It's so hard when we live in a world focused on, "What's in it for me." Yet, as Christians we are called to look out for the needs of others. The first century church did this well, but not without some growing pains. Envy got in the way and there was a steep cost for it. Listen to this episode from Pastor Mike's sermon on Aug. 25th, 2024 to learn more.

Psalm 20 truly is NOT about us, at least not at first. It SEEMS like it is, but it is not, and THIS, as Robert Frost said, THIS makes all the difference. It is the BEST news that this Psalm is not about us.

Listen to this episode from Pastor Jed's sermon on July 18, 2024 to learn more.

“There is no atheism among those brought up in nature.” Or, as Psalm 19 begins, “The heavens declare the glory of GOD . . . day to day pours out speech . . . There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.”

You can stamp out buildings and people, but not the stars. God speaks, and ALL hear it. God in fact speaks in THREE ways to us. Through His creation, v. 1-6; through His Word, v. 7-11; and through our consciences, v. 12-14.

Listen to this episode from Pastor Jed's sermon on Aug. 11, 2024 to learn more.

Today we consider Psalm 18.

It is a long Psalm - 50 verses. But its point is very simple. David praises God, for making him successful in war, specifically over Israel’s first king Saul and all his other enemies.

The language is poetically graphic - David heaps up words to create vivid images. For God’s anointed son, David, God is, v. 1-3, his strength, a rock, David’s fortress, his deliverer, his refuge, his shield, the horn of his salvation, and his stronghold.

But to David’s enemies, v. 4-19, God is like a DRAGON who exhales smoke from his nostrils and breathes out flaming coals upon David’s enemies.

God did this for David because, David says, v. 20-24, David was righteous. For this reason God equipped David, v. 25-42, to run against a troop, and even when outnumbered, and run them through with his sword and beat them into fine dust.

Thus, v. 43-50, David praises his LORD among the nations.

That’s the psalm. The question, as always, is where do WE fit into this?

Listen this this episode from Pastor Jed's sermon no Aug. 4, 2024 to learn more.

One of the failures of the American Church that has led to today’s insanities is that we have thought, after the end of the Cold War, that we have no enemies left. And that may have been true, geopolitically. But in many places Jesus assumed that those who follow HIM WOULD have enemies - for instance, Matt. 24:9. We who follow Christ are hated by ALL nations.

We must not assume, therefore, that one of us is doing anything wrong, when we have enemies. “If only you had been more winsome, you wouldn’t be in this trouble.” Nor should we assume that the point of the Christian life is to live so as to have NO enemies. That kind of life actually leads to a slow and gradual renunciation of Christ, for the sake of the approval of the world.

No, instead we must follow the way of David, which is the way of Christ, in Psalm 17. The way of Christ is to honestly see our enemies, and then behold what we have in heaven. Only when we see what we possess in heaven, are we able to be some earthly good, in the face of evil opposition.

Listen to this episode from Pastor Jed's sermon on July 28, 2024 to learn more.

A Christian's list of enemies continues to grow in our ever-expanding atheistic world. David had those enemies too who wanted to kill more than his reputation. They wanted him dead. But David showed us how to cope with these threats. Listen to this episode from Pastor Jed's sermon on July 21, 2024 to learn more.

David asks a question in Psalm 15 that humanity has been asking throughout history, even up to this day: who can stand before God? Who is good enough.

This is not just a Christian question. All humanity asks this. The missionary at camp recently told us how, when they came to the secluded tribe in Papau New Guineau, how they told the missionary that they KNEW they had done wrong - they KNEW they were separated from God. They just didn’t know why, and how to fix that.

And David gives us the answer. It’s just not, at first, the answer we want to hear. But it is the answer we NEED to hear.

Today we Christians spend a lot of ink and energy on the OBVIOUS and BLATANT forms of atheism that show up everywhere. But like the lookout on the Titanic, we can be sure that when we see OVERT atheism in classrooms courtrooms or boardrooms or elder meetings or worship services, that we only see the small portion of ice ABOVE the water. We can be sure that there is a LOT more under the surface. OBVIOUS, public atheism only comes after long periods of secret, unseen atheism, under the surface. And this brand of street-level atheism can show up anywhere - it’s especially at home among religious people, because it has a covering, of a moralistic life. And the American church has trafficked in this EFFECTIVE, practical atheism for a long time, more than we care to admit.

And as we will see in Psalm 14, this atheism is not neutral - it does a lot of damage while it lasts. To put this another way: as the church goes, so goes the nation. The church’s practical atheism has given birth to more of our present insanity than we care to admit. Listen to this episode from Pastor Jed's sermon on July 7th, 2024 to learn more.

America is exceptional--but not because of our politics, natural resources, or people. America is exceptional because of what God did--on the Cross, in the lives of its founders, and in our lives today.

If we want a great country, it starts with God's people, believing Him, trusting Him, and sharing His kingdom.

Listen to this episode from Pastor Jed's sermon on June 30th, 2024 to learn more.

In this short Psalm, David bring dire need before God. We all have needs and often feel God is not acting fast enough on our behalf. But David teaches a great lesson as he brought his complaint, stated his need, and gave his response to God. Listen to this episode from Pastor Mike's sermon on June 23, 2024 to learn more.