Sonrise Church Messages

Pastor Scott Smith- January 26, 2026

This message explores the theology of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity, explaining that while the concept of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can feel mysterious, it is central to Christian faith. It clarifies that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force or vague feeling, but a person—equal with the Father and the Son—who has intellect, emotion, and will. Using Scripture, this message shows that the Holy Spirit teaches, guides, speaks, comforts, convicts, and leads believers, revealing God’s truth and helping them understand and apply His Word. By unpacking the meaning of the biblical term *paracletos* (helper, counselor, advocate, comforter), the message emphasizes that the Holy Spirit is God’s gift to believers, actively involved in shaping their spiritual growth and relationship with Him.

This message then explains how the Holy Spirit works in everyday life as the “gentle leader” of the Christian—guiding thoughts, prayers, words, and actions toward God’s best. It stresses that the Spirit never contradicts Scripture and that knowing God’s Word is essential to recognizing His guidance. Rather than forcing or coercing, the Holy Spirit leads believers step by step, helping them grow in humility, obedience, and spiritual maturity through the process of sanctification. The message concludes with a practical invitation to surrender daily to the Spirit’s guidance through a simple prayer—asking the Holy Spirit to guide thoughts, prayers, words, and walk.

Pastor Scott Smith - January 19th, 2026

This message continues the 30 Minute Theology series by focusing on the person of Jesus and why understanding who He truly is matters. It explains the difference between believing about Jesus and believing in Jesus, emphasizing that theology (what we know about God) and faith (how we respond to what we know) must work together. While history and world religions widely acknowledge that Jesus was a real and influential figure, this message makes clear that Christianity hinges on a far greater claim—that Jesus is God. Drawing from Scripture, eyewitness accounts, and Jesus’ own words, the message shows that Jesus repeatedly claimed divine authority, equality with the Father, the power to forgive sins, and the identity of “I Am,” leaving no room for Him to be merely a good teacher or prophet.

This message then highlights how faith bridges the gap between knowledge and transformation. Through the responses of Peter, Paul, and even Jesus’ own brother James, it demonstrates that encountering the risen Christ moved them from familiarity to full surrender. When theology and faith collide, Jesus is no longer seen as a suggestion for living but as Lord and ultimate authority. The message challenges listeners to move from saying “Jesus was real” to confidently living as if “Jesus is real,” allowing belief to shape obedience, trust, and daily life. It closes by encouraging believers to continue growing in both understanding and faith, knowing that a deeper view of who Jesus is leads to a transformed life anchored in Him.

Pastor Scott Smith- January 12, 2026

This message launches the 30 Minute Theology series by explaining why it is essential for believers to understand what they believe and why they believe it. It highlights that while many people claim faith in God, they often rely on sound bites, social media, or personal feelings to shape their understanding of Him rather than Scripture. Theology—simply the study of God—is something everyone has, whether they realize it or not, and our beliefs about God shape our behaviors, decisions, and worldview. This message emphasizes that believing there is a God is not the same as knowing who God is, and that a proper view of God (theology proper) must be anchored in God’s Word, where He reveals Himself and invites us to truly know Him.

This message then focuses on who God is according to Scripture: He is spirit and person, the source of life, self-existent, unchanging, unlimited by time and space, and eternally unified as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It corrects common misconceptions of God as a distant “sky fairy,” a wish-granting genie, or a harsh rule-enforcer, showing instead that God is holy, loving, and deeply personal. God desires holiness over temporary happiness and invites relationship, not performance. The message concludes by reminding listeners that knowing God rightly leads to experiencing Him more fully, and that the most important belief in any person’s life is their belief about God. As believers grow in understanding who God truly is, their faith deepens, their lives are transformed, and their relationship with Him becomes stronger and more grounded.