Text: Psalm 86; Psalm 110:1 | Listen to Message Everyone Has A Master We like to think we’re independent, autonomous, self-determining individuals. The spirit of our age is that we are free – and nobody can tell us what to do. But the simple fact is we all have a master. We all have a lord. We all have something that controls us. Some people are controlled by money or possessions or the pursuit of “The American Dream.” Some are controlled by power or success. Some are controlled by pleasure or comfort. Some are controlled by the opinions of the peer group they’re...
Text: Exodus 3:1-15; 6:1-8 | Listen to Message I AM Who I AM When God chose to reveal His name to Moses, He said, “I AM Who I AM…I am Yahweh…This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations” (Exodus 3:14-15). But what exactly did God mean, “I AM Who I AM”? His people Israel were suffering through generations of brutal slavery in Egypt and they were convinced God had forgotten them. Did God really think what they needed was some vague, philosophical or ontological statement of being? Of course not! But at the very least,...
Text: Psalm 91:1, 9-10; Isaiah 40:28-31 | Listen to Message How Strong Is Your God? In the Old Testament, the word “God” is actually the name Elohim, which literally translates to something like “Strong God” or “Mighty God.” Elohim is the God who created the entire universe out of nothing. Elohim is the God who rules every moment of every day and every atom everywhere. Elohim is the God whose promises are certain, even if they’re impossible. And Elohim is the God who saves. The Bible states all of these things as objective facts. So what difference does this...
Text: Mark 12:41-44 | Listen to Message Hope For Moms (And Others) Motherhood involves a lot of little, routine, monotonous tasks and moments that happen over and over and over again: cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, doing laundry, reading stories, playing games, wiping away tears, transporting, … repeat. Often these little things seem insignificant, trivial, and even pointless. As soon as you’ve done them once, you’re starting them all over again. And for what? What difference are you really making anyway? And here’s the danger: when moms feel that what they’re doing is insignificant, it’s natural for them to conclude...
Text: Acts 28:11-31 | Listen to Message You’re Part Of The Story The book of Acts ends somewhat abruptly with lots of loose ends and no real conclusion – and that’s because Luke intends for his story “to be continued…” The Church’s mission, in every generation, is to advance the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit. Having inherited this mission ourselves, we have the opportunity to write new chapters of this story through our own witness to Christ today. To that end, here are a few pieces of encouragement: First, remember that the Good News of Jesus is...
Text: Acts 28:1-10 | Listen to Message Get Some Perspective The Apostle Paul was snakebit. Literally. Just moments after surviving a catastrophic shipwreck off the coast of Malta, he crawled up onto the beach, only to be struck on the hand by a poisonous viper. But Paul not only survived the venomous snakebite without harm, he went on to heal many others also – most certainly preaching the Gospel as he went. He wasn’t about let his life be ruled by self-pity, bitterness, or despair when he knew he was a servant of the Lord with unfinished business. The...
Text: Acts 27:1-44 | Listen to Message The Storms of Life Given what the Bible says about the love and sovereignty of God, it’s hard to understand why He doesn’t rescue us from our storms. It’s not that we expect smooth sailing all the time. We understand that storms are a part of life in a broken world; but why do they have to be such a big part? And why do they have to last so long, and be so painful, and take so much from us? Here are 5 simple principles to consider from Acts 27: 1....
Text: Acts 22:22-26:32 | Listen to Message Seize The Day Have you ever found yourself thinking, “I could do so much more for God if only…”? If only…what? I had more time. More money. A better job. A more supportive spouse. A different background. A more outgoing personality. A larger audience. But what if God doesn’t need you to do more for Him? What if He’s already put you right where He wants you? What if your situation in life is the one where you’re supposed to be? What if the people in your life – yeah, those people...
Text: Matthew 16:13-23 | Listen to Message Who Are You? You are a child of God. You are a saint. You are a dwelling place of God. You are a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. The Bible makes some astounding statements about who you are in Jesus. However, most of us experience these truths much like we experience waves at the beach. In hearing and observing them, we find encouragement. In stepping out into them, we find restoration. In wading in even deeper, allowing them to momentarily...
Text: 1 Peter 1:3-9 | Listen to Message Hope For The Future If Jesus died and stayed dead, what would that say to you about your trials? What would it say to you about your own eventual death? What hope would a dead Jesus give you that maybe there’s an ultimate purpose to the sufferings you’ve gone through? What hope would a dead Jesus give you of eternal life? The obvious answer to all of these questions is that you can’t find hope in a dead Jesus. If the One who promised to conquer death died and stayed dead, you’re...