'#grace' Tagged Posts (Page 2)
Do You See the Grace of God? (Rom 8)
The great hymn of the faith comes to mind today – “Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin…” Are you singing the rest of the verse now? But it’s true. God’s grace is wonderful and Romans 8 highlights (and not just the chapter but the whole book) the grace of God for us. How do you see the grace of God as you read through it? Take a moment today to watch and then reflect on the wonderful…
Dual Citizenship (GPS Vlog #2)
Christians have a unique identity. Not only are we citizens of our respective countries of origin (or more generally citizens of earth), but we are also citizens of heaven. I find that when it comes to hot topics as we are discussing in our new sermon series that we tend to side with the earthly rather than heavenly citizenship. Today, we’re diving into this subject of dual citizenship and what it means for us in our interactions with others and…
Contentment Surgery (Jas 5)
James, while addressing the issue of oppression by the rich, hints at a character quality we must develop for our lives–contentment. This subject applies not just to finances but to many areas of life. But in order to come to that place, we need some spiritual surgery. What’s the deeper issue? Thanks for watching. See these videos: “It’s a Trap!” – Jas 5:1-6 (May 8, 2022 Sermon) & “I Want! I Want! I Want!” by Paul Tripp CCLI Streaming License…
God’s Faithfulness Hasn’t Changed
God was faithful in bringing what he promised to pass as we talked last time. Sometimes however, we doubt his faithfulness from an experiential level as we encounter certain events and times in our lives. But his faithfulness never changes. He always has a plan, is always working it out for our best and his glory. Thanks for watching!
Is Good Friday Really Good?
My son asked us the other day at dinner about the origins of Good Friday. He wasn’t referencing the biblical account by the eptimology of the phrase itself. So we looked into a bit this week. Is Good Friday really good? Thanks for watching! “Who Do You Say I Am?” – April 10, 2022 Sermon “What’s So Good About Good Friday?” – Passion Conference CCLI Streaming License # 20229783
WHERE’S THE BEEF? – FORGIVENESS (JAS 2:14-26)
Where’s the beef? It’s from the old Wendy’s commercial. James essentially asks that question as he talks about faith and works. He isn’t speaking about salvation but evidence of our faith in Christ. One of the crucial aspects of this subject regards relationships and within that forgiveness. Forgiveness is evidence of our abiding in Christ and submission to the Spirit’s work in our lives. Thanks for watching! “Faith: Visible or Invisible?” – Jas 2:14-26 CCLI Streaming License # 20229783
FAVORITISM & PREJUDICE (JAMES 2)
The issue of racism is connected to a deeper issue of prejudice which has plagued humanity for thousands of years. Prejudice has not been shown to just one group of people as we commonly think of in our U.S. context. Through the centuries various groups have been show prejudice like the Jews and the Roma people. Amidst all the solutions offered by society, none seems to truly solve the issue. What can be done? What real solutions are there? That’s…
THE TRACKS, THE CARS, THE LOCOMOTIVE
James calls us to be “doers of the Word.” Using the analogy of a train track as a comparison to the Word, the train finds the greatest freedom on the track. Despite what our world thinks, freedom truly found in Christ and in obedience to the Word. But the train gets nowhere without an imporant part of the train. We’re exploring that today in relation to the Christian life. Thanks for watching! “Listen & Live It” – Jas 1:22-27 (February…
THE BENEFIT OF THE LAW AS DOERS OF THE WORD
Sunday we talked about being “doers of the Word”. And as we think about obedience to the Word, that obedience is not directed solely toward what we find in the New Testament. There are many commands and principles that the New Testament highlights and confirms from the Old Testament. So the Law has value even for us today because it reveals to us who God is. Despite the thoughts that the Word is archaic or for a different time, a…
CHANGE IN LANGUAGE MEANS DESTRUCTION OF SCRIPTURE
I have been recently inundated with a number of articles and segments speaking about a desire to change the language of Scripture in reference to God. The proposal is to move from using the masculine “he” to refer to God (as we see in Scripture) to using the word “they.” It is a language shift being suggested in our schools as well. What significance would such a shift have on Scripture, beliefs, and the Christian faith? We’re exploring that today.…
DEALING WITH TEMPTATION. AVOIDING SIN.
We all struggle with various temptations and wonder if there is a way to avoid sin. Today we are looking at some practical tips and passages of Scripture that focus on just that. And in addition to all of that, we’ll explore the key issue concerning why we often succumb to temptation sin as well as what to do about it. Thanks for watching!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TRUST GOD IN OUR TRIALS?
Rather than a video this week, I’d like to share this article that came to my email inbox this week. It gives us an important perspective that faith is not just something passive but rather active. Take a moment to read these important thoughts on faith.
LESSONS FROM A WAR (GENESIS 14)
The story of Abram’s faith continues. This time, we learn an important lesson on faith from a war and about the choices we make in our everyday lives. Thanks for joining us today as we explore Genesis 14 together.
CAIN & ABEL (GENESIS 4)
The story of Cain & Abel. As much as it is often told as a children’s story, it really is anything but that. One brother murdering another. Yet as we look deeper, we see the problems of the heart, the tragedy sin is causing, and a faithful God who continues to call people to repentance and faith.
TRAGEDY & HOPE (GENESIS 3)
The fall of man is ultimately a matter of whether or not one trusts God. There is so much in our world today that looks good but underneath we soon discover that we’ve been deceived by Satan & his pack of lies. As we see in the text though, we serve an amazing God who seeks us and who also offers us hope. Join us for Genesis 3 today!
FASHIONED BY GOD (GENESIS 2)
Today’s text once more proves how fundamental these opening chapters of Genesis are to many Christian beliefs. Today’s text hits the image of man, genders, and marriage among other things. The word that sticks out to me though is this: “formed”. God formed man. He’s formed you (Ps 139). And that puts us in a unique position with purpose. Join us!
FORMLESS & VOID (GENESIS 1)
The phrase that we read in Genesis 1:2 has led to a host of interpretations, theories, ideas, and conclusion. We’re going to explore them a bit today and talk about what we see in the context. Ultimately we take away though that God has taken something uninhabitable and made it life-supporting and filled it with life which we’ll explore in the coming weeks. As we read v. 2, we might make another spiritual connection. What is it? Watch to find…
THE SIMPLEST EXPLANATION (GENESIS 1)
There is so much packed into the first chapter of Genesis. We’re finishing verse 1 today. How simple the phrase “God created” is & yet so profound. Join us today as we explore why.
WHO’S AT THE CENTER?
It makes a vast difference in the course of our lives in who we place at the center of it. And it affects our gospel witness as well. What am I talking about? Perhaps Philippians 2:14-15 will give you a clue. Developing this attitude is of such importance not only relationally, but for our witness as well.
CREATING SOMETHING NEW (PSALM 51)
I spend time in my garage creating various projects from wood often for my home. I thank the Lord for that skill set that I have attained over the years. What is beyond me though is dealing with the sin problem within me. David acknowledges that in Psalm 51. A heart that is morally degraded needs a solution beyond our power. The word that begins v. 10 with though contains special significance for us in this great psalm.