Rejoice in the Lord...Always!

James 4:1-12 ........James tells us that our battles and fights come from within us. We become friends with the world and forget that we are Christ followers. Pursuit of the American dream comes between us and God. Friendship with the world is enmity with God. We forget to humble ourselves before the Lord. We become proud. In this sermon I will tell you about five quick-fire commands to deepen our...

In James Chapter 3 we are given two sources of wisdom; the wisdom from God and the wisdom from Satan. In Verses 1-12 James deals with the mouth and Verses 13-18 he deals with the mind. Satan creates a bitter, self-seeking, proud, blind spirit that is earthly, sensual, and demonic. God creates a pure, peaceable, gentle spirit that is full of mercy, good fruits, impartial, and is not hypocritical. T...

"Resurrection Day" ...........In Matthew 28:1-15 we read about the vacant tomb and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When the women went to the tomb they found that the stone had been rolled away and Jesus was not in the tomb. He showed Himself to them. Fear and joy filled them and they ran to tell the other disciples. Those who had persecuted Jesus told various stories to try to downpla...

In Matthew 27:27-54 we read about the crucifiction on what we call "Good" Friday. Well, it was both good and bad. The bad, Jesus was scourged, torchered, and hung on a cross. Jesus asked God to forgive them. The good, Jesus became sin for us because He loves us. He paid our sin price on that cross. We are reconciled through His blood. Jesus is the way for sinful people to return to God. As painful...

Matthew 26:57-68 ....... After Judas betrayed Jesus, soldiers came to take Him to the High Priest Caiaphas, the chief priests, and the elders for a trial. There was lack of evidence against Him and there were false witnesses. They could not understand the meaning of the words He spoke. They sentenced Him to death and unleashed their anger denying that He was the Son of God. Our sin debt was paid b...

In Matthew 26:36-46 , Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was His final hours with the disciples. He prayed to God asking if this "cup" could pass from Him, but He accepted it as God's will. Have you ever wondered what was in the "cup"? As I thought and prayed about what was in the cup, I began to understand. There are five things that I believe were in that cup. 1) S...

In James 3:13-18, we learn that there are two types of wisdom; one comes from God and the other from Satan. Negative attributes that affect Christ followers are sins of the mind such as: 1) a bitter spirit, 2) a self-seeking spirit, 3) a proud spirit, and 4) a blind spirit. Sources of negative wisdom are earthly, sensual, and demonic influences. Humanism says that you an be your own god. The choic...

Does your untamed tongue sometimes get you into trouble? In James 3:1-12 , we are given a warning and some good advice about how we can go through life in a more Christian-like way. He tells us that our uncontrolled tongues can lead us to an uncontrolled life. Both blessings and curses come from the same mouth. When you go through difficult times don't blame God. If you have been hurt in life...

James 1:13-18 ........We can learn patience from temptations and trials. The temptation to sin is not from God. It starts within you. From desire, to habit, to spiritual death and destruction. You must kill sin or it will kill you. Don't let sin become a habit. Remember that God has chosen you. Stay steadfast, keep going, trust God, and don't give up.

James 1:9-12 .........There are trials and temptations in life. Too often we look at our "stuff" more than anything else. Your stuff will not prevent you from getting sick, will not fix your marriage, and will not bring peace to your troubled children. Trusting in earthly stuff is like investing in fools gold. Verse 12 sums it up by telling us we are blessed if we endure temptation when...

Hebrews 2:1-4 .........Are you paying attention to the message of Jesus Christ or are you drifting away? Early Hebrews often drifted back to the Hebrew religion. We need to pay attention. Acknowledge our sin, be made holy through the Holy Spirit, and don't neglect our salvation. Do not rely on the "things" of today for fulfillment. They are temporary, but God is constant. He sent Jes...

Haggai 1:1-15 Around 520 B.C. Haggai, the prophet, gave the people a message from God. They had misplaced priorities, much as we have today. Take an inventory of your life, look at your calendar and your checkbook, then "Consider Your Ways." Glorify God in your work, family, and life. Pray to be like Christ and all else will take care of itself. We are all responsible for doing God's work. When yo...

Genesis 3:15 As early in the Bible as the third chapter of Genesis, we learn about the beginning of the "Ongoing War" between mankind and Satan. God said there would be enmity between us. And that from the seed of woman would come a Savior. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, let's remember that His birth was prophesied and He was born of a virgin. But, even more important is the resurrecti...

