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Sunday May 12, 2019
Sunday May 12, 2019
"Promise of Rest"
Dr. Gary Singleton
Moms, if you could choose your own Mother’s Day present, what would you choose? Flowers? Jewelry? Brunch with the fam? According to parenting.com, what moms really want is a clean house, or a clean car, or just a day without “momming.” (Hey Dad – pay attention!)
Well this Sunday on Mother’s Day, we’re going to talk about a gift that almost every mom would love to get – REST. We’ve been talking about God’s promises, and in Matthew 11:28 we find a promise that Jesus made to all who come to Him. “Come to me, all who labor and are heaven laden, and I will give you rest.”
Mom, are you tired? Worried? Anxious? Does your battery seem to always be in the red? You will never stop being a mom, and you will never stop being burdened for your kids. But Jesus promises rest.
Sunday May 05, 2019
Sunday May 05, 2019
"He Always Finishes What He Starts"
Bryan Jones
I think all of us would agree that "Finish what you start." is pretty good advice. But how many of us actually do it? We start out with great enthusiasm. On Monday morning we’re 100% committed to Whole 30, and by Thursday we’ve settled for Half 15. Or we decide to dive in and clean out all of our closets and drawers. We pull everything out and start tossing anything that doesn’t “spark joy.” And a couple of days … or weeks … or months later the pile is still sitting there. Where did all the enthusiasm go?
Well this Sunday we’re going to see that God is so much better at this than we are. We’re talking about some of the promises that God has made to us, and this week I have a promise for you. God ALWAYS finishes what He starts. And He will finish what He started in your life.
Do you feel stuck, spiritually speaking? Are you struggling with things that you thought would be resolved by now? We can claim the promise found in Philippians 1:6 – “… He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”
God is going to finish what He started in your life. You can count on it.
Sunday Apr 28, 2019
Sunday Apr 28, 2019
"Presence"
Dr. Gary Singleton
Last Sunday we celebrated Easter and the glorious resurrection of our Savior! Jesus is alive, and He has gone to prepare a place for us in heaven. What a blessing it is to celebrate the promise of spending eternity in heaven with Jesus!
But heaven is not the only thing God has promised us. According to one account, there are 3,573 promises in the Bible, and all of them are just waiting to be claimed. But most of us don’t even know what those promises are!
This Sunday we are going to begin a sermon series we’re calling “Promises.” We’re going to take a look at just a few of those 3,573 promises and how we can claim them for ourselves. We will begin with the promise of God’s presence. On the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” At that moment, Jesus was separated from God. And at the moment of Jesus’ death, He opened the door for those who believe in Him to enter into the presence of God.
Jesus was forsaken so we do not have to be forsaken.
Sunday Apr 21, 2019
Sunday Apr 21, 2019
"Heaven"
Dr. Gary Singleton
This week was Holy Week – the week that we reflected on the events of our Lord’s last week on earth. Yesterday, we came together at our Good Friday services to reflect on Jesus’ death on the cross. Tomorrow, we will gather on Sunday morning to celebrate His glorious resurrection!
But what happened after Jesus rose from the grave? Acts 1:9-11 tells us that as the disciples looked on, Jesus “was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” As the disciples stood there gazing upward, angels appeared to them and said, “This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Jesus is in heaven, and those who follow Him will one day join Him there!
So what exactly is heaven? Most of us want to go there, but we don’t know a lot about it. What will it be like? What will we do there? And most importantly – who gets to go to heaven?
This Easter Sunday morning we’re going to take a look at the promise of heaven. Jesus has gone there to prepare a place for us. And as we celebrate His resurrection, we also celebrate the day when we will be with Him in heaven forever.
Sunday Apr 14, 2019
Sunday Apr 14, 2019
"Pride"
Bryan Jones
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. We have spent the last few weeks talking about our responses to Easter, and this Sunday we’re going to look at how some of the people around Jesus responded to His coming death.
There are some things in life that all of us must face, and the story of Jesus’ death shows us two of those things – pride and death.
Jesus was crucified between two thieves, and each of them had a very different response to Jesus. Both were facing death, but while one mocked Jesus, the other turned to Jesus in his darkest hour. Each of us will come face to face with death sooner or later. What can we learn from these two men about facing death?
On the night before His death, Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples. As they were going out, Jesus told them that they would all fall away and scatter. Peter proudly told Jesus that this would never happen to him – and we know how that turned out!
Death and pride – two of the things all of us face. What can we learn about death and pride from Jesus and the people around Him during His last week on earth?
