It is not a sin to be discouraged. It is not a sin to be depressed. It’s what you do when you are discouraged, depressed and feeling hopeless that matters. Once we open our eyes, we will see God everywhere.
Text: 1 Kings 19In early March I preached on “Are You Prepared to Suffer for Christ?” from I Peter 3:13-17. After the final […]
Text: 1 Peter 5:1-4The Christian walk is synonymous with innocent suffering and pain, through which Christ our Lord suffered and died. He left us all an example of how to follow him in this. A Christian’s call to this behavior goes against the grain of his human tendencies: to suffer unjust treatment without retaliation, trusting only that God would be the judge of things ultimately. Jesus lived the sacrificial life to which he calls all his believers. It is a life that leads to the cross, and he has modeled how to live this sacrificial life for us. When we suffer unjustly, we share in a tiny portion of what happened to him. When we are mistreated, we are to turn the other check, bless those who curse us, and return good for evil. We are not to retaliate, not to threaten, not to get even. Jesus showed us how to live, and he showed us how to die. This response is a miracle in itself and is under girded and made possible only by the gift of grace from God.
Text: 1 Peter 2:21-25“I believe in the holy catholic church.” The Apostles’ Creed Let’s begin at the most basic point. What does […]
Text: Ephesians 4:1-6Hi, my name is Simon Peter. You’ve probably heard of some of my most embarrassing moments. It would take me all day […]
When Dusty Baker became the manager of the Chicago Cubs last November, he was asked about the team’s long history […]
Text: I Chronicles 29:14In this Christmas sermon Pastor Ray focuses on the phrase “God with us.” There are three words in that phrase and each one teaches us something about who Jesus really is.
Text: Isaiah 7:14 & Matthew 1:22-23The smallest act of obedience is better than the greatest intention.
Text: Ezra 3Life is hard. Does anyone reading these words have any question about that? I didn’t think so. Because we live […]
Text: James 1:2-4Last Sunday we started a new sermon series called The Seven Laws of the Spiritual Life. In this series we […]
Sermon Series: Seven Laws of the Spiritual Life