Why did Christ leave the glory of heaven? Why did Christ come to earth? Why did Christ die on the cross for our sins? These are primary questions that we must understand. If we get the answers to these questions wrong, we will end up rejecting Christ just like many in the crowd on that first Palm Sunday. When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday, the majority of the crowd was overwhelmed with excitement. Christ their King was entering Jerusalem to take His rightful place. Before the week is over, however, they will reject Him and put Him on a cross shouting, “Crucify Him!” Why? Because they didn’t understand who Christ was. They did not understand who they were, and they did not know why He came. For that reason, they rejected Him. Sadly, many are making the same mistake today.

This weekend as we look at Christ’s triumphal entry marking the beginning of the Passion Week of Christ, I pray that God will make clear to us through His Word and Spirit who we are, who Christ is, and why He came. And I pray that many will come to trust in Him as Savior and submit to Him as Lord. I pray you will join us!

Every week, we receive numerous prayer concerns. As pastors, we seek to pray over all these prayer concerns. When you combine the full prayer list with our cares and hospitalization list, it can be overwhelming. Just this week, some of our fellow church members received discouraging cancer news. We also held funerals for two beloved church members. Earlier in the week, Pastor Kelly conferred with one of our missionaries in Thailand whose community and country have been affected by a horrible earthquake. Thousands have died, and the number continues to grow. The combination of all these situations is overwhelming.

Then we come to our text in Romans 8:28. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” When times are good, when we have steady jobs, when our families are doing well, when no one is sick, and there have been no recent deaths, it is easy to say that we know God will work all things together for good of those who love Him. But what about the other times? What about those listed above? In those times, we need to be sure that we know what we are professing when we quote Romans 8:28.

— Pastor Chad McDonald

In 2 Chronicles 20:12, Jehoshaphat prays, “For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” I wonder if some in the crowd weren’t thinking to themselves, “You call that leadership? No power. We don’t know what to do.”

Most of the time we are looking for people who will say, “I am very powerful and I know exactly what to do.” That is what our culture most often identifies as true leadership. The Scripture, however, speaks something very different into our lives. We are frail. We are not that smart, and when we come to the understanding of our weakness and frailty, then we are comforted with the knowledge that the Spirit of God helps us in our weakness. As Paul would say in 2 Corinthians 12, “His power is perfected in our weakness.” If you have it all figured out, you know everything, and you have all the strength you need to meet the circumstances of your life, you can probably skip this weekend’s message. But if, by chance, you are at a place where you don’t really know what to do, or if you have come to a place where the circumstances seem overwhelming and you feel powerless, I pray you will join us the weekend. In our passage this week, Paul will reinforce a powerful truth that is so critical for the effective Christian life: “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.”

— Pastor Chad McDonald

Imagine for a moment being someone with great financial troubles and difficulties—someone who has trouble making ends meet. For some of you, this may not be too difficult to imagine. It may be your present circumstances. But then imagine waking up one morning to discover that you are an heir to one of the wealthiest individuals in the world—someone who is infinitely and fabulously wealthy. One day you will enter into all the riches and immeasurable wealth of that person. If you multiply that truth by infinity, you will not even be at the edges of understanding what it means to be an heir of God and a co-heir with Christ. What a glorious truth! No matter how wonderful your conditions are today, for the believer in Christ, the best is always yet to come.

I pray that you will join us for worship this weekend as we examine these wonderful truths of what it means to be “in Christ” and the application of these truths for our present lives. Remember, weekend worship is a Friday decision. Make plans today to join us for worship!

— Pastor Chad McDonald

As we have seen in previous weeks, genuine believers are no longer under God’s condemnation. We have been freed from the penalty and power of sin. But while sin no longer reigns, it does still remain. In our text this week, Paul expounds on the truth that not only are we not under condemnation, but we are also not under sin’s obligation. We can say no to our flesh every day. How? Through the pattern of saying yes to the Spirit, through the power supplied by the Spirit, and through the promise of an eternal inheritance reserved in heaven for us. As we look at verses 12-17 this weekend, we will examine three truths: the believer’s invitation, the believer’s indwelling and the believer’s inheritance.

— Pastor Ryan McDaniel, Campus Pastor

We all long for security. We long for security in our relationships, our financial situation and when we sleep at night in our homes. If you have been the victim of identity theft, you know the value of a secure identity. Romans 8 is all about security. We have security with God because of what Christ has accomplished for us. The security of the believer, however, is not just some propositional truth or some future hope, it is a present reality that is evidenced in our changed lives.

