Change Part 2 (Various Scriptures) Our identity defines what we believe about ourselves, including our capacity to change. In the Bible, we see God rename Abram, Sarai, Jacob, and Simon to indicate how he views their identity. We too can be changed by God when we let him change our identity.

People naturally ask: How can there be a good God with so much evil happening every day to people? The book of Job goes some way to addressing this question. Also, God does not have a merely abstract concept of suffering and pain. He’s the God who became human and was slain! (Job)

Change Part 1 (Various Scriptures) In this series we will see what the Bible shows us about how people change. 5 ways people change are laid out in this sermon, which will each be looked at in more depth as the series progresses. Lasting change happens as 1) our identity is renewed by Christ, 2) we are brought into healing relationships, 3) God moves us toward peace, 4) the truth of Scripture clarifies our thinking, and 5) we get specific in identifying God’s next step for us.

Every Christian what every Christian needs — grace that you don’t deserve, and a Savior you could never repay. So lay down the scoreboard, silence the grumbling, and let the generosity of God move you from entitlement to worship, of the God who has chosen to save someone like you. (Matthew 20:1-16)

On the surface it can seem that self love contradicts so many commands of Scripture. But as we dig deeper we see that there is much more to the answer to this important question. (Various Scriptures)

Disappointment is a powerful force. It comes into our lives when we face situations in life where we feel let down by other people or by God.

But this passage shows a sequence: By God’s grace, suffering can produces endurance, which produces character, which leads to hope, and finally to God’s love being poured into our hearts. (Rom 5:1-5)

What we can learn about grief from 4 gospel stories, plus some experiences from my own life and therapeutic training. (the Gospels)

The 23rd Psalm is a treasure-chest of lessons. Every line is filled with rich themes, and it all hangs together with a single idea. (Psalm 23)

Forgiveness Part 3 Sin is present, but God won’t give up on us! Are we moving toward or away from him? Turn to Jesus to forgive from the heart.

Forgiveness Part 2 (Matt 18) We see threads of teaching going through Mathew, and chapter 18 takes us to the heart of Jesus’ teaching on accountability and forgiveness.