Jul 7, 2024
When Things Go from Bad to Worse
Series: Daniel
There are so many different struggles we can all face in our lives. What can we say to someone who receives a cancer diagnosis; a couple who has a miscarriage; a victim of child abuse; or someone whose family member was raped or murdered? There aren’t words to fix it. It’s not just that bad things occasionally happen. Sometimes, it seems things go from bad to worse, when multiple bad things occur, one after the other, after the other.
Daniel lived during such a time. In Daniel 8, he again receives a vision of a succession of coming kingdoms. But, this chapter fills in some of the horrors which will take place during the dominance of the 3rd kingdom. After we get 1) A Glimpse of Daniel’s Distressing Vision, we turn to consider 3 truths exemplified in these verses: 2) Strong Faith Doesn’t Guarantee Smooth Sailing in Life: 3) Our Faith Can Be Firm Even When Facing Difficult Times; 4) The Sovereign God Has Set a Limit on How Long Evil Will Endure.
God calls us to live in the present, while waiting with hope for the future.
Daniel 8:1-27
July 7, 2024
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- Jul 7, 2024When Things Go from Bad to Worse
Jul 7, 2024When Things Go from Bad to WorseSeries: DanielThere are so many different struggles we can all face in our lives. What can we say to someone who receives a cancer diagnosis; a couple who has a miscarriage; a victim of child abuse; or someone whose family member was raped or murdered? There aren’t words to fix it. It’s not just that bad things occasionally happen. Sometimes, it seems things go from bad to worse, when multiple bad things occur, one after the other, after the other.Daniel lived during such a time. In Daniel 8, he again receives a vision of a succession of coming kingdoms. But, this chapter fills in some of the horrors which will take place during the dominance of the 3rd kingdom. After we get 1) A Glimpse of Daniel’s Distressing Vision, we turn to consider 3 truths exemplified in these verses: 2) Strong Faith Doesn’t Guarantee Smooth Sailing in Life: 3) Our Faith Can Be Firm Even When Facing Difficult Times; 4) The Sovereign God Has Set a Limit on How Long Evil Will Endure.God calls us to live in the present, while waiting with hope for the future.Daniel 8:1-27July 7, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Jun 30, 2024Certainty in Uncertain Times
Jun 30, 2024Certainty in Uncertain TimesSeries: DanielAs we seek to navigate our way through this life on earth, sometimes we blindly move from one thing to the next, ricocheting off of random obstacles in life, hoping that we’re still going the right direction. Other times we can be misled by any of the many voices in our world clamoring for our attention and trying to distract us. The only way we can hope to make it safely out the other side is to be discerning about who we listen to. We need to seek to listen to God’s direction above all others.Daniel 7 is a vision of the future in 2 parts – the 1st part reveals that the world, which was still future to Daniel, and is both past & future for us, is under the influence of evil and cruel human power. The 2nd part shows us that God is still in control and will ultimately judge the rebellious and establish His eternal kingdom among us. The truths which come out of this passage are: 1) Focusing on the Apparent Uncertainty of the Future Can Leave us Feeling Anxious; and 2) God Will Certainly Work Out the Future According to His Sovereign Plan.In uncertain times we can certainly rely on our sovereign God.Daniel 7:1-28June 30, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Jun 9, 2024Service with a Smile
Jun 9, 2024Service with a SmileSeries: ServingThroughout Scripture, God holds up service as a good thing, something worthy of pursuit. Christ demonstrated to His disciples that those who would wish to lead should do so by serving others. Still, sometimes it can be hard for us to desire to serve. By its very nature, service is something that requires humility and a willingness to look out for the needs of others. It has a great deal to do with looking outside one’s self.In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about a master who entrusted important things to his servants before going away on a journey. From this we learn 7 things about how to appropriately use what God has given us - 7 Lessons in Service: 1) What We Have Is Not Ours; 2) We are Given What We Can Handle; 3) Faithful Service Involves Investing & Using What We’ve Been Given; 4) A Day of Accountability is Coming; 5) What We Do with What We Have Reveals Our View of God; 6) We Need to Use What God Has Given Us; 7) Your Choices in This Life Will Lead to Either Abundance or Agony in the Next Life.Strive to serve God’s purposes with every gift He has given.Matthew 25:14-30June 9, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Jun 2, 2024Let’s Get Growing
Jun 2, 2024Let’s Get GrowingSeries: GrowingParents hope to see their kids grow physically, intellectually, emotionally – they hope to train them up and turn them loose to become independent adults. Some growth takes place naturally. As a person grows from childhood into adulthood, they will get taller and stronger. Other areas of growth, however, take some intentional training & focus.This same sort of thing is true spiritually. Again, while some growth takes place naturally, our growth as Christians takes a bit more focus and attention. This growth is to be upward and outward - vertically and horizontally. As believers in Christ, 1) We Need to Grow in a Loving Relationship with God, and 2) We Need to Grow in Loving Relationships with Others.Commit to keep growing as a Christian.Selected ScriptureJune 2, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- May 26, 2024A Look at Love
May 26, 2024A Look at LoveSeries: LovingPurpose is an important thing – without it, we really have no motivation, no idea what we should do, or any idea why we should do whatever it is we think we’re supposed to be doing. If we don’t understand our purpose as a church, then we will be unlikely to fulfill it. Our purpose is to help people become fully devoted followers of Christ. We seek to accomplish this by loving, growing, and serving, both God and others. Over the next few weeks we’re going to take the opportunity to examine Scripture behind each of these 3 things that we seek to do together to fulfill God’s calling on us as a church.The most natural place for us to start is with God’s greatest commandment to us! In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus explains “what” the greatest thing we can do is, and goes on to tell us “who” we should do this toward and “how” we should do it. We'll introduce each of the points we encounter in this passage as questions: 1) What is the Greatest Thing God Has Called Us to Do? 2) Who are We to Love? 3) How Are We to Love God & Others? 4) How Should We Respond to This?We need to love without limits.Mark 12:28-34May 26, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- May 19, 2024What is Worship?
