Youth
We probably all have things we did in our younger years that we regret now that we’re older. King David wrote Psalm 25. Even though he committed grave sins, God remembered him according to His love, not David’s sins. David speaks of the descendants of the man who fears the Lord; they will inherit the land. David’s descendants lead ultimately to Jesus - He is the fulfillment of all God’s promises to Israel through David. Because of Jesus we inherit the land and all of God’s promises, despite the sins of our youth.
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- Nov 19, 2017YouthYouth
We probably all have things we did in our younger years that we regret now that we’re older. King David wrote Psalm 25. Even though he committed grave sins, God remembered him according to His love, not David’s sins. David speaks of the descendants of the man who fears the Lord; they will inherit the land. David’s descendants lead ultimately to Jesus - He is the fulfillment of all God’s promises to Israel through David. Because of Jesus we inherit the land and all of God’s promises, despite the sins of our youth. - Nov 12, 2017Two Centurions, A Saint and MoreTwo Centurions, A Saint and More
In 1526, in "Whether Soldiers, Too, Can Be Saved," Dr. Martin Luther answers in the affirmative. In this morning's two Gospel Readings, we encounter two very different centurions at very different times in the life and ministry of our Lord. Yet both display unique and spectacular faith. Then and now, veterans had and have a special place in the heart of God. - Nov 5, 2017FaithFaithEven people who seem to have strong faith sometimes doubt. This was the case even with John the Baptist. John the Baptist wondered out loud if Jesus was the Messiah. Perhaps you struggle with doubt and you wonder if you can ever be forgiven for your doubt. Jesus spoke to John’s doubts lovingly, and He speaks to our doubts in the same way
- Oct 29, 2017Grounded in GraceGrounded in Grace
Today we welcome you to our celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. Our theme is “Grounded in Grace,” in which we are reminded that our faith is firm because we are saved by Christ. This service’s Bible readings, hymns, prayers, sermon and children’s message will assure us that we cannot be shaken by the troubles of this world because our Savior, who died and rose for us, is the rock solid foundation of our future. We put our trust in Him Alone. We are saved by Grace Alone. - Oct 22, 2017PrioritiesPriorities
With all the things clamoring for our time and attention, it is easy for our priorities to become misplaced. We worry about temporal things more than eternal things. Jesus reminds us that the things of heaven always outweigh the worries of this world. - Oct 15, 2017DesiresDesires
In and of themselves, desires can be good things. God has given us the ability to desire. But as with all good gifts from God, our desires have become tainted by sin. When we desire something God has given in a way that goes against what God has commanded, disaster results. Just ask Adam and Eve. So, how do we desire well? And how do we recover from mismanaged desires? This is yet another area of our lives we need to "reboot."
- Oct 8, 2017FinancesFinances
Many people have financial regrets that have left them in over their heads. This is why faithful stewardship is so important! No matter how much or little you have, you can steward your resources well, even if you have stewarded them poorly in the past.
- Oct 1, 2017ParentingParentingOne of the saddest parenting stories in the Bible is that of David and Absalom. Years of neglectful parenting finally resulted in Absalom’s rebellion and death. By the time David sees what has happened, it is too late. What can we do as parents today to escape regrets tomorrow? And how do we deal with regrets for past mistakes we have made as parents?
- Sep 24, 2017PeacePeaceOur lives can get out of control! Jesus knew this too. When He tried to get some rest, needy crowds interrupted His plans. When the pace of life becomes too fast, how do we find rest? The short answer is not always by changing our pace, but by turning toward Christ.
- Sep 17, 2017MarriageMarriageMarriage is meant to be a beautiful picture of how Christ loves His Church. Because of sin, however, this picture can be distorted and, tragically, sometimes even destroyed. How do we recover the picture of love God desires and has designed for our marriages? Paul answers, “Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
- Sep 10, 2017RighteousnessRighteousnessAt the root of all regret is a lack of righteousness. Rather than doing what is right, we do what is wrong. This is Paul’s struggle in Romans 7. But rather than developing a plan to fix his problem with righteousness, Paul looks to Christ to rescue him from his problem with righteousness. Do we look to Christ as well?
- Sep 3, 2017Joy in Your FinancesJoy in Your Finances
As the Apostle Paul brings his letter to the Philippians to a close, he talks about how we can find joy in our finances. You and your money have a relationship. In fact, it’s a three-way relationship between you, your money and God. When you figure out that relationship and how it fits together, it puts things into proper perspective. Like with any relationship, if you get it wrong there’s frustration, there’s fear and there’s pain. But if you get it right there’s a refreshing experience of joy. The truth is, money is something like a wild stallion. If you don’t tame it, it can take you on a wild ride for the rest of your life. But properly managed, it can do much good and bring much joy. - Aug 27, 2017Joy in Your ThoughtsJoy in Your Thoughts
We often live without security, peace and joy in our lives because we’re filling our minds with the wrong things. It’s easy to do that. The thoughts and objectives that are all around us are so easy and accessible ... and yet they are not good for us, nor do they actually fulfill Godly purposes in our lives. Imagine if you went to a gas station to fill up on fuel for your car. But instead of gasoline, you grabbed some other things available at the convenience store: orange juice, beer, Pepsi, windshield washer fluid and a Slurpee. What would happen if you put that in your car? You wouldn't get very far and you'd ruin your engine. Yet we often do something similar with our lives. We pour a bunch of impure and inappropriate things into our minds and we wonder why our spiritual "engine" is not working right. Today we learn from the Apostle Paul, that what we give our attention to has an effect on the joy we experience in life.
- Aug 20, 2017Joy in Your FutureJoy in Your Future
As the Apostle Paul concludes Chapter 3 of his letter to the Philippians, he writes: "We eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Do you ever feel like you’ve got a lowly body? One that just doesn’t do everything you want it to do? As a nation we're getting older, and for many that means getting lowlier and lowlier. Paul encourages us, however, that this is not the end of the story. The end of the story is that God's going to transform these bodies. He’s going to make them into something spectacular. He’s going to transform them into a body like Jesus Christ. Like His glorious body. What a promise! - Aug 13, 2017Joy in Your AccomplishmentsJoy in Your Accomplishments
As Christians w
e should well understand how Christ's work on the cross covers our guilt. We are freed from the guilt and shame that comes from our sinful actions because of what Christ has done for us. That's good news! But have you ever thought that the same applies to our pride? Christ's work on the cross covers our pride too! What does that mean? It means that guilt and pride are two sides of the same coin. Both say "look at me, and what I have done." The only difference is that guilt is burdened over the bad that we've done, but pride is puffed up over the good that we've done. Today we will look at the true value of our accomplishments. Paul says that for him they are garbage.