Anderson Sermons

From time to time, we cannot help but think to ourselves, “This world is deeply broken…and so am I.” That ache, that frustration, that sense of dissatisfaction with the present order of things is really a longing for heaven. The good news is that Jesus will someday bring heaven to earth and we will experience perfection in His presence forever. In the meantime, we place all of our hope in the promise of Jesus Christ's return, and we share the good news that heaven is on its way.

When we encounter a seemingly unbelievable story like the resurrection of Jesus, doubt is a normal response. Thomas wasn't the only disciple who doubted whether it was true. After all, people don't rise from the dead every day. But doubt doesn't have to be fatal to our faith. Jesus loves doubters, and He can even use our doubts to strengthen our faith. When we acknowledge our questions and sincerely seek the truth, we can find an even deeper trust in Jesus on the other side of our doubt.

Our attitudes toward money and our use of our money reveals a lot about our values, priorities and passions. In fact, money is one of the most direct indicators of who or what we worship. When we learn to share our wealth generously, we grow in our worship of God. When we give, we're responding to the fact that God has been infinitely generous toward us, and given us an opportunity to use our worldly wealth to invest in eternity.

Who is in charge of the church? Jesus. That's always a good answer, of course. Jesus established the church and He is its ruler. But He has also delegated authority to human beings, elders, who are called to serve and to lead the church with the same humility and courage that Jesus modeled for us. And those of us who worship and serve alongside of our elders are called to

humbly submit to them as together we make disciples of all the nations.

Water baptism is a physical symbol of a spiritual reality.
Baptism is a celebration of our salvation. It is a powerful, visible opportunity for each of us to publicly proclaim that we are
identified with Jesus Christ
in His death, burial and resurrection, and we belong to one another.

This past year has reminded us that we are not in control of life's circumstances! We find ourselves much like Paul in Acts 27, tossed and beaten by a storm he did not choose and could not control. And though we cannot control life's storms, God can. And as we learn to trust Him in the midst of the storms, He provides us with courage and the ability to encourage others, even when life feels out of control.

When God's people sing together we strengthen our community and bring joy to the heart of God. Music is a gift from God to us, and singing together in praise and worship is a gift we give back to our Creator and Redeemer.

Is the Church only relevant to those who belong, or do we matter to the world? God's Word says that we matter to the world because we have the message of eternal life and the world is filled with dying people. So Church, by the power of His Holy Spirit, let's live out our eternally meaningful calling with passion and conviction.

In the midst of the current chaos, confusion, strife and division, does the Church even matter? Are we still relevant? Do we have anything to significant to say? God's word answers those questions with a resounding “Yes!” We have the answer and we embody the solution as the unified Bride of Christ. Jesus intends us to live as a preview, a foreshadowing, of His coming, perfect reign of peace on the earth.

We all hunger. We all, at least from time to time, attempt to satiate that hunger with many things that can never satisfy. But our hunger is actually a gift from God. Our hunger is a reminder that what we really hunger for is God, who alone can give us the true food that can satisfy our deepest needs and longings forever.