May 19, 2024What is Worship?Series: (All)“Worship” is one of those words that will bring you various definitions, depending on who you ask. Some will tell you it’s an attitude that you should have, either in church or in all of life. Others will talk about a wonderful “worship service” they attended – pointing to worship as something that is done in groups. Still others relegate worship to the musical portion of a church service, perhaps led by the Worship Pastor.Worship is more than the songs we sing at church, though it includes them. Our worship is to be directed towards God, but, it is done together with others as well. There are 3 primary texts that we’ll look at as we worship:
- Our Worship Should Be Filled with Joyful Praise and Reverent Adoration (Ps. 95:1-7)
- Our Worship Should Come from Our Whole Selves – Heart & Mind (John 4:23-24)
- Our Worship Should be Combined with That of Others to Bring God a Variety of Praise (Eph. 5:19-20)
Let’s come together with everything we have to praise the Lord – He is Worthy of Our Worship!Selected ScriptureMay 19, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here. - May 12, 2024Taking a Walk with Mom
May 12, 2024Taking a Walk with MomSeries: Mother's DayI think we all realize the importance of teaching small children – hopefully we see this as both an opportunity and responsibility. It’s not just what a child may learn in school that is important, but what they learn and home and at church as well. Moms are at the forefront of this, but every Christian can provide positive influence in the life of a child. Jesus called us to make disciples and teach them. That’s not just true of adults, but children as well.The Apostle Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Tim. 3:12-17 show us 5 things which all Christians ought to know. But, these are also things which we should be passing down to the children in our lives, whether you are mother, a father, a grandparent, a Sunday School teacher, a mentor, or just a Christian friend.While Paul’s words are instructive for all of us, I’m going to take what he says here and focus it on the kids this morning. Here are the 5 things we’ll see in this passage: 1) Warn Kids that Sincere Faith Will Sometimes Be Opposed; 2) Give Kids a Solid Foundation; 3) Teach Kids to be Scripture Focused; 4) Lead Kids to Salvation Through Faith; 5) Show Kids They are Equipped to Serve Freely.Encourage children to be faithful to God & His Word as they walk through this life.2 Timothy 3:12-17May 12, 2024Mother's DayTo watch the video of this message, click here.
- May 5, 2024God is Great!
May 5, 2024God is Great!Series: DanielWith the final 4 verses of Daniel 6, King Darius issues another decree, this time praising the wonder-working God of Daniel. There are 3 wonderful truths about God which Darius highlights in his decree. These 3 things always have been true about God and always will be true about God. They speak to the greatness of God and make Him absolutely worthy of our praise: 1) God is Alive and Active in This World; 2) God and His Kingdom Will Never Pass Away; and 3) God Rescues and Saves Those Who Seek Him.Let’s give praise to the living God.Daniel 6:25-28May 5, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Apr 28, 2024Justice & Judgment
Apr 28, 2024Justice & JudgmentSeries: DanielTrust is a part of life, something we do in large and small ways throughout each day. Some people and some things we trust without question, others we find it difficult to have any trust in. Where does God fall on that spectrum for you? Do you trust God? I expect that most of us would say “yes.” And let’s be honest, it’s easy to trust God when things are going well and our prayers are being answered the way we want. But, what about when things are hard? Do you still trust God then?Daniel seems to have had remarkable trust in God. As we look through the details of Daniel 6:19-24, I want us to back out the focus and ask ourselves 3 questions about trusting God: 1) Do We Trust God When He Allows Bad Things Happen to Us? 2) Do We Trust God to Discern Between the Innocent and the Guilty? 3) Do We Trust God to Show Justice in His Judgments?Trust God to work out His will for your life.Daniel 6:19-24Apr. 28, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
- Apr 21, 2024The Cost of Commitment
Apr 21, 2024The Cost of CommitmentSeries: DanielIt can be challenging to live a life committed to the Lord. Not only do we struggle to consistently choose God’s way over our way, we also find that the world around us doesn’t always affirm or encourage our obedience to the Lord. In fact, there are many ways in which our culture stands opposed to Biblical values. Still, God calls us to remain committed to obedience nonetheless.It is clear that Daniel had made up his mind in advance that he would serve the Lord no matter what. In Dan. 6:10-18, we can find 3 encouragements to strive for obedience to the Lord: 1) Keep Your Commitment to the Lord, Even if it Changes Nothing; 2) Stand Firm in the Face of Slanderous Accusations; 3) Live with Courage, Even if it Costs You Everything.Dedicate yourself to obedience, even before the difficulties come.Daniel 6:10-18Apr. 21, 2024To watch the video of this message, click here.
