon Notes & Discuss...

God reveals His Name so that we can speak to Him as a Person.  He is not an abstract force, or some philosophical idea.  He reveals Himself as someone who loves us.  How seriously do we take this honor of knowing Him? The Point: Prayer inspires us to become the powerful, holy people that God calls us to be.  Next Steps: As we think about God’s holiness this week, let’s each identify one new way in...

By what right do we enter God’s throne room to ask anything of Him?  This is the true miracle of prayer, that the Almighty Ruler of the Universe is also our loving Father. He knows each of us by name, wants to listen to us, and knows our needs better than we know them ourselves. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

The parents bring their child to a temple built by their ancestors.  A priest continues the ancient tradition of ministering at that temple.  On this day, however, he will have an unparalleled honor.  He will see the very One for whom all of this was built, the One to whom it all points.  Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Humble shepherds were the first to kneel before the new King. The church was a stall, and the altar, a manger. Little did they know that this manger would one day be replaced by a cross, and that cross, by a throne. The scene would change, but the worship they began continues today. The Child before whom they bowed is the Christ we still adore.   Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Who will receive the honor of first seeing the new King?  The rich and famous?  Royalty and the noble classes?  No, it would be humble shepherds on night watch.  They are granted one of the most glorious privileges of all time, to witness an angelic proclamation of the new King! Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

The story opens with an emperor and a humble family.  One reigns and the other is forced into a hard, demeaning journey.  Little did that emperor know, however, that this was the beginning of his end.  A new King would be born who would soon launch His reign over every human heart. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

For God’s ancient people, Passover is a powerful celebration of His saving grace, a reminder that He has delivered captives for many generations.  As we enter our new Sanctuary, we continue to celebrate that same grace, which still saves us from our own forms of captivity. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Building programs are never completed without obstacles.  Not everyone in Judah’s region was rejoining in their new Sanctuary.  God intervened, however, to ensure that their worship continued.  His actions will inspire us as we face our own versions of opposition. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

When the foundation of the new temple was completed, God’s people again gathered to worship with both joy and tears.  Re-entering a Sanctuary can compel strong emotions, as we reflect on what God has done, is doing and will do.  Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

As a first step in their ancient rebuilding effort, God’s people completed an altar.  For the first time in years, the people could offer the sacrifices that their God required.  This opportunity to give back to God powerfully inspired their first act of renewed worship. Will our opportunity to worship here inspire a similar response? Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

After decades of captivity, God moved the ruler of an empire to set His people free, so they could return to their Promised Land.  This sovereign act of God should inspire us to respond to His call and return to a place of worship. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Sometimes life makes us choose between grace and truth.  Can we be gracious while we hold evil doers accountable?  Does grace allow us to differ about matters of truth?  In Jesus, truth and grace are fully revealed, empowering us to be both truthful and gracious. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Unlike the gods of myth who are partially divine and partially human, Jesus is both fully God and fully human.  As both Son of God and Son of Man, He offers a meaningful way to restore our relationships with both our Heavenly Father and one another. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

When God started His family in the Garden, there was a man and a woman who had two sons.  That family fell apart, however, and countless generations later, brothers were still killing brothers.  Then Jesus comes to bring the family back together. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

The story in Genesis tells us that God creates light, separating it from darkness. John’s story develops that truth, reminding that Jesus is that light that scatters the darkness in our lives and in our world. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

John’s Gospel begins with a creation story that has a new twist.  He assures us that Jesus was there, “in the beginning”. He engages with us well before He is born in a Bethlehem stable.  What difference does this make in our lives?  Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

A solid trust in God can quiet storms.  We will still have them. They will still knock us about. However, they can also drive us deeper into the safest place on earth, our awareness of the sovereign, loving and vigilant presence of God among us. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

God is not an unknown entity. He has been revealing Himself for generations.  As we hear and remember these stories from the past, they inform our expectations for the future. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

God responds to evil in ways we don’t always understand.  Does this mean He is not responding at all? Maybe the way He responds to evil should inspire our response to the broken world around us. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Thinkers for thousands of years have asked why God allows evil people to prosper.  Habakkuk adds his complaint to this list.  What does this inspired complaint tell us about ourselves, our world and our God? Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Lawyers are told never to ask a witness a question publically, if they do not already know the answer.  Habakkuk did not follow that advice.  God gives an answer that changed the prophet’s world view.  What does this response teach us about our own world view? Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

The prophet, Habakkuk, was a good man who had some serious questions about his good God, who, at the moment, did not seem very good.  Do such questions help us? Do they matter to God? Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

The connection between hearing and doing is often tenuous.  Often we do not translate words into action unless something convincing happens. We can either go through the motions and pretend to care, or we can own our failures and, through God’s restoring power, we can  become genuinely better people. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Winning matters, unless you are playing the wrong game. Finishing first is finishing last if you are running in the wrong direction.  Paul argues that we should clarify what we are aiming for, before we take off after it. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app