These sermons are taught passage by passage through a book of the Bible.
We live in world that is full of evil and can be downright ugly. At the same time we desire to live good lives that make a positive impact. For Christians this desire is also a calling. However, in our fight for survival we often forget our purpose and accept for ourselves something less than extraordinary; our goal becomes being less ugly than that which surrounds us. This series calls people to something better; it calls all to live beautiful lives.
The complexity of our world often leaves us struggling to figure out what is right and what is wrong. Making matters worse is that sometimes when we do that which culture declares right, we are left feeling as though we did wrong. This series of sermons on James presents Christian ethics according to the book and calls all who hear it to a different, better way of life.
The message of Christianity is one of God’s love for humanity. Sometimes though, the Christian faith gets painted as if it is for certain types of people who haven’t done certain types of things. The story of Jonah emphatically declares that no matter who you are or what you’ve done, God cares about you. Through a disobedient follower, a group of idolatrous fisherman, and a pagan city, this series of sermons proclaims that everyone can be engulfed by grace.
Written over 2,500 years ago, the book of Malachi has much to say to the culture of today. It speaks of half-hearted worship, allowing sin to become normal, divorce, and the difficulty in remaining faithful to God when it doesn’t seem beneficial – all things that need attention in our time. The book, a dialogue between people and God, offers people in all ages clear guidance on how to live out a real and vibrant faithfulness. We hope that you will listen to these sermons on Malachi and develop a distinct faith.
In our current culture a battle wages between truth and love. Society has called people to choose sides – love while ignoring truth or cling to truth while being void of love. For most though, it feels as though these two things ought not be in conflict; it feels as if we should be able to love while clinging to truth. One of Jesus’ closest friends and followers believed this to be true. In fact, he wrote two letters that speak to the importance of both truth and love, even beginning the first of these letters by reminding the recipient of his “love in the truth.” This sermon series, on the letters which are now called 2 & 3 John, will examine the importance and connection of truth and love.
Many go to church, few understand it. The good news is that the Bible offers us beautiful and understandable descriptions of the church in the form of metaphor. “Church As…” reveals four metaphors for church used in the Bible (primarily in the book of Ephesians) and teaches what they mean, why they are important, and how they impact our involvement.
One of the most common and important questions that is asked about God is why he, if so loving, would allow bad things to happen to good people. In the Bible, a very good and godly man named Job experiences extreme tragedy – he loses his wealth, children, and health. In the book that is named after him the question of why God would allow this to happen is pondered. In this sermon series, those ponderings are explored so that we may grapple more full with the question of why God allows bad things to happen to good people.
Opinions are everywhere. In a world full of internet bloggers it is difficult to determine what is true and what is not. As Chad Harms preaches through the book of 2 Peter in the series “Vision” we begin to see ways that we can determine truth (Pete calls it “knowledge”) in a world that makes it difficult. Peter refers to these knowledge determiners in terms of eyesight or vision. This sermon series helps us discover knowledge in a dimly lit world.