BAPTISM SUNDAY, JUNE 14

Join us at the Lee home immediately after church on Sunday, 6/14 to celebrate the baptism of new believers and enjoy a hotdog lunch.

WHAT IS BAPTISM?

Baptism marks the beginning of the Christian life. It’s that moment in which we confess with our mouth what we’ve believed in our hearts. Standing in the presence of God and his people to profess our faith in the sacrificial death and victorious resurrection of Jesus. Signifying our personal share in his dying and rising as we’re immersed into the water and buried with Christ and then raised up with him to walk in newness of life.

If you are interested in being baptized, have questions about baptism, or want to place your faith in Jesus, talk to a member of the pastoral team. They’d be happy to help you take the first step of the Christian life.

EXODUS 20:7

God’s name is the most valuable thing there is. It’s the revelation of who he is, the story of what he’s done, and the means by which we personally relate to him. There’s nothing more precious, but each and every one of us has treated it like it’s worthless. We’ve taken the name of the Lord in vain and made light of the most glorious and weighty thing in the world. The 3rd Commandment calls us to take God seriously. Teaching us we must not mar his good name through our bad actions. Forbidding us not to misuse his holy name through careless or empty words. But instead, calling us to treat his name with reverence.T o bear his mark as faithful representatives. And be ambassadors for the “name above all names” - the name of King Jesus.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

NO IMAGES OR IDOLS

The first commandment requires us to worship the right God. The second is all about worshiping the right God the right way. When we bow down in worship, we must not bow down to idols. We must not remake God in our image. We must realize that we are God's imagers. We must have that image restored in us through Jesus Christ - the One True Image of the Invisible God (Col 1:15). 

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

NO OTHER GODS

We’ve just begun a mini-series in the 10 Commandments. We’ll be taking each one and asking, “What does it forbid?’” “What does it require?” And “How is it fully realized in Jesus?” The very first of the 10 Words is a word about worship. But it's not a command telling us to worship. It's a command assuming we will worship. The heart of the matter is not whether we will worship, but what we will worship. It's for this reason that God says, "You shall have no other gods before me" (20:3). Meaning: 1) Don't place anything else on the throne of your heart. 2) Do glorify God with everything you've got. And, 3) to see what this looks like on full display and draw near to the God you've so often dethroned, look to Jesus Christ. The One who gave his all to God, and then gave his all for us. 

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

LUKE 7:36-50

Luke 7:36-50 is the story of a dinner party thrown by a lazy host that gets interrupted by an uninvited guest. One man and one woman who respond to the presence of Jesus in two very different ways. One is a religious leader who gives him a lackluster welcome. The other a sinful woman of the city who offers him extravagant honor. Two people in the presence of the same Jesus who couldn't respond more differently. Why is this? One realizes the greatness of their sin while the other does not. And when we come to terms with the depths of the debt we’re in, we truly grasp the greatness of God’s grace. When we recognize that Jesus has forgiven us of everything we've done, we can’t help but love him with everything we are.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

BAPTISM SUNDAY, MAY 31

Join us at the Lee home immediately after church on Sunday, 5/31 to celebrate the baptism of new believers and enjoy a hotdog lunch.

WHAT IS BAPTISM?

Baptism is one of the sweetest moments in the life of the church. It’s a visible portrayal of the effects of the gospel in a person. A means of grace given to us in order to participate in God’s promise of new life in Christ.

All those who believe in Christ are called to publicly identify with him and profess their faith in his sacrificial death and victorious resurrection through baptism. This is the moment where we confess with our mouth what we've believed in our heart (Rom 10:9-10). Signify our union with Jesus Christ in his dying and rising. Mark the end of our old way of life. And demonstrate our entrance into a new way of life lived out together in a new people, as we’re added to his body - the Church.

Want to be baptized? Have questions about baptism? Talk to a member of the pastoral team. They’d be happy to tell you more about this sacrament and celebrate the saving work of God in your life.

1 JOHN 5:1-5

On Sunday, we worshiped in the middle of French Park and offered our neighbors a window into what our life is like. So what should they see when they look in on us? Even more, what does a watching world so often see when they take a look at God's people? They might see boundaries, restrictions, and divine-duties that cannot possibly co-exist with joy. But 1 Jn 5:1-5 tells us that while God has given us commands, "his commandments are not burdensome" (5:3). Yes, there are fences, but they're set in place for our flourishing. Of course there are rules, but they've been laid down by a loving Father. Sure, it might seem weird to a watching world, but our faith has overcome the world.  

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

EXODUS 20:1-2: INTRODUCTION TO THE 10 COMMANDMENTS

Exodus 19 made it clear the people of Israel were saved for life with God. But what does that life look like practically lived out? Enter Exodus 20:1-17. More than anything else, it looks like these 10 things. These 10 words. These 10 Commandments God gave to Israel to stand at the heart of their relationship with him. But, do they still matter in our relationship with God today? Listen to the sermon to learn more about the goodness of God’s Law and the way it guides the lives of God’s redeemed people.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

EXODUS 19:1-25

It's been 3 months since the exodus. The dust has finally settled and Israel is safely encamped in the wilderness. So what now? At this point in the prison break movie, the characters would stare off into the sunset and say, “What do you think you’ll do next?” After their epic escape, they’d daydream about the future, explore the possibilities, and then go their separate ways. Setting off to make their freedom count and figure out what life is all about. We’ve heard this story before. But Exodus is not that kind of story. Instead of scattering off into the sunset, Israel comes to a meeting at a mountain. There God appears to tell them what their freedom is for. It's not freedom for freedom's sake. It’s not up to us to figure it out. It’s not a choose your own adventure story. Far better than all this, from Sinai's heights God declares: “I didn’t bring you out for you. I brought you out for me. And that’s the best thing I could ever do for you.”

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

JOHN 11:17-27

On Easter Sunday, we visited the tomb of Lazarus. We met his sister Martha in the midst of her grief. Just beyond her brother’s grave, Jesus said to her, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” In the middle of our own grief, suffering, and hardship, do we believe it? We can and we should. Because Lazarus’ exit from the grave and Christ’s own empty tomb prove this hope is not in vain. There is life on the other side of death. There is comfort on the other side of pain. There is a Savior who will meet us in our moments of deepest trouble and bring us into joys that never ever end.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE