Sunday Sermons

Jesus did not just die to save us from the power of sin in this life and judgment for sin in Hell. He rose again to make it possible for us to live fully, with full access to His power and love, making real choices that affect the growth of His kingdom on earth, experiencing fellowship with God and with others, and knowing that our lives on earth have eternal consequences.

Series: Wise Choices: Whom Shall I Fear

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

We are saved to live life fully. God's dream was always that we live fully. Jesus Christ's life, teaching, death, burial, and resurrection makes that dream possible in a fallen world.

1 Corinthians 15:17-20, Deuteronomy 30:20, John 0:10, Psalm 23, Proverbs 3, Isaiah 38:16

We are saved to live in power and hope. Jesus saves us when we first surrender to Him, but in many ways He also continues to save, transform, empower, and lead us daily. We will be made like Him and be with Him fully in Heaven—but eternal life starts now!

1 Corinthians 4:20, Isaiah 26:19, John 11:25 & 3:16-17, Romans 8:10-11, 1 Corinthians 1:18, Philippians 2:13, Colossians 1:11, Philippians 3:10, 1 Peter 1:3

We are saved to live in true freedom. Jesus's death set us free from everything that keeps us trapped, and His resurrection sets us free to participate in building His kingdom, sharing His truth and love, and making choices that really matter every single day.

2 Timothy 3, Galatians 5 & 6:7-9; Colossians 2:12, 1 Peter 5:6-8

We are saved to live in fellowship. Because of the resurrection, Jesus is not just a memory; we can experience fellowship and love with Him and with all believers—and invite others into this experience with confidence and joy.

1 John 1:3 & 3:1; Ephesians 3:16-20

We are saved to live with purpose. Jim Elliot: He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Corrie ten Boom: Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. Jesus replaces our greatest fears with life.

2 Timothy 3:14-17 & 1:7

Lord, I will…

Fear of reaching out traps us in "shelters" that ultimately make things worse. No matter how scary or hard it is, we must build our lives on Christ's teaching--and reaching out was one of His major themes. Like the early church, we must fear not reaching out more than we fear whatever keeps us from trying. Sharing Christ's love drives fear out of ourselves and the ones we are serving.

Series: Wise Choices: Whom Shall I Fear

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

Fear of reaching out traps us in our “shelters". Fear began right after the very first sin, and we have desperately tried to hide ourselves ever since. While we should protect ourselves and others as much as we can, many of our “shelters” become traps and prisons that make things worse.

Genesis 3, 12, 20 & 26

Great shelters require strong foundations. God longs for us to build our lives around Him and what He reveals to us. Jesus made this clear and warned us that the storms of life reveal what we really believe and value most.

Deuteronomy 5:29, Proverbs 9:10, Matthew 7:24-27, Luke 12:1-5

Jesus taught and commanded us to reach out. Jesus compared God's love for non-believers to a shepherd risking everything to find a lost sheep and a woman relentlessly searching for a lost coin until she finds it—and His parting words were a command to reach out.

Luke 15, Matthew 28:18-20

We must follow the example of the early church. The first believers were devoted to God, to each other, and to reaching out by sharing food, money, and time; this was part of the Good News. The only fears they spoke of were fear of God and fear of ineffectiveness.

Acts 2:37-47, 4:23-36, 5:11, 40-42, 2 Corinthians 11:23-30, Philippians 2:12, Galatians 4:11, 1 Peter 1:17-25

Fear of not reaching out sets us free to truly live. Fear is driven out and we are made perfect in God's eyes when we reach out in love the way Christ reached out to us. This includes speaking the truth in love, sharing time and resources, praying, encouraging, and much more!

Hebrews 12:11 & 13:1-3, 1 John 4:17-19, 2 Timothy 1:7

Lord, I will…

Fear of suffering makes us obsessed with safety, clinging to the illusion of control. We only have control of the choices we make--preferably wise choices that are likely to benefit us and others, but often we must simply choose how to react to circumstances beyond our control. Fear can cripple us, but when fear of not doing what needs done more than we fear suffering, we can make a difference in the midst of suffering.

