As it was for Peter, so it will be for all of us. Our strengths and our weaknesses lie side by side. If we live on the level of our emotions, we may find ourselves actually opposing Jesus. If we think that our understanding equals God’s will, we are bound to fall into many grievous errors.
Text: Matthew 16:21-23Hebrews 11 is God’s “Perpetual Plaque” of those who lived by faith. And if you look closely, you can see there is plenty of room for more names. There’s room for you and there’s room for me.
Text: Hebrews 11:39-40God’s will is always good, but it’s not always comfortable. And it’s certainly not predictable. What if God blew your categories and gave you success beyond your wildest dreams? What if he let you fail miserably so he could give you overwhelming success later?
Text: Luke 5:1-11I cannot promise you an easy road if you decide to follow Jesus Christ. But I can promise you this. You will be blessed and you
won’t be sorry. And in the end, you will discover that the life of faith is full of adventure, and you will be glad you weren’t a couch
potato but dared to make a difference in the world.
God delights in saving notorious sinners. He proved it by saving Rahab, a prostitute in ancient Jericho whose faith saved her whole family. There is no pit so deep that the love of God is not deeper still. There is no sin so terrible that Jesus cannot forgive it.
Text: Hebrews 11:31One day the Sadducees tried to trick Jesus with a very weird question. Jesus’ surprising answer teaches us a great deal about life after death. Our hope of the resurrection rests on the faithfulness of God. Our hope for the future rests not in science, not in speculation, not in some proof text, but in the character of God himself!
Text: Luke 20:27-40The life of faith is inherently a life of risk. It is not for those timid souls who want to play it safe all the time. As long as we limit God to what we think he can do, we will never see anything great because our faith remains so small. But once we are willing to suspend our disbelief and renounce our skepticism, then and only then do we become candidates for a miracle.
Text: Luke 7:1-10The real impact of the gospel will be seen when we don’t feel joyful, when we don’t want to pray, and when we can’t think of a reason to be thankful. That’s when we discover if our Christianity is the genuine article or a spiritual counterfeit.
Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18What is it that you are waiting for from the Lord? What are you hoping for that you do not yet have? While you are waiting, don’t let go of that little word “yet.” It’s the difference between hope and despair because God is not finished yet.
Sermon Series: New Year’s Day MessagesOn the first Christmas morning the sun began to shine in Bethlehem. Now that he has come into the world, nothing can ever be the same again. Now we have light in the darkness, pardon from our guilt, and peace that passes all understanding.
Text: Luke 1:78-79