Sermons | Local Church in Wabash, Indiana | Bachelor Creek

The New Testament knows no such thing of a churchless Christian. God created us to live in community because other people can see what we can see and can speak the truth of the gospel into areas of our life when we need it the most. The early church understood this and devoted themselves to one another. They realized that we grow most when we go together.

We are in a war; an invisible war; a spiritual battle. Satan is our enemy and he attacks us with lies, accusations, and temptations. What lies are you believing? It doesn’t have to be that way. God has not left us defenseless.. We combat Satan’s lies with God’s truth by remembering what God has done in the Gospel and using the armor God has given us.

What do you love more than anything else? Take a look at the actions you take and the decisions you make; they demonstrate what you really love. Jesus teaches that what we love comes from our heart. So any lasting change requires a change of heart. When we realize God’s love for us in the Gospel, it changes us and causes us to love God in return. And because it’s easy for our love to grow cold, we need the Gospel daily, not just once. We constantly need to remind ourselves of God’s love and grace.

Every person on the planet lives under a dominant story which shapes how they view the world, make decisions, and find meaning. Many of us settle for lesser stories that ultimately let us down. The Gospel is the true and better story. When we live under God’s story, all of life’s biggest questions are answered in a way that gives us purpose and significance. Only the Gospel satisfactorily answers what’s truly wrong, how to make it right, and where we can find hope.

Many of us have been in cross-cultural environments where people spoke a language we didn’t understand because we weren’t fluent. The same thing happens with the Gospel. We think we’re sharing the Gospel, but people aren’t hearing it as good news. In this series, we’re going to discover how to become Gospel Fluent: speaking the truths of Jesus into the everyday stuff of live. The Gospel isn’t just a get-out-of-hell free card; it addresses and speaks into every part of our lives. It saves us, sustains us, and grows us into maturity, which is why we need to be Gospel fluent!

Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with a story about two builders. By looking closely at story, we see similarities and differences between the two men that help us understand what Jesus is saying. All of us are builders. We’re building a life; and no matter our foundation, storms will come. But a firm foundation ensures that when the rain falls you won’t fall apart. The question is, are you building upon a foundation that will last?

Life is full of choices, some easy and some hard. Some choices seem inconsequential and some have lasting consequences. In Matthew 7:13–23, Jesus presents us with a series of choices: between the narrow road and the wide road, between good fruit and bad fruit, and between true disciples and false disciples. Each of these choices require us to answer who Jesus is and what we will then do as a result of that answer. Today’s choices define our eternity tomorrow, so choose wisely.

When it comes to prayer, many of us fall short. We stop praying because we don’t think God will answer or we get discouraged or we don’t think God cares. Jesus, though, teaches us to persist in prayer. A persistent prayer life shows that we trust and depend on God because He is a good Father who gives good gifts to His children. What answers to prayer have you never received because you gave up too soon? Don’t give up! Keep on praying!

There are times in Scripture where we’re called to hold two seemingly opposite truths in tension: God’s sovereignty vs. man’s free will, grace vs. truth, shining our light for others to see vs. doing our righteous acts in private. In Matthew 7:1–6, Jesus calls us to avoid judging others on one hand while also using discernment in ministering to others. While on the surface it might seem incompatible, the key is finding balance. In the balance of mercy and discernment, we find the path to healthy relationships.

Many of us are plagued by worry and anxiety.. We worry about finances, relationships, school, parenting, the economy, our health, work, social injustices; it goes on and on. We think that worrying will somehow make things better, but worry doesn’t work. Worry is a pill that actually makes us worse, not better. Fundamentally, worry demonstrates a lack of trust in God. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus tells us not to worry, but even more importantly, He shows us how.