The resurrection is the cornerstone of the Gospel message; it’s what sets Christianity apart from every other religion. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” But how do we know it really happened? Is there enough evidence to compel belief? This message will explore the reasons we can confidently believe in a risen Savior.

One of the unique aspects of Christianity is that God descended into human history to rescue us. Salvation is not the result of us making our way “up to” God, but God making his way “down to” us. In becoming our Savior, Jesus also became our example of humility and self-sacrifice.

The opening statement of the Apostles' Creed begins with the essential truth that there is a Creator and it highlights the power and majesty of God the Father. Until we understand His power and majesty, His condescension as God the Son doesn’t grip our hearts like it should. The grandeur of the created world is the most powerful testimony to the greatness of God. Once we understand God as the powerful Creator, we will marvel at the fact that He would pursue us, die for us and indwell us.

Why is it so important to know what we believe and why we believe it? What is doctrine? And what is the Apostles' Creed? These are the questions we'll answer in the first part of our series .

When we come to the end of our lives, we want to know that we made a difference. We want to know that our lives counted for something. As he was nearing the end of his life, Paul wrote a letter to a young pastor named Timothy. In his closing words, Paul summarizes his life by saying, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” What would we have to do today for us to be able to say those words at the end of our lives?

Our culture encourages us to accumulate as much as we can, retire as early as we can, and do as little as we can in our retirement years. But what if our later years could be the best years of investment in eternal pursuits? Maybe all the skills, life experience and wealth we accumulate are given to us for something more than serving ourselves. We should live with the next generation in mind.

The goal of parenting could be summarized like this: To set them up for the day we send them off. As parents, we are preparing our kids for the day when they will be independent and make their own decisions. To do this well, we need to answer two questions as parents and influencers: What is the goal? What is my role? In Deuteronomy 6, Moses paints a challenging vision of multi-generational faithfulness.

We all carry expectations with us into our relationships. But when things don’t go according to the dream the relationship can go downhill. Before long we are enduring instead of enjoying each other. The book of James tells us where this conflict comes from: misplaced desires. But there’s a surprising solution and it’s deeper than date nights, romance, or learning to fight fair. James shows us the link between our walk with God and our marriage. In this message, you'll discover that the most important gift you can give your marriage is your own walk with God.

When we’re young, we make decisions that have implications for the rest of our lives. As you grow older – you begin to reap the consequences of the choices you made when you were young. Our culture tells young adults to “sow their wild oats” and “get it out of their system” before they settle down. The habits we establish as young people will influence us for the rest of our lives.

We can allow our past to write the script for our future. When this happens, we convince ourselves that we are defined by our failures and chained to our mistakes. When this lie speaks to us, we must remember what Jesus has done for us. He lived the sinless life we could not live, died the death that we deserved and rose again so we could have a relationship with God. In Christ, my history is not my identity.