Sermon Podcast

Jesus calls the least likely. Jesus calls the one who is a sinner, the one who is sick, the one who has no strength. Jesus doesn't leave us the way he found us. Jesus makes us faithful, joyful, and triumphant.

Is peace on earth really possible? Peace comes through being reconciled to God, trusting God's promises, knowing God is with us, and having eternity with God.

The forgotten are known. The faithful are used. Light directs the lost. Light defeats the dark.

The antidote to anxiety begins with a heart of worship. Our emotion is tied to our devotion. Our focus changes. Our enemies are defeated. And our healing begins.

Everyone experiences loss. The truth about loss: Loss produces strong emotions. Loss needs to be grieved. And loss weakens the defense system. How do we deal with loss? We admit the pain, run to the Comforter, get up and live again, and remember that joy is closer than we think.

Our emotional health has a direct impact on our spiritual health. The truth about anger: Anger impacts the whole body. Anger is contagious. Anger is the gateway to all kinds of sin. Anger comes from a bad heart. How do we deal with anger? We let God control it, we resolve it, we confess it, and we forgive it.

Just as there are four types of soil, there are four types of hearts: people who really don't care about hearing the truth; people who are impacted by let go of what God was doing in their hearts; people who are all in to God's Word but slip away into the world; and people who are on fire for God. What is the condition of your soil, your heart condition?

A church with uncommon faith dreams beyond what they see, prepares for the "now" generation, proves it every day, looks to God's Word as its authority, and always makes Jesus the priority.

A church with uncommon unity knows that everyone plays a role, looks to the One who holds us together, fights the real enemy, and prays for boldness in sharing the Gospel.

A church with uncommon love gives sacrificially, serves selflessly, forgives quickly, and continues endlessly.

Many people miss the promises of God because it requires stepping into the land of the unknown. To cross over to a new beginning, take time to recommit, remember, and rejoice.

God is not calling us to greater bravery but to greater faith. There are three enemies to greater faith: impatience, isolation, and illogic. To tear down the enemy, we must follow the right battle plan. Victory takes the entire team. We are not guaranteed easy or quick. Only One Person is in control ... and it's not me.

How does the Lord deal with sin? He singles it out. How do we deal with sin? We try to hide it. What enemy is hiding under our tent? Greed—desiring what God forbids. Pride—our way instead of God's way. There are consequences for our sin. When confession comes, victory follows.

To move from self-confidence to God confidence, we must identify the enemy—complacency, fear, discouragement. And we must believe victory is possible.

Storms come to everyone at any time but do not last forever. To do the impossible, we must listen to His voice, look at His face, reach for His hands, and fall at His feet.

To move from doubting to trusting, we realize what we have, remember where we came from, and rely on who Christ is.

What we build our lives upon determines what we're most likely to do with our lives. We must not be surprised when others oppose God's plans. We can trust God's identity even when His activity doesn't line up and look for ways to help others even when we're hurting. An eternal perspective requires forgiveness.

We waste our potential one small step at a time, not all at once. Four steps to wasting our potential: We disrespect God's authority, we develop spiritual apathy and unhealthy associates, and we get easily angered. Even in our failures, God can still accomplish His purpose.

The message of Jesus was upside down because it changes Who was in control. The truth about worry is it elevates our priorities, focuses on our perspectives, and relies on our power.

The message of Jesus was upside down because living for recognition from others eliminates our reward from God. There are two ways to live out our spiritual lives--hypocritical ritual and humble righteousness--and and two evidences of humble righteousness--anonymity and an audience of One.

The message of Jesus was upside down because it changed the standard for real love. We must avoid the wrong comparisons, keep our word, rely on God's wisdom, and give the same love that God gave us.

The message of Jesus was upside down because it was available to everyone and it asked followers to engage with the world, not isolate from it. Salt brings healing to those who are suffering and encouragement to those who want to quit. Light makes things brighter by standing out when it's easy to blend in and speaking up for truth even when it's easy to stay quiet.

Jesus sees us. Jesus wants to speak to us. Do you need him? When we realize just how much we need Jesus every day, the full resources of the Kingdom of God are available to us.

People see our behavior, not our intentions. We must look at our own hearts, stop playing the blame game, consider others' perspectives, refuse to be led by our feelings, and focus on reconciliation more than resolution.

There are no perfect families. God doesn't need our perfection to accomplish His purpose. Will we embrace God's ideal for the family even if we fall short, or will we abandon it and settle for something less than the best? To embrace God's ideal, we must cherish our role, change our focus, choose to be grateful, and confess and forgive quickly.