TFRC Sermons

Acts 23:1-11 Paul receives his calling to bring the Good News of Jesus' resurrection to Caesar in Rome, setting off one of the greatest missionary trips in all of history.

John 20:19-23 After the greatest comeback in history, Jesus breathed the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit onto his disciples.

John 7:33-39 At the festival of tabernacles Jesus would say ”Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” The rivers of living water flowing in us are the Holy Spirit, and Jesus is the source. The Holy Spirit becomes our ever-flowing, constant source of life that connects us to Jesus. He fills, su...

Matthew 12:22-32 There is a battle between good and evil; a battle between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. Jesus attributes the healing of the demon-possessed man to the Holy Spirit, thus the Spirit of God brings the Kingdom of God. But the Pharisees attributed the work of the spirit to Satan. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the direct refusal to acknowledge the work of the Holy...

Luke 4:14-21 Isaiah (61:1-2) talks about the anointed one (Messiah) bringing salvation. When Jesus quotes Isaiah in the temple, He takes the passage from talk into action. Jesus’ focus is on troubled people - the poor, prisoners, blind, and oppressed. The Spirit moves Jesus to fulfill the Isaiah passage and restore broken people to their rightful place.

Luke 4:1-13 As we find ourselves in the wilderness of life, the holy spirit lights our way to help us navigate its terrain. As we embrace and follow the leading of the spirit we can become a beacon of light and hope for others who are in the wilderness with us. As we look at how Jesus handles being tempted by Satan it sheds light on how we too can rely on the Holy Spirit to get us through our wild...

Luke 3:21-23a Jesus does not start his ministry in his own timing, but rather waits for the Spirit to come upon him. The Spirit coming down like a dove implies the kind of ministry Jesus is going to do - one of reconciliation, not one primarily of judgment. And along with the voice from heaven, the coming of the Spirit shows God’s approval of Jesus for the role to which He was called.

John 16:7-15 Paraclete is the word used for “comforter, helper, counselor, advocate” - some of the roles the Holy Spirit plays. The Spirit also comes to lead into all truth.

Psalm 18:43-50 When God exalted David, David responded out of gratitued and exalted God in his praises. We are called to do the same.

Psalm 18:25-36 God was gave David confidence through His character, providing a fortress for David that went with him wherever he went. He does the same for us through Jesus, who is "surely with us always, to the very end of the age."

Psalm 18:16-24 God takes hold of us in the chaos, God delights in us, and God cares for us.

Psalm 18:6-15 God hears our cries and responds, and is awesome - He brings it! When we need Him, God will do something. He will advocate for us.

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.