— Pastor Chad McDonald

This weekend we begin to study what many have referred to as the greatest chapter in all of God’s Word, Romans 8. It’s salvific and theological significance cannot be overstated. Few chapters in the Word rival Romans 8 in setting forth the Gospel and the plan of salvation. An old German commentator named Spener said that if the Bible was a ring and the book of Romans, a precious stone, chapter 8 would be “the sparkling point of the jewel.” Beyond this, few chapters of God’s Word rival its practical significance in the life of the believer. Many turn to Romans 8 when they are in sorrow to be encouraged that nothing can separate them from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. It is the chapter that many turn to when they don’t know how to pray so that they might be encouraged by the Spirit’s intercession for them. Still others turn to this chapter when they are overwhelmed by the burden and guilt of sin to be reminded that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

For these reasons and so many others, I pray that you will join us this weekend as we dive into the first few verses of Romans 8. Make the decision today to join us for worship this weekend. God has not just saved us from hell; He has saved us into a family, the Church. I pray that gathering with the body of Christ would be the highlight of your week as we enjoy the togetherness of the Gospel. We stand on God’s Word together. We pray together. We sing together. We encourage one another together. We invite sinners to repentance and belief in Christ together. And one day, we will enjoy heaven together. Let’s gather this weekend and get a little glimpse of heaven!

— Pastor Chad McDonald

Romans 7:13-25 has been described as one of the most difficult passages in Romans to interpret. The primary question that dominates most of the discussion is, “Who is this man who is speaking here?” Is this Paul as a believer or an unbeliever? Is this Paul as a mature believer, or Paul reflecting on his past before fully grasping God’s revelation in Christ? Certainly, there are aspects of what Paul says that would seem to be impossible statements for the believer and even contradictory to what Paul has previously said in Romans. How can I be freed from the dominion of sin in Christ while at the same time in bondage to sin in my flesh? What is the nature of the true Christian life? Is it possible to have a Christian life where there is no consciousness of your own deep sinfulness? I pray that you will join us this weekend as we look into God’s Word for answers to these questions. Answers that are critical to the successful Christian life. I look forward to seeing you this weekend! — Pastor Chad McDonald

In order to keep the law, we must die to the law. If we are under the bondage of the law, we are not free from the dominion of sin to live and serve the Lord with joy. These are shocking statements. They are the essence of what Paul says in Romans 6-7, and they were the foundation of the accusations that haunted Paul in writing his letter to the Romans. Paul’s opponents were fearful that his teaching concerning the Gospel and dying to the law would lead to lawlessness. You can almost hear them saying, “Paul, we don’t need less law. We need more law.” If you read Paul carefully in these verses, you can hear his response. The real issue is not less or more law, the real issue is that we need more Jesus. We need more of the Gospel. When you only have the law, you will only have an increase of sin and trespass. The law alone cannot change a heart. Only the gospel can change the human heart. But when the gospel changes the hearts of people, they will obey His commands from a joyful heart. What a glorious paradox. In order to truly live, we must die. To keep the law, we must die to the law.

I pray that you will join us this weekend for one of our many worship services. Weekend worship is a Friday decision. Make the decision today to join us for worship. — Pastor Chad McDonald

If you have read ahead in Romans 7, you’ve probably asked the question, “How do marriage and death relate to sanctification?” Paul is a wonderful teacher in his use of illustrations. He has already helped to define sanctification as being “in Christ,” and last week he helped to define sanctification through the lens of the slave and master relationship. This week, as we turn our attention to Romans 7, Paul uses marriage to help define the believer’s relationship with the law. Far too many believers are attempting to go back and live under the law. You can often recognize them by their frustration and critique of those who don’t live up to their own set of convictions. Others use their freedom from the law as an excuse to ignore the law or even to break the law. Both of these reactions to the law are a gross misinterpretation of the gospel. The law of God is divinely inspired and relevant for our lives, but it was never intended to save us. We will spend the next few weeks walking through Romans as Paul masterfully paints a picture of our freedom in Christ and how uniting with Christ free’s us up to live in the beauty of God’s law. Make plans now to join us. Don’t wait until Sunday morning to decide. Make the decision now that worship this weekend will be a priority to you and your family. — Pastor Chad McDonald