“It’s just too much.” Maybe there are times when you feel like you’ve wronged someone just one time too many. Maybe there are times when feel like you’ve wandered from a close connection to Christ and his people for far too long. Maybe there are times when your guilt weighs on you that much heavier or your hurt cuts that much more deeply or you feel so broken that you can’t put the pieces back together anymore. In those times, in those seasons of life, we might think to ourselves, “It’s just too much.” Resignation, despair, doubt creep in and you feel like you’ve lost all hope or you’re losing it. Yet in his Word, our God shows us time and time and time again that even though “our sins they are many, his mercy is more.” No matter how many wrongs you’ve done. No matter how far you’ve roamed. No matter how heavy the burden or the hurt or the brokenness that weighs on your heart and life, his—God’s mercy is more through our Savior Jesus Christ.
 
The Bible reading for this message is Micah 7:18-20.

Video of this worship service and message can be found here

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Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!

We find lasting comfort in Christ Jesus, our strength and our portion forever. This message was preached for the Christian Victory Service of Gloria Guderyon on 23 September 2022 @ King of Kings Lutheran Church in Maitland, FL.

The Bible reading for this message is Psalm 73:23-26.

Video of this worship service and message can be found here.

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Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!

There are more than 2,300 Bible passages that speak about money. Why? Money is a master Satan frequently tempts us to serve. And that evil foe knows how successful his efforts with money can be. Money provides us with a false comfort and a sense of security. It serves as a source of pride. It serves as a wonderful tool for a favorite pastime: justifying ourselves in our own eyes and the eyes of others. Jesus knows that serving money makes it impossible to serve God. The human heart is not big enough for both. As a result, Jesus does all he can to expose the futility of serving money. He also helps us see that the only one truly worth serving is our gracious, loving God. When we serve God, money is put in its proper place. Instead of money being a lord to serve, it becomes a resource for serving the Lord. This is the hard truth. There is no way for us to serve both God and money. But we can serve God with our money.
 
The Bible reading for this message is 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19.

Video of this worship service and message can be found here.

This message is Part 6 in our series: Hard Truth.

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Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!

“He’s lost.” We use that term not only to refer to someone who is bewildered about where they are but also to refer to someone who is in a helpless, hopeless state. Mankind’s natural state is one of complete spiritual helplessness, a profound lostness. It manifests itself in countless ways. The one who simply wants God to leave him alone: lost. The one who feels she can handle life on her own: lost. The one who thinks he has the right to repent of his sins on his own timetable and on his own terms: lost. The one who thinks God owes them in some way: lost. Wandering around physically lost can lead to winding up in bad places. But the hard truth is that wandering around spiritually lost puts you in the worst place of all. Fortunately, Jesus does not leave us alone in our lostness. He relentlessly seeks us. He involves the rest of the Christian community in seeking the lost and rejoicing over the found.
 
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 15:1-10.

Video of this worship service and message can be found here.

This message is Part 5 in our series: Hard Truth.

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Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!

It is an unavoidable hard truth. Our relationship with Jesus will put us in situations where we must decide where love for him ranks compared to love for other people and things. And Jesus is not content to be one of many important things in our life; he wants to be first. He wants us to follow his Word unwaveringly, even when he asks us to do difficult things. As a result, following Jesus will force us to let go of things we love and embrace things we would naturally loath. Jesus is loving and honest. He doesn’t hide this hard truth! Instead, he tells us up front that we must count the cost of following him. That means calculating what we might have to give up as his followers. He wants us to do that now, ahead of time, rather than waiting until we are in the heat of the moment and emotions are running high. However, our calculations should not only consider what we might give up for Jesus. They also entail calculating what we get through him! When we perceive the infinite blessings we find in Christ, the decisions we must make, while difficult, will be clear. Whatever is lost as we follow Jesus pales in comparison to what we gain.
 
The Bible reading for this message is Deuteronomy 30:15-20.

Video of this worship service and message can be found here.

This message is Part 4 in our series: Hard Truth.

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Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!

