PAUL’S GOD IS GOD ENOUGH TO BE GOD OF ALL

Francis Schaeffer once said, “As Christians, we must understand that there is no word so meaningless as the word god until it is defined”. In Acts 17, before a crowd of some of the greatest thinkers of his age - who defined god in various different way - Paul defined the God of Christianity. What was perhaps most startling to his hearers was his assertion that his God was and is their God, whether they accepted Him or not. He had created them and they would stand before His judgment. And this God proves His claims because this God, the One true God, has backed up His claims by being raised from the dead.

The same God who Paul proclaimed to the Areopagus is the same God who reigns over every one of us today. How would you define God? Is the God of the Bible the God you have believed in? Hear more by listening to last Sunday’s sermon.

Listen to the sermon here.

NOBODY AND NOTHING CAN STEAL YOUR JOY

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas find themselves in prison after enduring a severe beating, an unjust condemnation, harassment from a demon and facing general opposition to their proclamation of the Gospel. Yet what their fellow prisoners and jailer heard resounding from their cell at night was not groaning … but joyful singing. That very night, the same joy they possessed in Jesus was shared with their jailer and his entire household. It’s clear - nothing could steal the joy that Paul and Silas possessed. Do you find yourself struggling for joy? Do you long for the kind of joy that endures even the deepest trials and sorrows? Then listen to last Sunday’s sermon and rediscover the joy of Jesus.

Listen to the sermon here.

SHEPHERDS AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART

On a very special Sunday, pastor Eric Turbedsky, senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Orange and West Regional Leader of Sovereign Grace Churches, was present to preach at and mark the occasion of Jeff Schlieder’s ordination.

However, his sermon wasn’t a mere formality - it was a helpful and sweet reminder of why God gave local churches pastors. Pastors who have been called and appointed by God are reflections of Jesus’ kingly reign, His compassionate care and His saving grace. Listen to the short sermon to hear more.

Listen to the sermon HERE

THEY’RE UNSAFE IF THE TRUTH IS UP FOR GRABS

Most of us, at the very least, tend to shy away from disagreements. Many are tempted to avoid them at all costs. Still others will boldly enter disagreements, but do so standing on their own opinion, perspective or experience. It’s the latter which often makes engaging with those who disagree feel unsafe in the first place! In the church, we know we will inevitably disagree with one another if we’re living in close fellowship together. So how do we deal with disagreements? Listen to last week’s sermon from Acts 15, which tells of two historic disagreements, and learn how a shared commitment to the Gospel turns disagreements from a threatening danger into a redemptive opportunity.

Listen to the sermon HERE.

On Sunday, Jason Roenicke preached from Acts 13-14. These two chapters represent the first missionary journey of the Apostle Paul. They also represent the initial fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that His disciples would be witnesses “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). But taking the message of the Gospel would be met with adversity and hot opposition, as became abundantly clear for Paul from the outset. Persevering in the mission, then, requires courage. Where does this courage come from? What does courage look like? Where do we go to find courage that will sustain a lifetime of witnessing to the name of Jesus in a world that’s opposed to Him? Listen to Sunday’s message to learn more.

Listen to the sermon here.

PRAY NOT BECAUSE YOU SHOULD, BUT BECAUSE YOU CAN

2021 is likely to bring more of the same as 2020. In the last message that was preached in our advent series before the new year, we were reminded that our hope can’t rest in a better year. It must rest in the gifts given at Christ’s first coming and the securing of all God’s promises in Christ at His second coming. But during the in between, what does it practically look like to hope in Christ? Acts 12 and, in fact, the book of Acts as a whole teaches us that prayer is the single greatest tool - and often the single most underutilized tool - that we as Christians have at our disposal.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

RECEIVING HOPE IN BETWEEN TWO ADVENTS

1 Pet. 1:3-9 describes both the gifts God has given in Christ and the promised gifts yet to be received. At His first coming (or “Advent”), Jesus came bearing new birth, forgiveness from sin and the gift of His Spirit, all of which we receive through faith in His name now. Yet, there are still gifts - namely an eternal inheritance, which we have yet to receive, but which God has promised to us when His Son returns (the second “Advent”). So as receivers of these gifts and promises, how do we live in the in-between? In the face of a 2021 that’s likely to look a whole lot like 2020, how do the gifts and promises of the two advents inform how we live in between the two advents? Listen to the final sermon in our 2020 Christmas series to learn more.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

THE FATHER GIVES HIS BEST TO THE WORST

The generosity of God Father is astounding, pure and simple. It’s rivaled by no one and nothing in the created realm. So great is it that it’s hard to get our arms around it to grasp and appreciate its magnitude, but 1 John 4:14 helps us. How? By teaching us simply that the Father sent His Son. What’s contained in this simple statement is the reality that God the Father’s relationship to Jesus is that of divine father and son - a perfect relationship comprised of perfect love, perfect unity and perfect harmony. The Son is the Father’s greatest treasure. What further deepens our appreciation, though, is the consideration of who the Son was sent for. To learn more and grow in your gratitude for God’s generosity toward you in the Gospel, listen to last Sunday’s sermon.

Listen to this week’s sermon here.

IF WE LOSE THE VIRGIN BIRTH, WE LOSE A SINLESS SAVIOR

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is a critical member of the cast of Christmas. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary announcing that she would be with child, she reasonably questioned how this might be since she was a virgin. In Luke 1:35, Gabriel’s response explains that it would happen by the generous activity of the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit’s work in the virgin birth, we receive an invaluable treasure in a sinless Savior - a baby born with a fully divine nature, equipped with the very power of God to save, and born with a fully human nature, yet without sin, qualified to stand in our place and take the penalty for our sin. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to learn about the wondrous gift of the Holy Spirit at Christmas.

Listen to last Sunday’s sermon here.

WHERE DO YOU LOOK DURING TIMES OF ADJUSTMENT FOR STABILITY AND CERTAINTY?

The early church was undergoing a massive, even historic, change in Acts 11. Peter was making some big claims. Things were happening that were unprecedented among God’s people. Jesus’ disciples were having to adjust. In that adjustment, God graciously provided evidence that He indeed was behind this movement; He provided proof of His presence to assure His people that making this adjustment was something that He had ordained and He would give grace for. For us, 2020 has been a season of constant adjustment. Where do you look for stability and courage? The proof of God’s presence is all around you. You might just need to open your eyes to it …

Listen to this week’s sermon here.