Series: Wise Choices: Whom Shall I Fear

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

Fear of suffering makes us obsessed with “safety". We grasp at anything to try and “stay in control” but we never actually are. Control is an illusion—but God gives us full control over our own choices.

Matthew 10:5-42, Job 1-2

Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord. We must face reality as it is to thrive—or even survive! God is in ultimate control, we are not, and suffering still happens. We are expected to be as wise as we can be, but true strength begins with solid trust.

James 4, Psalm 25:4-5, Job 3, Psalm 27:8

Embrace the good that remains. There is SO MUCH GOOD still happening, including the shelters we hide in, the beauty of nature, and the technology that lets us stay connected.

Acts 16, Philippians 4, 1 Peter 2:17

Embrace the mystery. Hardships DO come, but nothing can separate us from His love.

Romans 8:14-15 & 28-39, Isaiah 8:13

Fear of not doing what needs done inspires bravery. When we follow the example of Jesus—the Suffering Servant—He will be with us. He will give us the power, love, and wisdom we need.

Philippians 2:1-11, 2 Timothy 1:7

Lord, I will…

Fear of freedom makes us slaves and prisoners--even though we don't have to be. Christ has set us free, and we must not take that lightly. We must not only refuse to allow ourselves to be entrapped by anything, but we must use the freedom, the power, the love, and the sound mind He has given us to accomplish His goals for His glory.

Series: Wise Choices: Whom Shall I Fear

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

Fear of freedom makes us slaves and prisoners. Our fearful choices can keep us trapped and locked out of God's ultimate will for us—but we are a free people, designed for freedom and set free by Jesus Christ himself. We must choose to live out our freedom in Christ.

John 1:12-13 & 15:9-17, 1 Corinthians 12:27, Ephesians 1,
Colossians 2:10, Galatians 4:1-7

Fear of wasting Christ's sacrifice sets us free. In Christ, we are new creations. He died and rose to set us free to live! His sacrifice has empowered us to be God's friends and His children, and He has made us ambassadors to world. We dare not treat all He did lightly or ignore His commands!

2 Corinthians 5:17, John 10:9-10, Romans 5:1-11,1 Corinthians 1, Ephesians 2, Colossians 1:11-14, James 4:4-10, Matthew 5:13-14 & 28:18-20

Live with power, love, and a sound mind. We are connected to the most powerful force in the universe. Nothing can separate us from His love but our own fearful choices—and that problem can be fixed! When we team up with God and each other, we are capable of changing things in tangible ways.

2 Timothy 1:7, Romans 8, 2 Corinthians 3:17 & 5:17-21, Psalm 118:45, Titus 2, Galatians 5:13-26, Philippians 4:13

Lord, with Your help…
…I will break free from:
…I will team up with You by:
…I will share your love and truth with:

Remember: Success requires daily choices, starting now.

We were created to crave life, health, responsibility, belonging, and significance, but sin has twisted this into chronic fear of missing out and an endless, pointless epidemic of busyness. The cure is fearing God and fearing missing out on His perfect will. When we know Him as the Ultimate Father He is, we find the acceptance, purpose, and joy we were designed for.

Video referred to can be found here.

Series: Wise Choices: Whom Shall I Fear

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

Wisdom is much more than profound quotes and avoiding foolish choices. Truly wise people live with purpose, always trying to make the best possible choice in every situation.

Fear of missing out affects most of our choices. It drives us to pursue “milestones”; it also drives us to waste a lot of time, energy, and resources. We were created to crave life, health, responsibility, belonging, and significance, but the caucus race of busyness and the devil's lies keep us too busy to live.

