Sunday Sermons

As we are nearing the end of the story of Abraham, this week we read of the death of Sarah, his wife. The journey of Abraham and Sarah began back in chapter 12, and since then we’ve seen quite the drama unfold as God is working in them and through them to fulfill His promises. Now as we come to the end, we find that even in death, God’s promises are still being fulfilled. For the first time, Abrah...

In the passage this week, God puts Abraham’s faith to the test. Everything we’ve seen Abraham go through, all his failures and successes, have finally brought him to this point. His son Isaac, the child of promise, has been born. And in a dramatic twist, God tells Abraham to take the son that he loves up to the mountain and sacrifice him. It’s a horrifying request, one that none of us could imagin...

This week in the story of Abraham, the Lord makes good on His promise, and Sarah has a son, Isaac. It’s the fulfillment of a promise that first began back in chapter 12, when God said He would make Abraham into a great nation. That promise was then clarified in chapter 15, when God promised Abraham that his very own son would be his heir and would lead to innumerable offspring. Finally, in chapter...

In our passage this week, after witnessing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham and Sarah leave their home by the oaks of Mamre to journey south, sojourning in Gerar. Afraid for his life, Abraham once again puts Sarah's life at risk by calling her a sister. As a result Abimelech, the king of Gerar, takes Sarah as a wife. However, God is not about to let the parentage of the promised son,...

The passage this week is a big one as we read the story of God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. God comes to visit Abraham in the form of a man along with two angels. They are on their way to the cities of the valley, Sodom and Gomorrah, to “see whether [the people] have done altogether according to the outcry that has come.” God has seen the injustice of the world. He knows the abuse and wickedn...

This week in the story of Abraham, thirteen years have passed since the misstep with Hagar in chapter 16. While it seemed like Abram had yet again put the covenant and God's plan in jeopardy, here God makes clear He is not about to let human unfaithfulness derail His plan to bless the world through Abram. In fact, God makes a point not just to renew His covenant, but to expand it. He renames him A...

What is the distance between us and God? This is the question on the mind of the writer of this psalm, as they ask in verse 5, “Who is like the Lord our God?” Imagine the whole universe, every star and planet, every atom and molecule. God reigns over it all and sees it all from His throne above the heavens. There is no one like our God. He is beyond comparison. And yet He is not distant. He is not...

This week in the life of Abraham we read a story that, while discouraging as far as human faith is concerned, it is in fact greatly encouraging regarding God’s faithfulness. Still without an heir, Abram’s wife, Sarai, tells her husband to take her servant Hagar as a wife, that she might bear him an heir through whom God’s promise might be fulfilled. How often is this the case that we take matters...

In our passage for this week, Abram (who has not yet been named Abraham) has an intimate encounter with God Most High. In a conversation with God, Abram asks about the fulfillment of the promises God had made to give him lots of offspring and land. Up until this point he didn’t have any children, and he didn’t own any land. Would God come through and fulfill these promises? Abram doesn’t seem too...

In our passage for this week, Abram makes a daring rescue of his nephew Lot, who was taken captive after a great battle between many kings. Upon his victorious return, Abram is met by another king, one of peace and righteousness, named Melchizedek, who we are told is “priest of God Most High”. This mysterious priestly king then confers on Abram a blessing, which serves as a reminder of God’s power...

This week in our series on the life of Abraham, we read about a family separation that comes from a consequential choice. When strife grows between Abram and his nephew Lot over grazing land for their herds, Abram graciously defers his right to the land, giving Lot first choice of it. While Lot’s choice, as we will see in the weeks to come, has grave consequences for his family, Abram remains fait...

Psalm 141 is a song of lament, a cry to God for help. And as is often the case in the psalms, it is a cry for deliverance from evil. But what’s unique about this psalm is where it locates that evil. So often we see evil being an outside force that’s trying to get in. But in verses 3-4, David is praying that God protect him from the evil that comes from within him. As you study this psalm, think ab...

The story of Abraham, formerly known as Abram, begins with a direct command from God: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you,” (Genesis 12:1). That command and Abraham’s willingness to obey are just the beginning of God’s plan to redeem a people for himself, a plan that would ultimately be fulfilled through the death and resurrection of Jesu...

The story of Abraham is shaped by the incredible promises made to him by God. Take these away and chances are we wouldn’t be reading about him. Yet when we read these amazing promises from the LORD to Abram, we must realize these aren’t different promises made when things seemingly didn’t go according to plan. Instead, we need to understand that the LORD’s promises to Abram reflect his original de...

Message from Pastor Chris Amundson on December 26, 2021

Message from Pastor Mike Matheson on December 24, 2021

Message from Pastor Mike Matheson on December 19, 2021

Making a Christmas list is a time-honored tradition. Think back to the outrageous requests you made of your parents year-in and year-out—whether they were copied straight from the toy catalog or whether they came simply from your own imagination. Regardless of how lengthy the list or how costly the items were, in child-like faith, there was always an optimism of what would appear under the tree on...

Christmas brings with it a sense of wonder and magic. Seeing the faces of children light up at the various marvels of the season. The anticipation of maybe getting the long-desired present. The hope that the holidays will bring healing to a dire situation. For whatever reason, these all seem more likely to come true at Christmas. The question we must wrestle with is this: from where is our faith i...

As Christians living in a world that’s not our home, a world that ultimately rejects us, how are we to endure? How do we stand firm in our faith until the end, when Christ returns and delivers us to our ultimate salvation? Peter closes out his first letter with some important final instructions to make sure that those he’s writing to are well prepared for their final days in this world. And what w...

What characteristics do you look for in a leader? The right answer is, “it depends.” It depends on where you’re headed. All throughout 1 Peter we have been repeatedly reminded that our hope needs to be fully set on the grace that will be revealed at Christ’s return (1:13). In other words, we need leaders that will lead us toward the future glory… and we need to know how to rightly follow them. In...

Suffering is a key element in the Christian life. Peter has repeatedly made this clear throughout this letter. To share in Christ’s suffering is the life to which we are called as we keep our hope fully set on Christ, awaiting his glorious return. Peter, however, takes this a step further by calling us to rejoice now while in the midst of suffering, for it will result in joy and gladness when Chri...

Time is of the essence. Though true for all in some circumstances, this truism is always true for those who follow Christ. How we live now should reflect our future hope while contrasting our former passions. Just as Christ once suffered, those willing to endure suffering now demonstrate a genuine desire to please God. Despite the great cost, those who turn away from the passions of the flesh will...

Over the last few weeks, the Apostle Peter has shown us how to live lives of submission in the various facets of our lives. As uncomfortable as that might be for us, the reality is that how we live demonstrates where our hope is fully set. In this section, Peter affirms that righteous living will result in our blessing. Further, if we suffer for doing good, there is an even greater blessing. For,...

The call to live honorable lives despite our exile stature in the world has been applied by Peter in various ways. First, as citizens, we are to be subject to every human institution (2:13-17). Peter then applied this to servants, who are to endure even unjust suffering, for to do so gives the opportunity to display Christ to unbelievers (2:13-24). Now Peter turns to the marriage relationship. How...