preach-itSermon Archive

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October 2019

Is Seeing Believing?

Hebrews 11:1 famously defines faith as being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, and 2 Corinthians 5:7 calls us to walk by faith, not by sight.

We’ve all heard the expression that “seeing is believing,” but when we come to the Bible, which talks a great deal about the nature of belief, it seems to say that faith which is most honoring to God is not born of our natural sight but rather a Spirit-Given confidence in the Words of God.

Thomas is an interesting c




Master of the Feast

***There was an issue with the audio recording of this message. Please refer to the sermon notes for a transcript.***
 
John concludes his Gospel account with language that almost teases and torments the modern Bible reader by mentioning the existence of many stories about Jesus that went undocumented by himself and the other Gospel writers.

In the final verse John wrote these tantalizing words,

“Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. W




September 2019

Marked: URGENT

In this message we open God’s Word together in Matthew 25. Here in the latter portion of this scripture we are given a glimpse through the words of Jesus into the final judgement. As Advent Christians it has always been part of our heritage to look at the soon and coming return of Christ, the question is…are we prepared?

Pastor Tate shared a few weeks back about being part of a society today that loves lists. Lists like “Top Ten Habits of Millionaires” that would suggest if only yo




A Word of Encouragement

Sue Hansens died on February 12th of this year. It was not an unexpected death, but even so when it came the news was bitter. It’s strange to say, but the first emotion I felt upon receiving the news was not sadness but rather loneliness. Sadness quickly followed but for a split second loneliness stood alone in my heart.

I was Sue Hansens’ pastor for several years in Florida. In my mind’s eye I picture her coming into the church stooped over, sometimes leaning on a walker, and




Traveling Companions

Hermeneutics is a big seldom-used word meaning the study of the methodological principles of interpretation (as of the Bible.) In other words, it’s the science of how to study the Bible. One hermeneutical principle that is sometimes very helpful in guiding Bible students in understanding any given topic is the principle of first mention.

The principle of first mention says that, to understand a particular word or doctrine or idea, we must find the first place in Scripture that it o




The Prayer of Faith

To me one of the most fascinating things about the created order that God set up in the Garden of Eden was that Adam and Eve needed to eat at all. To my mind perfection would be marked by a complete absence of need. However, even in the perfection of the garden they got hungry and when that happened they would satisfy that need by eating from the many trees that God had provided for them there. The need was met wonderfully, but it still existed.

What does it say about God that he created




Do This In Remembrance of Me

On the night Jesus was betrayed he instituted the sacrament of communion saying, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Communion is, in part, a call to remember, but memory can be a tricky thing for the Christian. Our memory is sometimes our friend, but other times it accuses us and fills us with shame. Our memory of past sins and failings can distort our view of Jesus making him appear as a distant judge more than a loving savior and so it is significant that Jesus’ command for us to remember hi



August 2019

Mexican Medical Ministries Update

Craig and Kristi Libby, from Mexican Medical Ministries, serve primarily in the Baja of Mexico. In this message Craig brings a thought for us from Matthew 14 regarding obedience and trust then Kristi provides an update on the work in Mexico.



A Man Named Fool

Sarah and I love befriending other couples, and one of the first questions I like to ask as I am getting to know another couple is, “How did you two first meet?” I have asked that question hundreds of times over the years, and the responses have run the gamut from the fairly pedestrian like “we grew up together,” to the truly bizarre like one man I know who was an amateur taxidermist. He met his wife while scraping roadkill off the side of the road in front of her house so he could practice



The Temptation of David

After the events of chapter 23, that we studied last week, King Saul, along with three-thousand of his best men, pursued David into the oasis of En-Gedi. They were hot on the trail of Israel’s most wanted fugitive when a very human thing happened. Saul had to go to the bathroom so the armed troupe came to a halt outside of a cave that local shepherds used as a fold for their flocks at night. As the men milled about, and their animals fell to grazing, King Saul ducked into the cave to “r





 
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