GOD IS MORE PRESENT TO YOU THAN YOUR TROUBLE

There is nothing that disorients our souls quite like trouble. If you’ve lived long enough, you have experienced seasons of life in which it feels like your world is falling apart. Times when everything seems to be giving way. When you are facing your worst case scenario. If you haven’t experienced trouble yet, you will. Jesus told his disciples that, “in the world you will have tribulation” (Jn 16:33) and that, in fact, everyday has “its own trouble” (Mt 6:33). What is God’s reorienting-remedy to our soul-disorienting trouble?

Listen to this last Sunday’s sermon on Psalm 46. How can we have peace in the midst of trouble? Because, “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Ps 46:7, 11). Psalm 46 grabs us by the shoulders and urges us to stop trying to outmaneuver our circumstances and to quit seeking peace apart from God. He is God, we are not, and in our trouble we must rest in him.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

WE NEED REVELATION TO BE REORIENTED

God has revealed Himself in all of creation; so much so that “day to day pours out speech”. In other words, the beauty and grandeur and wonder of what He created speaks undeniably of Him. Yet, we suppress that voice in our hearts through sin. When we suppress that voice, we wander aimlessly and lost in the world God created. What, then, can reorient us?

Listen to this last Sunday’s sermon on Psalm 19. If Psalm 1 was the psalm of orientation par excellence, then Psalm 19 is the psalm of reorientation par excellence. It tells us of the efficacy and necessity of God’s Word - His special revelation - alone to reorient our souls back toward God.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

YOUR ORIENTATION TOWARD GOD WRITES THE SONGS YOUR SOUL SINGS

This past Sunday, we began a six-week journey through the Psalms - a book that is too often undervalued in the lives of Christians. Why? Because, as John Calvin said, “the Psalms are an anatomy of all the parts of the soul”. They help us to rightly understand our motional responses and how to rightly express our emotions in response to the various seasons God ordains for our lives. In other words, they’re the playlist for our souls. They resonate to the tune of our hearts. The Psalms give voice to every song of our soul.

As we began our series in Psalm 1, we learned the why behind our emotions; what determines the type of emotions that rise up within us. And it has everything to do with our orientation toward - or away - from God.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

THE MOST IMPORTANT INSTRUMENT IN OUR CORPORATE WORSHIP

This Sunday, we had the joy of being led in our corporate worship by a rebuilt and revamped worship team, prompting us to ask an important question: what’s the most important instrument in our corporate worship? Psalm 100 answers that question: it’s us, the collective voices of the congregation. Psalm 100 also gives us the distinctions of how to worship God in a way that’s glorifying to Him. This is an important message and one that we hope the Lord will use to create a permanent culture of grateful, joyful and loud singing in our little church.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

At the end of the book of Acts, we’re left with a challenge; one that’s reiterated throughout the pages of Scripture. It’s the challenge of taking action based on what has been seen and heard. Paul’s Jewish audience in Rome heard the preaching of the Gospel from Paul’s own lips, yet they only bickered among themselves about his message, refusing to turn to Christ in faith. In similar fashion, we have heard the message of the Gospel and the timeless traits of the Church over the course of the last 10 months in Acts. While we have experienced the fruit of the Holy Spirit among us in many ways, there are still plenty of ways that we as a church body and as individuals have opportunities to respond.

LISTEN TO THE FINAL SERMON FROM ACTS HERE.

When you look at the possibilities of what your future might hold, do you hope for the absence of trials … or do you hope for the grace of God in the midst of the trials that might come. In the middle of Acts 28, Paul finally arrives in Rome - the fulfillment of God’s promise to him. However, his journey there was fraught with roadblock after roadblock, including a massive storm and a shipwreck. But in the midst of it, he experienced and depended upon the sustaining grace of God, teaching us not to hope for the absence of storms, but for grace to endure the storm.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

CONVICTIONS ARE JUST OPINIONS IF NOT BASED ON REVELATION

How do you form convictions? Which convictions are most essential? Should you ever expect any of your convictions to change? In Acts 26, Paul makes his defense before Herod Agrippa and speaks of what he is convinced about. Further, he seeks to persuade or convince his audience. In short, he’s communicating his convictions and wishes that certain convictions of his become those of his hearers. This brief defense proves to be helpful guidance for Christians and leaves no question about where the source and foundation of what we are most convinced of must lie. To learn more, listen to last Sunday’s sermon.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE.

IF WE NO LONGER HAVE TO FEAR THE SCARIEST THING OF ALL, WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO FEAR?

In Acts 26, Paul has every reason to fear man - to fear those who plot against his life, to fear those making mockery of his faith, to fear the most powerful man in the world, whom he had just appealed to. Yet, Paul proceeds confidently. As Christians, though we don’t often have need to fear attempts against our lives, we easily give into the temptation to fear the judgments and opinions of others. Few temptations are more common or more contrary to the redemptive reality that has taken root in our hearts. Listen to this week’s sermon to learn more about how the truth of Christ makes God big and people small.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

REVIEW THE STATEMENT OF FAITH SECTION FROM SUNDAY’S RESPONSIVE READING

As you’ve noticed, every Sunday that we don’t take communion together, we do a public reading together. While at times, we’ll read passages of Scripture or historic confessions, we’re currently working through the Sovereign Grace Churches Statement of Faith. We’d encourage you to study further, so below are the verse references from the portion of the Statement of Faith that we read on Sunday - “Marriage, Sexuality, and Singleness”. If you would like to access the full Statement of Faith, click HERE.

Gen 2:18-25; Eph 5:31-33; Eph 5:25-30; Col 3:19; 1 Pet 3:7; Gen 2:18; Eph 5:22-24; Col 3:18; 1 Pet 3:1-2; 1 Cor 7:6-8; Luke 2:36-37.

ONLY THE OFFENSE OF THE GOSPEL IS NECESSARY

In Acts 24, Paul stood before the governor of the Roman province of Caesarea, accused of multiple offenses. Though he was innocent of all criminal charges brought against him, he openly confessed that he was guilty of one offense in particular - belief in all God has said, including the message of His Gospel. Though you may try, oftentimes in vain, to live without offending others, the reality is that the Gospel is an offense to those who aren’t saved. It’s an offense that Christians shouldn’t shy away from because if we lose the offense of the Gospel, we lose the hope of the Gospel. However, Paul also demonstrates that Christians don’t have license to add to the offense of the Gospel by being offensive in our conduct. To hear more and to press into what this means for your daily life, listen to last Sunday’s sermon.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

IF GOD HAS SAID IT, HE WILL DO IT

Acts 23:12-35 is a very unique passage in the book of Acts: God’s name isn’t referred to once, nor is there any identifiable commands or teaching of any Christian doctrine. It’s a story of an unlikely rescue of Paul from a murderous plot. What relevance does this passage have for us? Verse 11 gives the answer - God had promised Paul that he would reach Rome and verse 12-35 are evidence of God providentially fulfilling His promise. This is the Christian’s comfort - what God has sovereignly said, He will providentially do. Listen to the sermon HERE to learn more.

REVIEW THE STATEMENT OF FAITH SECTION FROM SUNDAY’S RESPONSIVE READING

As you’ve noticed, every Sunday we don’t take communion together, we do a public reading together. While at times, we’ll read passages of Scripture or historic confessions, we’re currently working through the Sovereign Grace Churches Statement of Faith. We’d encourage you to study further, so below are the verse references from the portion of the Statement of Faith that we read on Sunday - “Man as male and female”. If you would like to access the full Statement of Faith, click HERE.

Gen 1:27; 9:6; Gal 3:28; James 3:9; Gen 3:16-19.