Responsibility on SermonAudio

What is an Elder? 1. Disposition 2. Responsibilities 3. Reward

Each Sunday morning, Pastor Mike Reid takes a few minutes before his sermon to speak on an issue affecting the church family. At GFC, we affectionately call these brief exhortations the "Pre-Sermon." In this Pre-Sermon, Pastor Mike addresses last Tuesday's elections and what has been called "The Blue Wave." In doing so, he provides a biblical exhortation to remember that Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Jesus promised to build His church, and not America, and that Christians should be about the Lord's business of making disciples from every ethnos.

This sermon examines the trumpet judgments in Revelation 8, emphasizing that these events are symbolic apocalyptic imagery rooted in Old Testament themes rather than literal historical predictions. The preacher explains that the seven trumpets parallel the fall of Jericho and the plagues of Egypt, illustrating God's sovereign response to the prayers of His saints against the persecuting powers of the world. By interpreting the text through the lens of the Old Testament, the message clarifies that these judgments serve to vindicate the church and demonstrate God's control over history, rather than foretelling modern technological disasters. The central theme asserts that prayer is a powerful spiritual weapon that God hears and answers, leading to the ultimate defeat of Babylon and the establishment of His kingdom. The tone is instructional and comforting, urging believers to trust in God's sovereignty and find assurance in His protection during times of tribulation.

God's response to Israel's unfaithfulness is not abandonment, but grace. In Hosea 2:14–23, we see God's promise to restore his people, renew their worship, establish peace, and reaffirm his faithful love–a promise ultimately fulfilled through Christ. From our Sunday service at Grace Bible Church of Bend.

This sermon explores the doctrine of God's sovereignty and predestination through the narrative of Esther, arguing that the hostility between the church and the world is not accidental but divinely decreed. By tracing the theme of enmity from Genesis 3:15 through the Old Testament, the message identifies the conflict as a necessary component of God's plan to preserve the seed of the woman and ultimately crush the head of the serpent. The text emphasizes that while God is sovereign over all events, including the rise of Haman and the preservation of the Jews, believers are still called to act with boldness and faith, as seen in Esther's response to the threat. The sermon encourages the audience to view this worldly hostility as a means of sanctification and a testament to God's glory, urging them to respond with humility and truth rather than bitterness or compromise. Ultimately, the message points to the future hope of Christ's final victory, where all strife will be resolved in perfect fellowship with God.

What does the Parable of the Talents mean, and are you faithfully using what God has entrusted to you? In Matthew 25:14-30, Pastor Casey Lewis continues through the Gospel of Matthew by examining Jesus' Parable of the Talents. As Christ teaches His disciples to remain ready for His return, He tells the story of a master who entrusts three servants with different amounts of money before departing on a journey. Two servants immediately put their master's resources to work, faithfully multiplying what they had received. Both are rewarded with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." But the third servant buries what he was given, neglecting his responsibility and ultimately facing his master's judgment. What does this parable teach us about faithful stewardship and Christian obedience? Pastor Casey explains that everything we possess ultimately belongs to God. Our time, abilities, money, possessions, relationships, and opportunities are resources entrusted to us for His glory. Christians are therefore called not merely to profess faith, but to live faithfully and fruitfully for Christ. The sermon also examines the difference between genuine faith and empty religious profession. Good works do not earn salvation. We are justified through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Yet genuine salvation produces good fruit, a love for the Lord, and a growing desire to obey His commands. As we await the Second Coming of Christ, the Parable of the Talents challenges each of us to consider whether we are faithfully serving our Master or neglecting what He has given us. Are you multiplying or burying what God has entrusted to you?

This sermon examines the martyrdom of John the Baptist to illustrate the high cost of faithfully proclaiming the message of repentance and the severe consequences of ignoring it. The central argument contrasts John's moral courage and integrity with King Herod's pride and unrepentant sin, demonstrating that a convicted conscience is insufficient without genuine turning to God. The exposition highlights how Herod's hesitation and eventual failure to repent hardened his heart, leading to the unjust execution of a righteous man. Furthermore, the passage is presented as a foreshadowing of the crucifixion, where Jesus, unlike John, is the message itself and conquers death through resurrection. The sermon concludes with a pastoral exhortation for believers to count the cost of discipleship and to repent immediately rather than delaying their response to the gospel.

Who is responsible for your salvation? Is it something that you earned, or even wanted? The apostle Paul clarifies in his letter to the church at Rome that we, being dead in our sin, are incapable of even desiring reconciliation with God, so the only explanation for our being drawn to love and serve Christ is that the Lord had mercy on us. In his prior example of Jacob and Esau, it is obvious that some people receive His mercy, and others do not. Is God righteous to bless some with His compassion and not others? Paul answers that question in Romans 9:14-18 by referring to God's self-disclosure to Moses that the essence of His being is to show mercy and compassion on whoever He freely decides to bless in that way, while allowing others to continue in their desire for sin, allowing them to experience the consequence of their rebellion. This difficult and sobering truth highlights the marvel of God's grace in the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit in conjunction with our testimony of Christ in drawing unworthy sinners to faith, so that "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).