Every follower of Jesus who desires to live and walk by the Spirit will no doubt display the spiritual fruit of love in their lives. Love is central to the christian life, serving as both the motivation and purpose of all that we do in mission and in gospel community with other believers. But how much can we truly comprehend about love and how can we best cultivate it and put it into practice in our lives? Listen as we continue our series Cultivating Spiritual Fruit, and consider how God's deep love for us serves as both the foundation and the inspiration for our love for others.

Most of us have experienced the frustration of "try harder" Christianity. If we just "try harder" to be loving, kind, good, faithful, patient, then certainly we will find those things easier and easier to do, and yet often the harder we try, the more we find ourselves struggling to be genuine in those areas. As believers we often forget the important work of God's Spirit in our "spiritual" growth. If our work to grow in Christ is not empowered by the work of the Holy Spirit in us, then we will not see the spiritual fruit that both we and God desire in our lives. The first in the series on Cultivating Spiritual Fruit, this sermon looks at what it means to walk by the Spirit's power.

Typically on the fourth Sunday of the month we celebrate the Lord's Supper during our worship service. It's quite appropriate that we end our series of messages on Battling the Joy-Stealers with this sacramental feast instituted for us by our true Joy-Giver. Listen to hear about the joy we find as we understand and embrace all that Jesus has and is for us in this wonderful feast of joy that is the Lord's Supper.

We all tend to look at the world around us in terms of a some standard by which we measure ourselves. We look at people, situations, circumstances and inevitably as sinners we are wired to compare ourselves to see if we either measure up or fall short in some particular way. This innate tendency to constantly compare ourselves to others inevitably leads to a kind of depressing bondage that robs our joy in Christ. Even Jesus' closest disciple in one of his most intimate moments with Jesus, experienced the comparison trap. Listen to hear what God's word says about battling the joy-stealer of comparison.

"What are you worried about?" Most of us could answer that question with a long list of things that cause us some measure of anxiety. That is why Jesus' call for his followers to not be anxious about anything seems out of touch with the reality of our everyday lives. Yet, Jesus knows that anxiety is an enemy to true joy and to the faith that leads to that joy. Listen to hear Jesus' wisdom for us in battling the joy-stealer of anxiety.

Money and possessions have the potential to steal true joy. Many of the worlds wealthiest people have lived joyless lives. And yet, most people continue to believe that having more things will increase their joy and happiness in life. Jesus was very clear that our approach to money and possessions is a clear indicator of what we value and thus where we are seeking joy. Listen to hear what Jesus has to say about battling the joy-stealer of materialism.

Despite all the "time saving" technology at our disposal in today's world, we somehow find ourselves living lives that are busier than ever. Our calendars are fuller, our lists are longer, and our days seem to fly by at breakneck speed. Often we're busy with good things, but somehow we find in the midst of the busyness we lose the joy. One of Jesus' closest friends expereinced this, and Jesus lovingly reminds her and us where true joy is found in the midst of busyness. Listen to hear how to battle the joy-stealer of busyness.

Fear is nothing more than a false prophet. It's just a bully that lies to us and makes us believe things about ourselves, others, and even the future that just aren't true. So how do we deal with fear? Listen and study Psalm 46 to learn that when fears arise within us, God reminds us that He is for us and He is with us, and he invites us to rest in Him through the grace given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jacob's final blessing upon his sons before his death serves as a powerful warning of the long term consequences of familial sin, as well as a prophetic witness to God's ongoing grace and promise to work redemption through his descendants. Listen to hear the power and promise of a father's blessing on his children.

Reconciliation of broken relationships is never easy, particularly if the hurt is deep and long-standing. Which is why the reconciliation of Joseph to his brothers, after years of suffering because of their betrayal, remains one of the greatest pictures of God's reconciling grace in the bible. And Joseph's story points us to the greatest act of reconciliation brought about by God's own son, Jesus. Listen as we look at what it really means to be reunited, restored, and reconciled by God's sovereign grace.