All this year we’ve been trying to get to know our God better. We’ve looked at the Hebrew names of God, we’ve looked at Jesus as our savior and redeemer, and we will look at the Holy Spirit this fall. This Sunday we will consider how our God is Sovereign. Sovereignty is something we struggle with understanding. We live in a place with shared power, responsibility, and authority. But for the Kingdom of God he is the supreme and sovereign authority. We see this truth revealed by John.

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Rev 1:5-8 (ESV)

Sunday morning sermon on 09/12/2021 by Jimmy Hyde.

What would you consider to be the makeup of a perfect family? As a result of our childhood home lives, many of us dreamed about what it would be like when we finally have an opportunity to build a family of our own. We recognize the imperfections in whatever environment we were raised (family or a lack thereof), so we ponder the possibilities for our relationships with future loved ones and aspire for more than what we had. Some of us go as far as developing expectations of his or her spouse, number of kids, location, where family vacations will be spent, and so on; thus, causing unforeseen challenges when family life does not transpire the way we had hoped. 

With no known exception, families are as unpredictable as they are imperfect. The materials that make up a marriage are a husband and a wife (those who are joined together by God as one flesh [Gen2:24]). As the materials change and make mistakes, that family becomes transparently imperfect. The same is true when considering the parent/child relationships or sibling relationships. The materials are always changing, especially when brokenness due to loss or separation is thrown into the mix.

Since God’s family is made up of imperfect family units who are in various stages of life, God’s family collectively can at times be the most dysfunctional family of them all. This was true during the times past when Israel was God’s bride (Ezekiel 16), and it is certainly true now as the church serves as the bride of Christ. So, as we think about the makeup of a “perfect” family (hopefully maturing our views into a biblical perspective), let us be gracious with ourselves as we learn and grow. Whether we are striving to be a healthier part of our individual families or God’s family, remember that God does not expect perfection, He expects growth. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for Him to send His Son. The makeup of a perfect family is not a family who appears to be void of blemishes, it is a family whose members are covered by the blood of Christ.

Sunday morning sermon on 09/05/2021 by Sage Bridges.

It’s interesting, before Covid most complained that life was too busy and we had very little to no down time. After Covid we’ve had a lot of time at home and less time out doing stuff. I bring this up because regardless of how busy or boring your life is we all need alone time with God. Jesus spent a lot of time in prayer with the Father. In Luke chapter 5 after healing a leaper we read this about Jesus: 

“However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” Luke 5:15-16 (NKJV)

Luke tells us that Jesus withdrew into the wilderness often to pray. He spent time alone with God more than just every once in a while. Jesus prayed to His Father often. We too need to spend more alone time in prayer with our heavenly Father. Let’s join together this Sunday morning and consider the reasons this is so.

Sunday morning sermon on 08/29/2021 by Jimmy Hyde.

What does it mean for us to receive grace from God? The Bible is filled with passages about God’s grace. Has God been gracious toward you? How do you feel about the Grace God has given to you? Sometimes I think we don’t appreciate or even recognize the things we have received because of God’s grace toward us. This was true for Jonah. As a matter of fact, Jonah was angry about God’s grace given to the Ninevites.

“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, "O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live." Jonah 4:1-3 (ESV)

Jonah had a bad attitude and struggled with his anger, but God was extremely gracious toward Jonah. Let’s get together this Sunday and consider God’s grace toward us.

Sunday morning sermon on 08/22/2021 by Jimmy Hyde.

What does it mean to be guided by God? How does God guide us? Well, we all would agree God guides us through His Word. But does God influence our direction in life outside of reading and knowing His Word? I would say yes. We have numerous examples in the Bible of how God caused things to happen in order to motivate and lead His children to do His Will. Jonah is a great example. God gave His Word to Jonah, but Jonah didn’t want to obey. 

“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me." But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.” Jonah 1:2-4 (ESV).

Sunday morning sermon on 08/15/2021 by Jimmy Hyde.

Caleb. A man with a different spirit. Numbers 14:20-24.

Sunday morning sermon on 08/08/2021 by Gary Pendergrass.

Through the testimonies of Jesus’s life recorded in the Gospel of John, Jesus is trying to prove to us that He is worthy of our trust because of His fulfillment as the Messiah (John 20:30, 31). He said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31). If we are able to continue to put our trust in uncertain places, then it should not be so difficult to put our trust in Jesus. If we believe in  him, then we are believing in someone who has succeeded without a single failure. That is more than we can say for any other person, place, or thing that has captured our trust thus far in our lives. Believe in Him to protect what really matters – our eternal inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-5) and He will not fail you.

Sunday morning sermon on 08/01/2021 by Sage Bridges.

What does it mean to be “Enthusiastic”? Most of the time we think this just means someone is really excited or really passionate about something specific. The Etymology or history of the word, Enthusiasm, is based on Latin. The base of this word is two parts: “En” meaning “in” and “Theos” meaning “God”. The idea is of God in you. John affirms this idea of God in us.

“By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” 1 John 4:13-16 (ESV)

Sunday morning sermon on 07/25/2021 by Jimmy Hyde.

Do you ever feel powerless? Sometimes we feel like we can conquer the world and other times we feel overwhelmed and helpless. You and I, as God’s people, are powerful. God has given us a spirit of power that sometimes needs to be fanned into flame. Paul reminding Timothy of his mother’s and grandmother’s faith said to Timothy...

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,” 2 Tim 1:6-8 (ESV).

Sunday morning sermon on 07/18/2021 by Jimmy Hyde.

We are all tempted by the inclination to be lazy or “idle.” Paul teaches us that becoming an idle person is not only against the traditions that the Apostles left behind, but  it is a fellowship issue that should not go unchecked in our congregations. How can we overcome this temptation? 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sunday morning sermon on 07/11/2021 by Sage Bridges.