The Christ Tree, Part 5 of 5. Over and over again in the Bible, we are commanded to be joyful, to rejoice. Yet we often hold a misunderstanding of the Christian life that we have to give up all the fun things; we don't properly understand the interplay of delight and duty. Today we learn that God made humans built for joy, that sin misguides its fulfillment, and that God desires that our joy by fulfilled in Him. That's why He sent Jesus to us.

The Christ Tree, Part 4 of 5. Continuing our Christmas series on John 15:1-11, we learn that the definition of love is "a commitment of the will to the true good of another." This is how God loves us. He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be our Messiah or Savior. Jesus willingly took on this mission in order to seek and save the lost. In response, we not only love God, but we also love our fellow human beings.

The Christ Tree, Part 3 of 5. One of the most thought-provoking questions in Christianity is: can one lose one's salvation? To answer, Pastor Matt makes three points. There is security for those who abide in the vine, Jesus the Messiah. There is no security for the fruitless, because they have chosen to abide outside the vine and hence will be pruned. There is false security that many have, which Jesus and His gospel aim to expose.

The Christ Tree, Part 2 of 5. Jesus says, "He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit." What does it mean to bear fruit? Pastor Matt continues his Christmas series by explaining that bearing good fruit is to do good, following the commands of the Bible. Proving to be disciples of Jesus means that we love one another (John 15:8 and 13:34-35), and exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).

The Christ Tree, Part 1 of 5. In this Christmas series, Pastor Matt shows us from John 15:1-11 that Jesus (God the Son) is the true vine, that God the Father is the vine-keeper, and that believers in Jesus are the branches. Abiding in, or remaining in, the true vine is how we branches can bear fruit for God's glory, for others' good, and for our joy.

Rom. 8:31-39 | Forever Changed: Romans sermon series, Part 18. The Apostle Paul concludes chapter 8 of his letter to the church in Rome by driving home the sovereignty of God, the sacrifice of the Christ to save unworthy sinners, and the strength God gives believers to persevere through persecutions and suffering. No one can undo what God has done! Praise God!

Rom. 8:26-30 | Forever Changed: Romans sermon series, Part 17. In this sermon, we learn about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for believers when we don't know how to pray for ourselves; about how God is sovereign in the lives of believers, not only during our mortal lives on earth, but in fact before we were ever born, and into everlasting life.

Rom. 8:23-25 | Forever Changed: Romans sermon series, Part 16. It's common to hear that "all people are children of God." By contrast, the bible teaches that we are all spiritual orphans and rebels against God. That is, until God the Holy Spirit convicts our hearts of our sin, leading us to recognize our need for God the Son as our Savior, leading to our adoption as sons by God the Father, with all the rights and privileges of inheritance therein. The hope of this great blessing to come helps us persevere through the suffering in this life.

Rom. 8:18-22 | Forever Changed: Romans sermon series, Part 15. Present suffering but future glory. That's the promise offered to us as believers in Christ, who are set free from the power of sin, but who also will suffer for a period of time following the model of Jesus. Because of man's sin, creation is also suffering. But redemption and renewal are coming to carry us home.

On the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, Pastor Matt Jones helps us understand how the church of that era had lost the true gospel, how the true church has always been fighting for the preservation of the true gospel, and how we must continue fighting for the true gospel in today's culture.