Step Two, Part Two - Grow Together - We’re in the middle of a short sermon series on the three most important steps each one of us must take in order to be faithful disciples of Jesus: gather, grow, and give. Last week, Pastor Bryce introduced us...

Step Two - Grow - Colossians 3:1 - 4:1

Step One - Gather - This week, we’ll see that the new life Paul speaks of is grounded first and foremost in our gathered worship. As we come together, week in and week out, to worship God, we are built up as members of the kingdom of God. That...

In the Presence of Thy Enemies

Believing God - With every passing year, the gap between what Christians profess to believe and what they actually do believe (and therefore do in light of that belief) grows. A recent survey by George Barna reveals that only 17% of Christians have a Christian worldview. Many of us, it seems, are just as influenced by political, spiritual, and materialist claims contrary to Scripture as we are by the Bible itself. I believe this gap widens in our own lives when we are confronted by circumstances that make us less willing to trust and follow God. So, John the Baptist is a good example to us of how to live in light of the gospel promises of God, when it seems like life isn’t going our way. Join us this Sunday as we conclude John 3 with John the Baptist exalting Jesus again for his fearful disciples. John 3:22-36.

The Love of God - This week, we turn to what is perhaps the most well-known verse of the entire Bible: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This verse comes in the middle of Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus, which we began last week. What does it mean for God to love the world? “Love” is such an emotionally charged word—does God love like we love? Join us this Sunday as we consider the love of God made manifest in the person and work of his Son. John 3:16-21.

You Must Be Born Again - On February 21, 2018, Billy Graham died at the age of 99. The evangelist was famous for his friendships with presidents, his worldwide crusade ministry, and his many books. Perhaps his best-known book was published in the 1970s, How to be Born Again. It chronicled the heart of the preacher’s constant message across the world: you must be born again. Today, 3 in 10 Americans claim to be born again, but there is significant confusion among Christians and unbelievers alike over what that means exactly. Is it a political position, does it reflect some kind of religious experience, do only really bad people need to be born again? In John 3, Jesus meets with Nicodemus, an influential Jewish religious leader. He tells this very good man that he must be born again in order to see the Kingdom of God. Join us this Sunday as we explore what that means for Nicodemus and for you and me. John 2:23--3:10.

Blessed Are the Pure in Heart - If I were to use movie genres to describe the Gospel of John, last week’s text was a romantic comedy (the wedding at Cana) and this week's text is action/adventure. The "terminator Jesus" we see here at the end of John 2 is very different from the winemaker Jesus at the beginning of the chapter. He doesn’t distance himself from a difficult situation. He jumps in with both feet...and a whip! But, like all good movies, there’s a story underneath all the action. Join us this Sunday as we consider Jesus’ purifying work—in the Temple of Jerusalem and in each of our own lives today. John 2:13-25.

Vintage Grace - The Kingdom of God is like a party! Jesus’ first miracle illustrates the heavenly life that he promised to reveal to his disciples—a life in which the empty promises of the Law are filled with the joy of the Gospel. This Sunday, we turn to John 2 and the miracle at Cana of Galilee, when Jesus turned water into wine. Join us and see the happy implications for you and me who have been united to a greater bridegroom whose blood has become for us the wine of the new covenant. John 2:1-12.

Life With Jesus - The promise of Jesus is that He will change you, He will show Heaven to you, He will imbibe you with the very life of Heaven itself, even as you live on this earth. Do you believe him? Come and see. Do you wonder if it’s too good to be true? Then follow him. Do you have anywhere else to go? Then let’s go with Jesus. John 1:35-51.