On Sunday Pastor Dustin preached from 1 Peter 4:12-19. We tend to see Christian suffering as evidence we’re doing something wrong. But Christians should expect to suffer when they’re doing something right. Opposition to Christianity is normal, it’s a God-given test of our faith, it proves God is with us, and it points us to our future salvation.
On Sunday Pastor Eric preached from 1 Peter 1:3-5. The new life that we have in Christ through His resurrection is the source of our hope. His very life courses through our veins. Our eternal inheritance is being kept for us and we are being kept for it by God’s power.
On Sunday Pastor Mike preached from Genesis 8:1-19. Noah and his family leave the ark and set foot on a renewed world. This corresponds to the life of every Christian. Those who hide themselves in Christ walk in newness of life now and will one day inhabit a completely renewed cosmos.
On Sunday Pastor Eric preached from Genesis 5:1-32. It’s the first of 9 genealogies in Genesis. It’s a chapter most of us would skip over. But that’s only because we don’t understand its significance. This genealogy helps us locate ourselves in God’s story. We see His promised plan unfold in the past. We look for His promised plan unfolding in the present. And we long for His promised plan to unfold in the future.
On Sunday Pastor Eric preached from Genesis 3:8-24. Adam and Eve have sinned by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now the Lord confronts them. Most of us wonder why God would offer such a severe penalty for what seems to be such a petty crime. But that’s the wrong question. The right question is: why wasn’t the penalty more severe? Even at the very beginning, God responds to sin with amazing grace.
In part 3 of our 4-part sermon series on the culture of our church, Pastor Dustin preached from Acts 2:42-47. He reminded us that there is no shame being ordinary Christians in an ordinary church. Our ordinary, day-in, day-out efforts are the very stage on which God does His extraordinary work.
On Sunday Pastor Mike preached the first of God’s responses to Job from Job 38:1-40:5. God dignifies us by responding to our many questions, confusions, and groanings. But He responds in a way we never expected. He doesn’t answer our questions. Instead, He offers a panoramic view of Himself. And that is precisely what we need.
On Sunday, Pastor Dustin preached from 2 Timothy 3:16-4:4 reminding us why we prioritize the preaching of the Bible. It ensures we have genuine encounters with God. It protects us from our own unhealthy passions. It prepares us for our future and final encounter with God. The simple truth is that we prioritize the preaching of God’s Word because we need it.