Sunday Apr 14, 2019
Sunday Apr 14, 2019
"Death"
Bryan Jones
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. We have spent the last few weeks talking about our responses to Easter, and this Sunday we’re going to look at how some of the people around Jesus responded to His coming death.
There are some things in life that all of us must face, and the story of Jesus’ death shows us two of those things – pride and death.
Jesus was crucified between two thieves, and each of them had a very different response to Jesus. Both were facing death, but while one mocked Jesus, the other turned to Jesus in his darkest hour. Each of us will come face to face with death sooner or later. What can we learn from these two men about facing death?
On the night before His death, Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples. As they were going out, Jesus told them that they would all fall away and scatter. Peter proudly told Jesus that this would never happen to him – and we know how that turned out!
Death and pride – two of the things all of us face. What can we learn about death and pride from Jesus and the people around Him during His last week on earth?
Sunday Apr 07, 2019
Sunday Apr 07, 2019
"Response Required"
Dr. Gary Singleton
When it comes to Easter, Americans celebrate in a lot of different ways. We take pictures with the Easter bunny, and have Easter egg hunts, and fill our Easter baskets with candy. We gather the family together for Easter dinner or head out for a fancy Easter brunch. And who doesn’t love Peeps and Cadbury eggs?
Unsurprisingly, more people attend church on Easter Sunday than any other Sunday of the year. A recent Gallup poll showed that six in ten Americans will go to church on Easter Sunday. And according to Google Trends, searches for “church” are highest in the days leading up to Easter.
This Easter season we are looking at all the different responses we have to Easter, and this week we’re going to look at what is probably the most infamous response of all time – the response of the traitor, Judas. Everyone wants to criticize and judge Judas. He spent as much time with Jesus as the other disciples. He heard Jesus’ teaching and witnessed all of His miracles. How could he betray the One who was clearly the Son of God?
Well, the more I studied Judas’ response, the more I became convinced that in some ways we are all like Judas. And like Judas, we all need a Savior.
Easter … the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus … requires a response. How will you respond to Easter?
Sunday Mar 31, 2019
Sunday Mar 31, 2019
"Break the Bottle"
Bryan Jones
It was an awkward scene that night in the house of Simon the Leper. Jesus and his disciples were gathered around a table when they were interrupted by Mary breaking her alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. They grew even more frustrated as the she began to pour out its valuable contents over the head of Jesus. They sat there dumfounded at Mary’s wastefulness. It confused them, infuriated them. They couldn’t understand why someone would do something so impractical. Yet instead of joining the disciples in criticism, Jesus praises Mary for her passionate devotion and worship.
If you’ve studied Jesus’ life much at all, you’ll find that He rarely did what people expected, and He consistently called people to live their lives in radical ways that often made others uncomfortable.
This week we took a closer look at what it means to live lives of radical devotion to Jesus.
Sunday Mar 24, 2019
Sunday Mar 24, 2019
"Enhancing Our Prayers"
Dr. Gary Singleton
Americans are obsessed with food. We have entire television networks dedicated to cooking and eating. Food is the central focus of nearly every social event. We even take pictures of our food and post them on Facebook and Instagram. There are very few things that are more American than food.
This week we’re going to wrap up our sermon series on prayer with a look at fasting, admittedly one of the least practiced and least understood spiritual disciplines. With all our attention focused on food, it’s easy to see why fasting is not all that high on our priority list.
But fasting dates back to the earliest followers of God. In Leviticus God commanded the Israelites to fast once a year on the Day of Atonement. In Nehemiah 9:1, we see that the Israelites fast as a part of their confession and worship. When talking about fasting in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says “When you fast …” (Not “if” but “when.”) Clearly fasting is important.
Sunday Mar 17, 2019
Sunday Mar 17, 2019
"Unanswered Prayer"
Pierce Vanderslice
I have poor expectations when it comes to exercising. I expect that if I work out once every two to three weeks, I will have similar results as someone who works out every day. Unfortunately, I’m learning that my expectations are far from reality.
In a similar way, I think often times we have certain expectations for prayer. Our primary expectation is that it will work, and many times it does! We know for a FACT that prayer works, and can indeed change our circumstances and outcomes. But, if we are honest, sometimes prayer doesn’t work the way we hoped, and it doesn’t quite change the outcome like we expected.
This coming Sunday we are going to continue our series on prayer and focus the conversation on unanswered prayer. My hope is that we will have an honest conversation about why God does not always answer prayers according to our desires. If you feel like you are standing in the tension of having great expectations for prayer, but experiencing a different reality, I personally invite you to come and hear what the Lord might want to say to you.