The Open Word (Audio)

Peace in only possible if it is received through the undeserved favor of God. According to the Scriptures, no man or woman who has ever experienced peace has ever done anything to deserve it. As Pastor David makes clear, the only way to receive the gift of peace that God offers to undeserving and sinful people is by accepting it as a gift of grace through faith in JESUS Christ. Any man or woman who believes in JESUS WILL receive the gift of peace made available to the heart of every fallen man.

Does God’s favor and peace only land in the lap of good people? Or does God’s peace rest on those who are the undeserved recipients of His good will? Because peace only comes to those whose God’s restorative work has taken place between Himself and sinful man, we must understand our part in this relationship! As Pastor David explains, we can know with absolute certainty that the peace He offered long ago in the form of a baby is for EVERYONE who would receive His Son, the Lord JESUS Christ.

We all have trials in our lives and we may ask why this and why me. What if the trial in our lives are the work of the hands of God? In today’s edition of The Open Word, Pastor David teaches us that we must rely on the goodness and greatness of the eternal plan of our Almighty God. We will be challenged to wholly and completely surrender our lives into the Lord’s hands. In our study, we learn that we can’t always be comfortable and obedient at the same time, but we can rely on our Almighty God.

Is God always safe, no, but He is always good. When we surrender our lives into His hands it does not mean that life will be simpler, easier or even safer. Often it means just the opposite. Are you looking for a safe God? In today’s edition of The Open Word, we are challenged by Pastor David not to put our hope in a safe God but in an almighty and good God. We will be challenged to live our lives in complete surrender to our almighty and good God.

Paul's letter to the Romans tells us that there's no longer any condemnation to those who are in Christ. As great as this news is, we as Christians can still struggle with condemnation from time to time. In today's edition of The Open Word, Pastor David reminds us of the amazing love and faithfulness of our all mighty God. Reflecting on the sacrifice of Christ, we're reminded of the unshakeable love that God has for each and every one of us. No matter your past, present, or future, you can take heart in knowing that God preserves His own.

Trying to comprehend the greatness and grandeur of our solar system, let alone the cosmos, is quite the challenge. The number of stars alone come to a staggering count that surpasses human comprehension by far. Even if we we're able to comprehend these figures, there's one element that trumps them all. In today's message, Pastor David reflects on God's mindfulness of mankind. In our study, Pastor David emphasizes just how incredible it is that out of all His glory and greatness, God has His mind set on our salvation.

That's a very challenging question that Pastor David just posed. Walking into the unknown is one of the things we probably fear the most. Maybe God is calling you into the ministry? Maybe He's asking you to move across the country? Today as Pastor David teaches through the Gospel of Luke we'll learn more about what it means to walk by faith. And as the Scriptures say, without faith it is impossible to please Him.

It doesn't take very long for us to progress through life before learning that there'll be plenty of bumpy roads up ahead. We can either look at life as a series of bad events, or we can expect life's challenges and take them on one at a time. This of course still leaves us with the “why and how” of life's tough times. In today's edition of The Open Word, Pastor David reflects on the mystery of life's unexpected turns. In our study, we learn how many of the trials we face won't give us the why and how we seek, until we can look back in retrospect.

The thought of bringing a child into the world and raising them up can bring inexpressible joy. However, the thought of raising The Son of God would probably bring about a whole different mix of emotions. In today's message, Pastor David reflects on both the emotions and sense of blessing that Mary experienced when visited by Gabriel. Although Mary is truly blessed to birth the Messiah, we're reminded of her need for salvation, just as much as the rest of us.

When undergoing a major project or pursuing a big turn in our life, we're often challenged by our own doubt. If we could somehow know that everything we tackled turned out successful, we'd probably be more confident. Fortunately for us, our all knowing Father knows how things will turn out, before it even happens. In today's message, Pastor David teaches us how God's sovereign hand moves in our lives. In our study, we learn how God not only knows the turn out, but how the turn out was planned before we were born.