John 8:44 & 10:10, Genesis 1-3, Ecclesiastes 4:4

Fear God and missing out on His perfect will. Like Gomer leaving Hosea, we don't know what we're missing, and we tend to make terrible choices to “make sure” we don't miss out. God suffers from our rejection and while He takes us back every time, our unfaithfulness does change the relationship. Real love demands everything.

Hosea 1-3 & 14:8-9, Psalm 27:1, Matthew 13:44-46, Jeremiah 29:10-11

Fear not fully knowing the Ultimate Father. God wants us to know Him, and knowing Him means fearing, loving, and obeying Him. He demands that we seek Him with our whole heart because He knows that He and His plans for us will give us our best possible lives. In Christ, we are accepted, secure, and significant.*

Jeremiah 29:12-13, Proverbs 9:10, Luke 15:11-31

Lord, I WILL…

* Please note the Freedom in Christ handouts provided today!

Wisdom is much more than profound quotes and avoiding foolish choices. Biblically speaking, wisdom means making the best possible choice. Failure risks all of the most common human fears and social anxieties, but failure is inevitable and an integral part of learning. The solution is found in fearing God more than anything or anyone else.

Series: Wise Choices: Whom Shall I Fear

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

We all fear failing—for several reasons. Failure risks all of the most common human fears and social anxieties, but failure is inevitable and an integral part of learning. The solution is found in fearing God more than anything or anyone else.

Psalm 27, 2 Timothy 1:7

“Be strong and courageous” means “trust God”. This does not mean we won't fail; it means that we will succeed and fail for causes that are far bigger and better than our dreams and fears.

Deuteronomy 31-34, Joshua 1-2, Psalm 25

Practically speaking… Every attempt is a partial win, and the chances of tangible success increase each time we try again. Success requires daily choices, starting now.

Fear God and “not trying” more than failure. Knowledge, wisdom, and discipline are rooted in the fear of God, who is far more dangerous than anyone or anything else—but good.

Proverbs 1:7, Luke 12:4-5, Matthew 24:45-51 & 25:14-30

We must not fail to try to make disciples. All of us have sinned, and we all need Jesus to save us. Our faith in Him inspires trust and obedience, beginning with repentance and baptism, then a life of faithfully attempting to do His will.

Ephesians 2:1-10, Romans 3:23-24, 5:6-8 & 6:1-14, John 3:16-17, Acts 2:38, 1 John 3:1-18, Matthew 28:18-20

Lord, I WILL…

Faithfulness is a choice; all shallow, fickle, and otherwise selfish choices depend entirely on us. Faithfulness requires forgiveness and patience, and God is faithful by nature, but even God Himself expects faithfulness in return.

Series: Moral Boundaries: What God Wants

Speaker: David Pryor

Notes:

Faithfulness is how faith expresses itself. Faith is belief that produces action. Faith is more than a mental attitude; it's not just believing.

James 2:14,17; Hebrews 11:1,3

Faithfulness is the fruit of faith. Fruitfulness is produced by a lifestyle of faithfulness. Faithfulness is remaining in Christ and allowing Christ to remain in us. Fruitfulness is an ongoing, ever-increasing process.

John 15:2,5,6,18

We choose to be faithful or unfaithful. No one forces us to be faithful or unfaithful. We can't blame our selfish, fickle, unwise choices on anyone or anything else.

Matthew 25, Luke 16:10, Luke 19:11-27

Being faithful is more than not being unfaithful. Being faithful means actually producing the fruit we were designed to produce—love and unity. Faithfulness requires forgiveness and patience. Unforgiveness is withholding love.

John 13:24-25 & 17:21, Matthew 6:14-15 & 18:21-25, Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 6:23-24, 1 John 2:9-11, 1 Peter 2:22-23

God is faithful and He expects faithfulness. God's grace is costly; don't cheapen it. God's desire is not to forgive us repeatedly, but to give us more chances to produce fruit!

