Sermons

Too many Christians dismiss the truth of spiritual warfare.  The Bible is clear in teaching that there are influences and forces that work beyond the realm of the physical, emotional, and mental.  This means that many of what we encounter may be as results of what occur in the spiritual realm.  The enemy is relentless in stifling us so that we do not live the full life that God intends for us.  We want to properly be equipped in fighting these battles—thwarting temptations, protecting our faith at all costs.

Great fruits come through painful pruning.  Powerful (spiritual) growth) come through painful cuts.  In John 15, Jesus reminds us that God the Father, our gardener, loving cuts away what hinders our fruitfulness—not to harm us, but to strengthen us.  Just as a vine must be trimmed to bear more fruit, we too must endure the acts/seasons of loss, correction, or discomfort to grow in character and faith.  When we “remain in Him”, even in suffering, we bear lasting fruit—proving we are His beloved and bringing glory to the Father.

Joshua 12:7-24

What is your inheritance? Do you know what it is that God has prepared for you? The certainty of inheritance radically changes the way we live. The certainty of the future reward impacts how face today and tomorrow. Going through the Israelites’ journey of receiving their allotment of the promise land greatly encourages us to cling to God’s promises for us. We also learn that God allots different portions for different people. We’re to be content and trust in what God has provisioned for us.

What are we thankful for? I’m thankful that our God is a God of second chances. In His abundant grace and mercy, you and I are called to live a life that is worthy of His redemptive love. On this Thanksgiving Sunday, we journey through the story of Jonah and learn what it means to properly respond to the God of second chances.

Today, we want to talk about the importance of fighting from faith. We often see God move in response to bold faith to change impossible situations. Joshua acted upon God’s promises, and he prayed for God to do the unthinkable, the impossible. We are encouraged to have faith like Joshua and be bold.

Joshua and the Israelites mess up big time. A man named Achan was found disobeying God’s orders puts the entire camp at danger. One man’s sin leads to the entire nation’s defeat. Today, we explore the idea of sin, or “messing up”, in relation to God’s work being done. Can our actions prevent us from walking into God’s promises? What is the importance of good character? We learn that the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.