TFRC Sermons

Psalm 18:1-5 Masada was a desert fortress used by Herod the Great as a palace. However, there is a good chance that hundreds of years before Herod built his palace, David used the location as a fortress site as well. “Masada” comes from the Hebrew word “Masud” which in Psalm 18 gets translated “fortress”. God is our fortress, and as a church we are called to be a “Masada” where people can find ref...

Luke 1:5-22 We are quick to offer prayers to God, but what is our reaction when God answers prayer? Many times it is thanksgiving, however, there are times when it is disbelief. What have been the times that God has answered your prayers and you didn’t believe it? *Note - we experienced some audio difficulties for the few half of this sermon. Our apologies for the choppy audio.

Joshua 1:1-9 Guest Pastor Brian Vriesman brings encouragement for 2024 with three promises given to Joshua as the Israelites prepared to take the promised land.

Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born! Jesus’s birth brought about the advent of a New King, a king unlike any that had ever come before or after him. Pastor Brett Vriesman explores who Jesus is as king and how his ruling transforms the way we live our lives.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 In Christ we are given a new purpose, to be His ambassadors who live with intention. Just as Jesus’ birth is a key moment in God reconciling the world to Himself, our new intention is the ministry of reconciliation: letting others know that in Christ, God does not count our sins against us. Our whole lives are to be lived with the intention of communicating that message.

John 1:9-13 Because the light of the world came to us and conquered death, we are given the opportunity for a new identity. Those who believe in Him are given a new identity as a child of God. But what was our identity before and why does it matter? Christ in our lives transforms us from a slave to sin, to a child of God. Instead of shackles we have freedom, instead of death we have life.

Romans 7:18-25 - In light of the 10 commandments series, we want to remember the importance of grace. Living with a never ending struggle to do what is right vs doing what is wrong, God’s grace offers mercy and forgiveness for when we fail to live in the way God has designed us to live. The purpose of grace is not so we can continue to do whatever we want whenever we want. Rather it is to give us...

Exodus 20:17, Psalm 16:5-11 Coveting, like the rest of the commandments, comes down to a heart issue. God calls us to be content with what He gives us, find joy in what we have, and be faithful with what He puts before us.

Exodus 20:16, Acts 6:8-13 "You shall not give false testimony." By lying about someone’s behavior you are denigrating their reputation and taking away their true identity. This is a command about safeguarding the truth about someone. By slandering someone you are attempting to destroy them, which is exactly what happens to Stephen when he is slandered. God is a God of truth and expects us to tell...

Exodus 20:15, Ephesians 4:28 Stealing is a violation of others, placing value of things about the value of the people in our lives. Ephesians tells us that the opposite of stealing is charity, thus the giving of things we own is a way of giving a part of ourselves to others.

Exodus 20:14, Matthew 5:27-30 The cultural understanding of adultery is a physical act of infidelity, but to Jesus it is a heart issue. When an extra person is added to the equation of marriage it negatively impacts its final outcome. Are we practicing self-awareness and self-control? Programming note: Pastor Brett's message was briefly interrupted by a medical event in the congregation. He conclu...

Exodus 20:13, 2 Samuel 11:14-17 The value behind the command to not commit murder is to honor the existence of others even when it is a problem for us. Honoring the existence of others is fundamental to loving our neighbors. Jesus applies this principle to anger/hatred; if you consider another a fool you have diminished their existence.

Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:1-4 The commandment to honor our father and mother challenges us to treat them with respect and obedience. Paul's letter to the Ephesians expands that challenge to parents to cultivate a culture that breeds children that honor them. Children should honor their parents, but parents need to make sure they are honoring their children.

Exodus 20:8-11, Exodus 16:23-30 The command to keep the Sabbath holy stems from the creation story; God takes a day of rest, so we should take a day of rest. But why does God need to rest? God rests so He can enjoy His creation. Enjoying the fruits of our labor is a key part of the rhythm of life.

Exodus 20:7, Matthew 5:33-37 Swearing falsely in God’s name associates His name with something deceitful or immoral. Like all names, God’s name is a representation of God. When we misuse it, we are taking God’s name and damaging His reputation. Our character reflects God’s name and our lives should represent who God is.

Exodus 20:4-6, Jeremiah 10:1-11 The second commandment is to have no graven images or Idols. Just as the Israelites were challenged with not placing any idols in their life, we too, sometimes struggle with making things idols in our lives. Are we compromising our worship of the one true God to different idols in our lives?

Exodus 20:3, 1 Kings 18:16-21 Elijah challenges the people to stop wavering and choose who they will follow, either the Lord or Baal. They cannot serve both. The Lord desires worshippers who will worship Him only. What other “gods'' cause us to waver? What other things are we holding on to that compromise our devotion to Jesus?

1 Corinthians 12:12-21 As TFRC kicks off its 2023-24 ministry year, Pastor Chuck Swoboda takes a moment to call us back to involvement. No matter our gifting, the Body of Christ has a place for us.

Exodus 7:15-21 The Nile turning to blood was a statement against the Egyptians for the atrocities they committed against the Hebrew babies recorded in Exodus 1. Covering up our sin will always come back to haunt us. Jesus’ blood was not meant to cover up our sin, but to acknowledge and forgive our sin. Confession and repentance brings our sin out into the open which always leads to forgiveness (1...

John 21:1-11 Jesus would appear for a third time after his resurrection, but his disciples would not recognize him initially. He would need to jolt their memory of him and remind them of their purpose. Sometimes we find ourselves trying to do things on our own and forget that we are supposed to follow the direction of Jesus to live out our calling and haul in a big catch. In God’s mercy, he contin...

Jonah 1 Jonah was disillusioned because he didn’t believe God was a God of justice. God was gracious and merciful, but Jonah wanted him to stand up for what was right and punish the Ninevites for their evil. He was so disillusioned by God that he didn’t want anything to do with Him or anything else. But his running away led him down a path where he was willing to give up his life rather than live...

Matthew 17:24-27 In this passage Jesus is confronted on whether or not he pays the temple tax. Jesus responds by telling Peter to catch a fish with money in its mouth to pay for the tax. Through the experience, Jesus would display his divinity and teach a valuable lesson on humility to his disciples. Jesus’ kingdom is bigger than any kingdom here on earth, yet he still paid a tax he didn't deserve...

1 Kings 12:25-33 King Jeroboam, the first king of Israel, was afraid to allow people to go back to Jerusalem to worship because he didn’t want them to turn away from his rule. So he instituted his own places of worship, which led the nation of Israel to a constant state of worshiping other gods. As Jesus points out to the Samaritan woman, Who and how (In spirit and truth) we worship matters.

2 Kings 23:19-25 King Josiah is best known as the boy king, becoming king at 8 years old. During his reign, the book of the law was found, and Josiah led a spiritual revival in the land. The basis for the revival was the Word of God, remembering what God has done, and recommitting to the covenant.

2 Chronicles 20:31-37 King Jehosephat was known as a good king of Judah, but he was not perfect. Although he was a king that had his heart set on God, his kingdom and family didn't fully follow suit. What was it that created the repercussions of his reign, and are we living in a way that could be creating repercussions for ourselves down the line and for the ones we love?