Where did Jesus find the strength to comfort others? How did he manage to endure so much suffering without losing his resolve? What gave him the confidence to go forward when the whole world seems set against him? If we knew the answer to these questions, our own lives might be transformed. In the third of Isaiah's "servant songs," the source of Christ's strength is revealed. "Lessons from the Lord's Classroom" is the third sermon in Servant Songs, a four-part series for Advent on the Servant Songs of Isaiah 42-52, finding Jesus in the prophets. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

To some the religion of Scripture seems unfair, and the life of faith is unfulfilling. Do they have a point? Getting your just desserts and achieving peace and contentment aren't what the Christian life is all about. In the second servant song, Christ speaks to us about his calling ... and reveals the purpose of our lives, too. "I Am A Polished Arrow" is the second sermon in Servant Songs, a four-part series for Advent on the Servant Songs of Isaiah 42-52, finding Jesus in the prophets. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

A pilgrim on a journey reads a book he can't understand. A prophet announces a king in the form of a servant destined to suffer. A healer works a wonder, then orders everyone to keep quiet about it. What does this all mean? During this season of longing, as we contemplate our once and future Savior, the prophet Isaiah gives us fresh eyes to see the coming of Jesus. "Behold My Servant" is the first sermon in Servant Songs, a four-part series for Advent on the Servant Songs of Isaiah 42-52, finding Jesus in the prophets. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

We are not of the world, but Jesus sends us into the world. We testify to the hope of the Gospel in words. We also signify that hope through our lives. Just as God makes promises and seals them with signs, accommodating himself to human weakness, he not only sends the promise of the Gospel into the world but also makes us into living signs of the promise. That means you and your children are signs. You're are here to testify and to signify the hope of Christ. "The Children Are Signs" is the conclusion of Sign Language: A Picture of Things to Come, a two-part series from Isaiah 7-8. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

Where do you find gratitude and contentment that does not depend on circumstances? Look to the rock from which you were hewn, Isaiah says, which means: look to the promise of blessing we have inherited from Abraham. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

What will you hear in the presence of God? When we picture the divine throne, we imagine the space filled with awed silence. This makes sense, because we are conscious of how far above us God is, how transcendent. But if Psalm 47 provides a clue, the presence of the Lord will be filled with the noise of joy. His triumph is heralded by shouting voices, by trumpets, by the thunder of clapping hands. We will draw near not to marvel from a distance but to surround his throne with praise. "Make Some Noise for the King," is a guest sermon by John St. Martin, a church planter in training, about the joyful worship of Psalm 47. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

God's people have turned away from him. That's the indictment given by the prophet Jeremiah. In forsaking the Lord, we leave behind a fountain of living water, instead making cisterns of our own -- but they are broken, and hold no water. The metaphor is clear: the other saviors you put your trust in, whether gods, or kings, or cultures, cannot slake your thirst. Return to your true hope and drink! Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

When King Ahaz doubted the promise of deliverance made to him, he received a challenge from the Lord: "Ask for a sign." God speaks to us in words, of course, but also through signs. His sign language seals his promises to us, and reassures us when our doubt runs strong. Sometimes signs signify more than we realize, revealing layers of fulfillment never imagined. As Christians we have God's Word hand in hand with the powerful signs that seal his covenant promise to us. You don't have to ask for a sign. God's already given it. "Ask For A Sign" is the first sermon in Sign Language: A Picture of Things to Come, a two-part series on Isaiah 7-8. Follow us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

The Reformation is what happens when you're faced with the most important question in your life only to realize that the answer your learned in church is wrong. "What do I have to do to live?" Be good, we say. Be a good person, keep the rules. But the Bible doesn't say that the righteous live by obedience. It says they live by faith. In other words, Jesus did not come here to help. He came here to save. "A Word To Live By" is a sermon on Romans 1.17, the verse that started the Reformation. Follow us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

What is a benediction, and why do worship services end with them? Literally a "good saying" in Latin, a benediction is a blessing from God to the people of God. In our worship, the final word belongs to the Lord, and it is a word of blessing. Most New Testament epistles end with benedictions, too. The author of Hebrews draws on Old Testament prophecies to embed the core of his teaching into this brief blessing. When we receive it, we hear once more how Christ's atoning blood ratifies the eternal covenant of grace, and why our greatest blessing in life is to bring glory to his name. "Benediction" is the sixth and final sermon in A Consuming Fire: the all-demanding God of Hebrews 12-13. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.