Luke 1:26-38 Have we lost our sense of wonder? Luke 1:37 tells us that "Nothing is impossible with God." He can do anything. The virgin birth is necessary. God predicted it in Isaiah 7:14 . It was also foretold by God in Gensis 3:15 . During this season of the celebration of the birth of Jesus, let's not forget that believing something that seems impossible actually IS possible with God. What can...

Genesis 3:1-15 What is Christmas about? The story of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, actually begins in the book of Genesis . This is ultimately what Christmas is all about. In Genesis 1:25 , God says His creation is very good. In Chapter 2, He tells how He made man and placed him in the garden of Eden, telling him to stay away from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In Genesis 3:1-5 , we learn h...

Matthew 28:18-20 This is one of the most powerful passages in the Bible in which Jesus gives us our mission for His Kingdom. In it, He promises us that 1) He has ALL authority, and that 2) He will be with us always to the end of the age. We must "Trust and Obey" as the hymn says and do the Lord's work here on Earth. While we don't know all the answers, we can rest assured that Jesus is our Lord an...

Today's sermon is about blessings and thankfulness. Also, we will conduct a real blessing through marriage vows. With Thanksgiving coming this week, I want to remind us of the blessings for which we need to give thanks every day. Humans are selfish by nature. Psalm 100 tells us to make a joyful shout to the Lord, to serve Him with gladness (not grumbling), to come into His presence singing, to kno...

Colossians 1:3-5 Pour syrup on waffles and it stays in the little square compartments. Pour syrup on pancakes and it goes all over the pancakes and the plate. Sometimes we live our Christian faith in compartments (kind of like the waffles). Life is like a rat race and we have busy schedules. We separate our lives in to different rooms, such as church, work, neighborhood, recreation, etc. Building...

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 We have a problem when we drift away from God (v.13). Just look at the things that are happening in today's world. Abortion, violence, and drugs are everywhere. There is a remedy if we are willing to pay the price (v.14). God's people must respond, remove our pride, and repent. God will hear our prayers, forgive our sins, heal our land, and send revival. When God says "Seek my...

Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus uses the words "salt" and "light" to tell Christ-followers what they need to be for the world. Old sayings like, "Salt of the earth" and "Worth the salt" are words that describe the importance of something. He uses the word "light" to let us know that the world is a dark place and needs the "light of Jesus Christ" to make the world a better place. YOU are the "salt" and JESUS...

Matthew 5:10-12 The Persecution and Reward Beatitudes Why Is Everybody Always Picking On Me? How do we make peace in a world that doesn't accept us? Persecution is a promise for Christians, but it is also a gift. It comes in 3 forms: physical attack, verbal insults, and false accusations. Persecution can bring peace. I will give you several Biblical examples of the peace that we can find through o...

Matthew 5:9 Living the Good Life #8 What is Peace? This Beatitude tells us that peacemakers are blessed and are the children of God. Today we discuss what peace is, what types of "peace makers" are in the world, and what steps we can take to be true peace makers. As Christ followers we are called to be peace makers. The Bible is full of references to peace. While it may not be easy, we need to lea...

Living the Good Life #7 Matthew 5:8 Continuing with our Beatitudes study, our hearts are purified through faith. We have to cleanse the inside first. Compare yourself to Jesus. In this lesson, we learn five types of purity and nine action steps that we can take to become more pure like Jesus. What is your reward? If you are seeking God with a pure heart, you will see God.

Living the Good Life #6 Matthew 5:7 We are still studying the Beatitudes. Showing mercy can forgive a debt or help the downtrodden, but can mainly give hope to the hopeless. There are four dimensions of mercy; 1) notice the need, 2) emotionally feel the need, 3) make a motion to do something, 4) show devotion the one in need). To receive mercy you must first show mercy. What can you do to show mer...

Our sermon today is given by our 78th Homecoming Guest Rev. Joe Carpenter and focuses on Colossians 1:15-23 . Jesus is all you need for salvation. Today's sermon gives us 7 attributes of Jesus. JESUS IS . . . 1) God, 2) Sovereign, 3) Creator, 4) Sustainer, 5) Head of the Church, 6) Lord, and 7) Savior. We were made in God's image. Jesus is God and He laid down His life for us.