Sunday Sermons

Proverbs 2:1-8. Do you remember when you were a little kid and wanted to do big-kid things? When we’re younger, we look forward to growing up and imagine how great it will be. In our text today, we learn about the reward of growing wise in the Lord and how to do it. To grow in wise in your Lord is to grow in the wisdom of his word. In that way, you grow to know him more and more.

Psalm 15:1 & 10:9. As human beings, there are two things about us that are always on display for others to see: our emotions and our character. And Christians are constantly challenged with bringing both of these in line with Jesus and his word. Everything about our lives should reflect Jesus and bring glory to him. We need to grow wise in our emotions and character. Emotions and character are connected and affect one another. Both are to be brought under the control of the Word and the Spirit. But “average Christianity” says you don’t have to and that’s why so many who claim Christianity don’t live very different than the non-Christian. Average Christianity doesn’t really disturb the life you want to live, but it’s there to make you look good when you need it. Average Christianity = Convenient Christianity. Yet Jesus calls us to train ourselves for godliness and be conformed to his image.

Proverbs 13:20. Most of our best memories in life include other people. If we started sharing stories, virtually all of them would include friends or family. Relationships are an important part of human life. God made us with the need to have family and friends and want good relationships. As we have probably all experienced, you have to be wise in choosing your relationships. Proverbs 13:20 tells us that who you walk with tells you where you’re going in life. And, the choice you make in selecting your friends automatically shows if you yourself are wise or foolish.

Matthew 4:1-11. Our Youth Minister, Kenley Dover preached this morning. Do you want to win? That's an important question to ask yourself. Maybe you think about winning a race. You prepare yourself before the race to be able to win the race on the day of. You want to defeat your enemy. Christianity is not a spectator sport. It is a race to win. There is an enemy who wants to keep us from winning, and we can't afford to live as though the battle does not exist.

John 14:23. Homes are special places to us. They’re places where the people closest to us live. Places of comfort, rest, refuge, and encouragement. They can also be places of problems and pain. Certainly, no home is perfect. Every home, whether you’re single, have children, have no children, or whatever the case may be, every home can learn to be like and love like Jesus. We need to have Jesus in us and in our homes now so we can be in his home forever.

Romans 5:12-21. Probably the greatest difficulty people have with Christianity is with the question of suffering. That unresolved question and the reality of suffering cause many people to never come close to God, or to turn away from God. No one is immune to suffering. No one will escape it many times over in life. In this lesson, we look at the origins of suffering in this life and we'll see how the fact that God is both sovereign and he suffers helps us in our own suffering.

Psalm 19:1. Many people see believing in science as the opposite of believing that God created the universe. They conclude that before the advancement of science came along, people could only make up myths to explain how the world came to be, but with modern science, we no longer have a need for religion. It was actually belief in God that was a primary factor in the beginning of science. Early scientists assumed that everything in nature was caused by something else and there were consistent laws running the universe because they believed there was a consistent, law-giving God who created the universe and they sought to understand him.

2 Peter 1:16-21. When it comes to Christianity and the Bible, how are we to be certain that they’re real? There are other religious books. What makes the Bible any different? How can we be sure that we can trust the Bible? Was it written by a group of men in a secret location? Does it contain a lot of errors and contradictions? Are the stories just figurative to make a moral point? Peter explains what prophecy is and isn't, and reveals how the Scriptures came to exist. We also look at other evidence that shows us we can believe the Bible as we have it today is accurate and true. That means we can put our faith in Jesus as the Lord and Christ.

Romans 2:12-16. The late atheist Christopher Hitchens was known for issuing a challenge to religious people to name one single act of goodness a Christian could perform that an unbeliever could not also perform. At first, it may seem like Hitchens proved God is not necessary for there to be goodness in the world, that he had issued a challenge that brought Christianity to its knees. There are arguments that have been given to explain morality and goodness without God. The truth is, as we will study, goodness doesn’t exist without God. Without God there is no objective moral standard. There is no right or wrong. That’s why Paul said even the Gentiles knew right and wrong. The unbeliever can come up with explanations as to why anyone would be good or why something would be right or wrong, but they have no ground to stand on because they don’t believe God exists. The Christian knows that a standard of morality comes from the nature and character of God himself.

John 14:6. Is it ok to ask questions about Christianity? Can Christianity withstand questioning? Are you lacking in faith if you ask questions? Questions are good. We learn by asking them and seeking answers. You’re not going to hurt Christianity or God by asking questions. And it doesn’t mean you’re weak in your faith either. In this series, that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to look at a different question each week.

Can Jesus be true for you and not for me? Can you believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior and be a Christian and I choose a different path and we’re both OK? It’s a question that is asking if there is more than one way to “God”. The question of Jesus being true for some, but not for others is a question about the validity of Christianity.

Christianity is the true story of reality. Christianity doesn’t start with “Jesus saves”. It starts with “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Christianity is a total worldview. It’s the lens through which you see and understand reality. Every religion and philosophy is a worldview. But all cannot be equal and true.

Jesus said definitively that he is exclusively the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to God.