Real Peace. Real People.

What will we do with our time on this earth? Jesus puts two stories in front of his listeners and forces us to realize that the two people in those stories spent their time of grace in different ways. One had his focus on the here and now and couldn't be bothered by the future. The other must have spent his life dreaming of a future with God. Luke 16 calls us to think of life not as the be-all and end-all. Instead, we ought to see it as a prelude to eternity.

How can we be content? The world would have you believe that you are always just a few more dollars from contentment. Society hangs contentment out in front of you as if it is always around the corner. But the reality is, no matter how much we have, contentment is always a challenge and sometimes feels nearly unachievable. In this sermon, we see how contentment in Jesus is the only way in which we can truly find rest in our current life and in the life to come.

We pray that we never find ourselves having completely run away from God and his graces. We pray that he keeps us near to him all the days of our lives. In Hosea, God offers his people a reminder. Even though they had turned their backs on him and even though there are times when WE turn our backs on him, God still chases us down with his unrelenting love. In our sermon, we examine how God lovingly comes after us and how he brings us back to him using his law and grace.

There are parts of Scripture that sometimes take some explaining and navigating. There are complex histories and contexts. There are phrases that we need to read a few times before we feel as if we have a good grasp on what God is saying to us. This is not one of those times. God, through Moses, couldn’t communicate in any clearer terms. There is death without God and there is life with him.

The world calls us to worry about ourselves first and foremost. We’re told that we need to look out for ourselves because no one else it. Yet, in Luke we see Jesus calling us to stop worrying about ourselves. He calls us to take a look around in our lives and find the ways in which we can put our neighbor first. And that takes confidence. Not confidence in ourselves, but confidence in a Savior who, in every way, has put us and our salvation before himself.

What is our right to God’s kingdom? Do we earn it? Do we even have one? In our sermon, we take a look at God’s invitation to us to enter his kingdom through the “narrow door” that he has opened to us through his son. He encourages us not to try to find our own way in through what we do, but to make every effort to cling to the right to heaven that Jesus has freely given us.

Do you wish your Christian race was going a little more smoothly? Does it feel as if things should be easier? Is it sometimes difficult to stand under the discipline of God? The writer to the Hebrews calls us to find a different perspective on the discipline of God. Instead of seeing anger and wrath in his discipline for us, we should see his love for us and our well-being shining through.

As we live our lives here on earth, we do so with the mindset that we haven’t arrived at the finish line yet. We’re still journeying. With eyes of faith, though, we see the finish line. We see our true homeland, the heavenly city with foundations. This sermon explores the better realities that faith sees.

God doesn't condemn earthly wealth, but he is concerned about our attitude towards it. He wants to be the King of our hearts, and he doesn't want us to be lured away by worldly desires. He desires that our hearts would be set on him and on him alone. And he proved it by giving up his Son to win for us an inheritance that this world cannot give.

After hearing about the Lord’s plans for Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham approaches the Lord. Face to face with God, Abraham prays. This sermon explores this gripping back-and-forth conversation and applies it to our lives of prayer.