Sermons | Local Church in Wabash, Indiana | Bachelor Creek

We try to avoid thinking about death at all costs. Yet anytime we attend a funeral or someone close to us dies, we wonder, “What is the afterlife going to be like?” Someone has said that the purpose of this life is to prepare for the next. So maybe one of the most helpful things we can do is look into what happens when we die. Jesus shares an interesting story in Luke 16 that gives us a lot of ans...

Many questions are hard to answer, but probably the most difficult question is “Why does God allow suffering?” Maybe you’ve heard it put this way: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” If God is all-powerful and all-loving then why’s there so much heartache? If God’s really in control then why is there so much pain? Today’s message looks at why we experience pain and suffering, but more impor...

The Bible teaches that we have an adversary called Satan, or the devil. But how does this enemy attack us? What does he use to attack us? In this message, we look at Satan’s intentions and how he wants to distract, destroy, and discourage us through the Old Testament story of Job. Above all, we see that Satan is no match for God. The Apostle John says, “The one who is in you is greater than the on...

The question a lot of us have for God is, “Why haven’t you answered my prayers?” Often times we pray and it seems like God is silent. But the problem isn’t that God doesn’t answer prayers; really the issue is He doesn’t answer them the way we think He should. Today, we look at what the Bible says about some of the reasons why God doesn’t answer prayer.

The Bible is the most read book in the history of the world, but is it reliable? How do we know the Bible is really God’s inspired Word? Today we look at a variety of evidences that demonstrate the Bible’s reliability. Determining Scripture’s trustworthiness is just the first step. The truth of the Bible only impacts us if we apply it to our lives. The real question is, will we allow the Bible to...

Is Jesus the only way to Heaven? When it comes to the way or the road to Heaven, many people feel differently. Some believe you must work your way to Heaven, others believe there are many roads to Heaven, and still others believe Jesus isn’t the way. So what’s the answer? Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Who is Jesus? Is he really the Son of God? C.S. Lewis famously said that Jesus is either a lunatic, a liar, or he is, in fact, Lord. All of eternity hangs on that question. Who do you say Jesus is? In this message, we address that question and others, like “Why did Jesus have to die?” and “Did Jesus really come back to life?"

"Hey Siri…how was the world created?" This question begins with another question to precede it. Is there a God? If so… In the beginning God created.

In our day of Google searches, Siri, and Alexa, we have answers to virtually everything at a moment’s notice. But what about the bigger, deeper, life-defining questions that Siri can’t answer? What do we do with those? In this message, we begin a 10-week series answering questions many people have, but never ask out loud. We begin with answering some foundational questions about God, like, “Where...

In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus invites us to the upside down, to reimagine the world we live in through the lens of His Kingdom. The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector helps us see the strong, debilitating grip pride has in our lives. Like the Pharisee, we often believe that our value is based on what we do and what we produce. Humility is the way forward in the upside down kingdom of Jesus.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is actually more about the father in the story than the son. In what Charles Dickens’ called “the finest short story ever written,” this parable reveals to us the heart of God. No matter what you’ve done or where you’ve gone, the glorious reality is that God loves you. The question is whether or not we’ll receive that love.

So often we fail to come to God in prayer because we think we’re bothering Him, that He’s too busy, or that He’s taking care of bigger problems. Sometimes we pray for something once, but when we don’t receive an answer, we stop. The parable of the persistent widow teaches us to pray and never give up. It also teaches us that the God we pray to is a just God. When we come to Him, He hears us as a c...

In most contexts we know a lost and found pile is a desolate wasteland of items that get donated. Items that are long forgotten and no longer claimed or wanted. In Luke 15:1-10 we find the bottom line that Jesus wants lost things to be found. So what is our response? In this message we look at what Jesus calls us to do in his desire for lost things to be found again.

In Luke 13:1-9, Jesus shares the parable of the barren fig tree, teaching us that repentance is urgent and God is patient. We don’t know how much time we have, so it’s vital that our lives bear fruit in keeping with repentance. In this message, we see what genuine repentance looks like and the means God has given us to bear good fruit.

Affluenza is the disease of greed; it’s the materialistic mindset that says getting more money and possessions is the ultimate aim of life. It describes the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21, and sadly, many of us, too. In order to release ourselves from the grip of greed, we need the Lord to slice through the layers of greed we’ve taken on, because we can’t change by ourselves.

The book of Hebrews describes Jesus as our intercessor. That means that He appears in the presence of God and prays for us. Can you believe it? The reality is that Jesus is praying for you today, right now. This amazing truth gives us great comfort and encouragement to take all of our struggles and needs to Him.

Christians today are recipients of God’s promise to Abraham. If we understand the promise God made to him, we will have an anchor for our lives today. We know this promise is true because Jesus has gone before us. Because He entered the throne room of God, we can, too.

Jesus is our source of eternal salvation in His exaltation, empathy, and example. Because of this, we will hold on, draw near, and follow Him.

Before we understand what Jesus is doing, we have to understand who Jesus is. The first verses in the book of Hebrews tell us that God has spoken definitively through His Son, Jesus. When we see Jesus, we see God Himself. That means that when Scripture speaks we need to listen, because we’re hearing God’s Word.

Bold predictions backed up with bold actions change the course of history. Jesus made a bold prediction, saying he would die and then three days later rise again, and it happened. The tomb is empty. Jesus made some predictions about us, too. They’re called promises. We can trust Jesus because when he precuts something, it happens.

We live in a world fractured by division. Division comes naturally, but we are designed for unity. Psalm 133 paints a compelling picture of what happens when we pursue unity in the body of Christ. Life is better and we are better at life when commit to living in community.

We spend so much of life waiting: waiting in lines, in traffic, for our kids, for test results, for a promotion, for our turn, etc.. We would rather not wait, but Scripture shows that God does some of His best work in the waiting. Better yet, God does not waste the waiting. How we choose to wait determines whether we experience spiritual growth or spiritual decline.

Most of us have a distorted view of work. On one extreme, some are content to sit back and take it easy, expecting everything to be handed to them. On the other extreme, some of us put too much weight on what we do by finding our identity in our work. God invites us to partner with Him. Yes, we plan, work, and give our best effort, but we trust God with the outcomes. This type of living allows us...

Psalm 121 assures us that our help comes from the Lord. When we’re in need, we can turn to God because He watches over us. While God doesn’t promise to prevent us from walking into harm, He does promise to preserve us when we encounter harm.

In the final chapter of Colossians, Paul closes his letter by refocusing the church on what matters most: the gospel. His practical advice for the early church is still applicable for us today.