When the sun shines brightly into your room early in the morning and wakes you up, you can either pull the shades close with a groan seeking to reject the light, or you can welcome the light and rise up to greet the new day. John's gospel tells us that Jesus came into the world as the light of men, and many rejected him. But those that did receive him also received something else: new life as God's children.

When one considers the vastness of the universe, it doesn't take long to begin feeling small - even insignificant. But according to God's Word, mankind occupies a position in this universe that is astonishingly significant! We continue our series on "The Image of God in Me," and consider how a proper understanding of the special creation of mankind and a ready embrace of God's calling enables us to fulfill our greatest purpose in this life: to glorify our God and enjoy Him forever.

The family was God's design and intended avenue for fulfilling the creation mandate to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. This was not just a command to have children, but to magnify the glory of God and to reflect his image throughout creation through the family. But from the beginning, sin's curse and consequences struck right at the heart of the family. We are still feeling those effects, but God's command and his purpose for the family remains the same, and God sent his own Son, Jesus to restore the kingdom calling of parents and children.

Identity in our world is often closely linked with ones ethnic or cultural heritage. However, in our increasingly global society, rather than foster increased understanding and unity, the current push of multiculturalism has led to what seems like greater division and conflict. How do we truly celebrate the diversity among us while genuinely experiencing the unity we desire? The answer is found in understanding the implications of being created in God's image, and embracing the reality of the reconciliation and unity that is restored through Christ.

Our society and culture today would have us believe that equality of the sexes means that there is no distinction in the differences between men and women when in comes to the how we relate to one another and the roles we have in society, the church, and home. God however created both man and woman in his image, equal in value, honor and dignity, an equality which is lived out in glorious relationship as men and women fulfill the differing roles for which they were uniquely designed. We continue our series on the Image of God in me and see the glorious relationship we have as men and women when we live out our God-designed roles for his glory.

As much as our world and the culture we live in want to place both the issue of sexuality and institution of marriage in the realm of self-determination and personal preference, the reality is that sex and marriage are designed and ordained by God and are inseparably linked as good gifts of His creation with the purpose of uniquely reflecting God's image in us as male and female. The one-flesh union of a man and a woman, purposed for and protected in the covenant of marriage, is both a pattern and provision for truly understanding and experiencing the image of God in us as male and female. Here we look at how being created in God's image informs and impacts the Christian's view of sexuality and marriage. NOTE: This message will address the subject of sexuality and marriage. We as pastors always seek to address such matters as directly as Scripture does, but also with appropriate sensitivity to the fact that we have children present in our worship. While we do not feel it necessary for children to leave the service, as a courtesy to parents with young children in the service, we want you to be aware of this.

The push in our modern culture to minimize and even deny the distinct and innate differences between men and women has led to such confusion with regard to gender that we see people not just wondering what it means to be male or female, but even wondering which gender they actually are. Yet, the distinct and undeniable difference between men and women is not a product of cultural conditioning or a matter of human choice, but it is part of God's image created in us and is essential not just to who we are, but to how we live in relationship to God and one another. Understanding and embracing God's image in us as male and female leads not into cultural bondage, but to true liberation in Christ. Listen as we continue to look at the being created in God's image, male and female.

John Calvin said, "We cannot have a clear and complete knowledge of God unless it is accompanied by a corresponding knowledge of ourselves." And we cannot truly know ourselves unless we know and understand God and the implications of being created in his image. Being image-bearers of God has profound implications for understanding our identity, relationships and purpose in this world and for eternity. It also speaks directly to many of the confusing and controversial issues that our society and the church are wrestling with today. Most importantly, it leads us straight to the gospel where we find Jesus, who is "the image of the invisible God" and who came to restore and renew that image in man through his saving and sanctifying work. Join us this fall as we explore the amazing truth and implications of the Image of God in Me.

If we're really honest, none of us is above pouting. When things don't go our way, when God's plans don't line up with ours, when it seems that all is going right for others and wrong for us, most of us can throw a pretty good pity-party. The problem is that such self-pity and pouting can blind us to and rob us of the joy of seeing and experiencing God's amazing grace for us and for others. Here we come to the end of our study of Jonah and see how our patient God continues his unrelenting grace towards his pouting prophet.

We serve a God of second chances and fresh starts. Nowhere is that more evident than in the life of God's prophet Jonah who, having run away from God in disobedience and having been rescued from the storm of God's wrath by God's unrelenting grace in the form of a great fish, finds himself given another opportunity to obey the call of God's word. This time he does and the result is one of the most amazing displays of city-wide revival in the bible. Listen as we see the patience and power of God's unrelenting grace in the life of his servant as well as a whole city. This sermon is followed by the hymn Amazing Grace.