Romans 5:20 & 6:1-2, 1 John 2:5-6 & 5:3, Hebrews 3:12-15

Lord, I WILL…

Courage is not believing in yourself; it is understanding that something must be done and choosing to help make it happen. Never a lack of fear or any form of self-delusion, true courage faces responsibility, no matter the cost.

Series: Moral Boundaries: What God Wants

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

Courage accepts responsibility, no matter the cost. Courage is not the absence of fear or being unaware of danger. Courage is not just believing in yourself; self-delusion makes things worse, not better. Brave people simply risk everything to do what needs to be done.

Ephesians 4-5, Mark 6:45-50, 1 Corinthians 16:13

Courage does not require strength; it creates it. Every brave choice makes us braver. Each experience we survive makes us stronger, smarter, and more courageous.

Romans 1:16-17, Matthew 7:21-27, James 2:14-26, Joshua 2, 1 Timothy 4:12, Philippians 1:3-6

Courage asks when, where, and how—never if. Joshua, Caleb, Rahab, and both of Joshua's spies planned for when God would give Israel the Promised Land, and where and how to start. Jesus told His disciples to “take courage” because He was with them. We must follow this example.

Numbers 13-14, Joshua 1-6, 1 John 2:28, 2 Corinthians 3:4-6,12, Ephesians 3:12-21

Lord, with Your help, I WILL…

Avoiding pride and selfishness is only the beginning; biblical humility is all about realistic cooperation and teamwork. Because they believe in their cause and in their team, humble people play their own parts well and never stop trying to improve.

Series: Moral Boundaries: What God Wants

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

Avoiding pride and selfishness is only the beginning; biblical humility is all about strategic teamwork. Because they believe in their cause and in their team, humble people do their best to play their own parts well. They never stop learning and never give up.

We must follow well and lead well. Joshua was the ultimate servant and the perfect spy long before he became one of the greatest leaders ever—and for all the same reasons. He was brave and successful because he trusted God fully and did his best in every role he was given.

Exodus 17:8-16, 24:13, 32:17-19, and 33:8-11, Numbers 13-14, Joshua 1-6

We must do our best and never stop learning. Intentionally focusing more on God and others includes trusting, obeying, and constantly seeking God's will—and then reaching out to others. The question is never if but why and how, and we learn by doing.

Psalm 111:10, Matthew 28:18-20, John 14:21, Mark 9:35 & 10:35-45, Philippians 2:1-11, Isaiah 42-43

We must work together and never give up. As a unified team, we must do our absolute best to please God. Rejecting sin and fruitless distractions is a crucial first step—but only the first one.

Proverbs 13:4 & 21:25, 1 Corinthians 3:8, Colossians 3:23, Judges 6-8, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Ephesians 4

Both mercy and enabling are costly, painful, and messy, and both include giving people multiple chances—but they are NOT the same. Enabling helps people stay trapped and enslaved in an attempt to make ourselves look good, and mercy frees and empowers people by connecting them with God Himself.

Series: Moral Boundaries: What God Wants

Speaker: John Pryor

Notes:

Mercy strategically provides time and space. Enabling ignores or justifies sin, adapting and planning in ways that help others stay trapped and enslaved. Mercy offers hope and freedom as well as patience.

Psalm 85, Lamentations 3:22-23, Matthew 5:7 & 6:14-15, Matthew 24:14, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Peter 3:19-22

Mercy provides practical tools and a new start. Enablers generously and creatively help others sustain bad habits and avoid punishment for their actions. The Merciful pour their generosity and creativity into setting others free.

Exodus 24:4-7, Psalm 19, Mark 10:46-52, Luke 10:25-37, Joshua 20

Mercy provides hope and tangible goals. Enabling gives up, accepting the pain and messiness of sin as inescapable or even part of God's design. Mercy refuses to accept chains as normal and sacrifices to destroy them.

Psalm 18:25-36, Jude 20-25, James 1:2-15, Matthew 18

Lord, I will…