From the Blog
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God’s Word Never Fails
“Has the Word of God failed?” Or putting it in the present, “Can the Word of God fail?” Or making it more personal, “Will God’s Word fail for me?” How do you answer that? Now I know you good Christians are answering it with, “No, no way, not ever! God’s Word cannot, will not ever fail!” Yet, we live like it will. We try to earn our way to pleasing God, though His Word says salvation is a free gift. We doubt our salvation, though His Word says that we can be assured that nothing can separate us from His love in Christ Jesus.
What if you could rest and live in the knowledge that God’s Word never fails? In chapter 9 of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he expressed his great sorrow that the vast majority of his Jewish brothers had rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Yet, he was convinced that God’s Word had not failed. -
Living By God’s Gospel of Grace
The gospel, which means “good news,” is news that can change our lives. Indeed, as Christians “living by God’s gospel of grace” is the most live- giving way to live! Some have called this “preaching the gospel to yourself everyday." What do you preach to yourself everyday? In other words, what news or message are you constantly repeating to yourself? Some of us constantly remind ourselves of past failures or mistakes. As a result, some live in a constant state of guilt and shame. Some of us feel stuck and unable to make changes in our life that we want to make. We’ve tried self-improvement, but we keep seeing the same person looking back in the mirror.
But what if we could live by faith in God’s gospel of grace? Why would this be important and life giving? In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he taught them the importance of living by God’s gospel of grace. We can see the importance of living by God’s gospel of grace. -
Reminded of the Gospel
It is good to be reminded of the gospel every day, 365 days, of every year of our lives. Why? Because the gospel isn't merely the starting point of our faith; the gospel is the daily sustenance of our faith. As Christians, we need to remind ourselves of it everyday! What does the word “gospel” mean? It means “good news.” It’s the good news that God so loved us that He gave His Son Jesus to die for our sins that we might believe on Him and receive eternal life.
In the apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he saw it as of first importance to remind them of the Gospel. We can understand the importance of being reminded of the Gospel. -
Glorifying God Together
Do you want to glorify God with your life? You can’t do it by making life about you. When we make life about us, we attempt to steal the glory, the credit, the praise, for ourselves. But when we make life about loving and serving one another, according to the power and gifting of the Holy Spirit, God gets the glory.
In Peter’s first epistle to the Church scattered in Asia Minor, he gave them instructions on how to glorify God together. We can obey these instructions to glorify God together. -
Staying Together
How many of you have felt the pain of a troubled or broken relationship? If you’ve been breathing for even a couple of years, then you’ve felt the hurt that comes from conflict between you and your parents, your siblings, your friends, your neighbors, your spouse. How many have said, “I can never forgive him!” Or, “What she did was unforgivable!” Or, “This is the end of our friendship or marriage. There is no hope of reconciliation!” But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can learn how to reconcile and stay together!
In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he gave the church instructions on how to rightly treat one another and stay together as one body in Christ. We can stay together as one body in Christ. -
Release Your Child to the Lord
Parents have questions… Practical questions like: How and when should I discipline my child? How do I get them potty trained? And spiritual questions like: When is my child old enough to confess faith in Christ? What about baptism and the Lord’s Supper? How can I be sure that they are saved? In answering these questions, we have God’s Word as our guide, but we must also take into account the child’s level of maturity. Have you noticed that every child is unique? No two are the same. And as they grow, they change. So the parenting style that seemed effective when they were small, doesn’t work when they’re older.
Godly parents recognize their call to be leaders who make disciples. If we want to be effective, we have to match our parenting style to every child’s situation. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul told them that he had discipled them like a parent according to their situation, sometimes gentle and affectionate like a mother and sometimes strong like a father in order to release them to live up to God’s calling. We can parent our children following God’s Word to match our child’s situation with a goal of releasing them to the Lord. -
Raise Up Your Child in the Lord
What is your parenting approach? Where did you learn how to be a mom or dad? Was it from your parents? From friends or a book? Or are you just winging it? What is your parenting style?
God’s Word teaches the importance of balancing discipline and affection in child-rearing. The apostle Paul told the Ephesians how to raise up their children according to God’s plan. As Christians, we can follow God’s Word in the training of our children and raise them up to maturity according to God’s plan. -
Receiving Children as a Gift from God
Let’s admit it. Parenting can be very scary! Now, I realize that not everyone here is a parent. Whether you’re single, married w/o kids, or you’re empty nesters, what the Bible teaches about parenting is still relevant. Because as a church family, we all can help support and encourage the raising up of the next generation.
In Psalm 127, Solomon wrote about the necessity of recognizing the Lord as the One builds families and watches over them. As a result, he wrote that children are to be received as a gift from the Lord. We can receive our children as a gift from the Lord. -
Eternal over Relevant
Many think the church is irrelevant to their lives. Responding to this, we have titled today’s sermon, “Eternal Over Relevant,” because the Church is the one entity in this world that will live forever! If we stay on the true message of the Word of God and live as God’s people, the church will always be not only eternal, but always relevant!
People are struggling with issues and they don’t think the church addresses them. They think the church is only for faith and religious stuff, not family, parenting, work, school, finances, mental health, and a host of other real-world issues. People in our community are asking questions and they don’t think the church is answering them. The church only becomes irrelevant when it forgets its eternal identity and purpose. -
Freedom over Rules
True freedom is something we all hunger for. A student longs to be free of instruction, a teenager longs to be free of their parents, a debtor longs to be free of their debt, and we all long for the freedom to live our lives the best way we know how. Our country was founded on this idea of freedom. We celebrate our independence because we desired freedom from tyranny and the right govern ourselves.
True freedom can only be found in Jesus. This freedom frees from not only the physical but spiritual bonds which enslave us. As our text will conclude today, “If the Son sets you free, you are truly free." In John chapter 8, Jesus taught in the temple of Jerusalem that those who He set free were truly free indeed. We can experience this true freedom by faith in Jesus.