Everyone knows that humility is a positive trait and pride is a negative one. So, why bother talking about what we already know? Because in spite of that knowledge, we still helplessly fall into the trap of pride. We cannot help but think that our ascent to the exalted status we desire is our responsibility. We even take our exaltation into our own hands, either by treating poorly those we believe we can stand on top of or by showing favoritism to those we believe can provide us with upward mobility. Rather than minimizing pride as a sin that is common or harmless, Jesus’ words today confront us with this hard truth. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled by God. But Jesus also gives us the promise we need to be freed from pride’s trap. Our exaltation doesn’t need to be our responsibility because Jesus has already made it his. Those who humble themselves Christ will exalt.
 
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 14:1,7-14.

Video of this worship service and message can be found here.

This message is Part 3 in our series: Hard Truth.

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Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!

When it comes to the difficult and uncomfortable topic of who goes to heaven and who goes to hell, it is natural to want to avoid the issue. One way we do that is to direct our attention to theoretical questions. “What is heaven like?” “How old will we be there?” Today, someone asks Jesus, “Lord, are only a few going to be saved?” Jesus brushes these questions aside. Instead, he answers the question we should be asking. Rather than talking about how many will be saved, Jesus explains how to be among the saved. What he teaches today through his Word is a hard truth. The doorway into heaven is narrow. Scripture consistently teaches that those individuals who are certain they will be first through that door are more likely to be last, if they make it through at all. Instead, the one who believes he is the last one God should let into his kingdom and that his only chance of getting in is through the grace of Christ will enter first.
 
The Bible reading for this message is Luke 13:22-30.

Video of this worship service and message can be found here.

This message is Part 2 in our series: Hard Truth.

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Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!

We often divide humanity into groupings that are not really significant: this ethnic group versus that one, men versus women, wealthy versus the poor. Yet, every ethnic group is under God’s law. That law convicts both men and women of sin. Because of sin, the wealthy and the poor will both die. Only through faith in Christ is sin forgiven and the sting of death removed. God’s Word creates that saving faith, but not in everyone who hears it. Fallen man retains the awful power to resist the working of the Spirit inside him… to reject the gift of faith. Therefore, God’s Word produces the only people grouping that ultimately matters: believers and unbelievers. We want to overcome division and live in peace with other people. Here is a hard truth: total peace is impossible for the believer to achieve. Those who embrace the gospel in faith will inevitably face hostility and opposition. Following Jesus will come at a price. Yet he promises us our patient endurance will be rewarded.
 
The Bible reading for this message is Hebrews 12:1-3.

Video of this worship service and message can be found here.

This message is Part 1 in our series: Hard Truth.

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Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!

In our last message, Jesus warned us against overvaluing earthly wealth. This week Jesus warns against undervaluing heavenly treasure. Last week, Jesus exposed the folly of greed. This week, Jesus exposes the folly of worry, even when faced with the prospect of having a shortage of earthly wealth. This week might be the bigger challenge! When it seems we lack providence or protection for our daily lives, it can be hard to avoid worry. But Jesus focuses us. He points to creatures that do not labor or toil, yet are daily fed and clothed. Even more Jesus points to our Father who promises to give us the heavenly treasures of his kingdom. Jesus assures us that Father will throw in needed earthly possessions as well. We can pursue heavenly treasure wholeheartedly, confident that our Father knows all we need.

The Bible reading for this message is Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16.

Video of this worship service and message can be found here.

This message is Part 5 in our series: Focused.

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Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!

Jesus wants focused followers. However, one of the things that can most easily get in the way of our focus is our earthly possessions. It is no surprise, therefore, that Jesus’ words so frequently focus his followers on wealth. Jesus’ followers don’t reject earthly wealth or despise it. They can be grateful for every good gift that comes from the hand of God. However, Jesus’ followers value earthly wealth correctly. They understand what earthly wealth can and cannot do. They don’t give earthly wealth a role in their lives it will never be able to fill. This week we focus on the fact that the identity and security earthly wealth can never provide is found fully and freely in Christ.

The Bible reading for this message is Luke 12:13-21.

Video of this worship service and message can be found here.

This message is Part 4 in our series: Focused.

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Remember your Savior Jesus loves you! May he bless you with his grace!