[1 Thes 1:2-3, 5:8] Faith, love, and hope are the identifying marks of true believers. Paul is presenting these three spiritual dynamics of the Christian life as pertaining specifically to and derived from our Lord Jesus Christ--we cannot obtain these on our own.

[1 Peter 4:14] Believers are as sheep to be slaughtered in this life, but God tells us that suffering for his sake is a great blessing; being reviled for his sake indicates that the Spirit himself--the culminating feature of the New Covenant--rests on you.

[1 Peter 4:12-13] Suffering in the Christian life is not strange. You are experiencing the same path and have fellowship with your Lord Jesus as you walk through suffering, which helps you to know Him more.

[1 Peter 4:12] Expect all manner of painful and difficult trials as you follow the Lord. Surprise is the wrong response. They are from the God who calls you 'beloved,' and are for your testing.

[Psalm 119] What does it mean to seek the Lord with your whole heart? And why is there the constant refrain of "I do not forget your word" in the context of affliction?

[1 Peter 4:11] How is God glorified? Through Jesus Christ. This truth is written over our lives now and God sees us and everything we do through His son, our great propitiation and atoning sacrifice, our savior, Lord, and example. May our hearts overflow with the same outbursts of praise as Peter and Paul do in their letters to the church.…

[1 Peter 4:11] Tracing God’s glory as a theme through all the scriptures shows us clearly how jealous God is for the glory of His own name. God values more than anything else to display His glory. Is it God or you who is at the center of your heart and thoughts? How does God get all glory from our lives? God must always be the giver and we must alw…

[1 Peter 4:11] Feeling your weakness is not a sign to give up or that we are unable to accomplish great things for God, but rather an awareness of your need for God's strength which is received through prayer.

[1 Peter 4:11] God gives speakers to the church, who are to keep in mind that they speak the very utterances of God--words from the mouth of God. Have you considered that these "sacred writings" are the very words of God, able to make you wise for salvation and equip you for every good work?

[1 Peter 4:10] Serve one another with the gift you’ve been given by God's grace. Love fuels service to fulfills perceived needs within the body. The Christian life is to be one of selflessness as stewards with differing abilities. This is not optional-Jesus will hold us accountable.

[1 Peter 4:10] God employed the people of Israel, putting skill in their hearts to complete His work when it came to building the tabernacle and He does the same today for believers in the temple of the new covenant-the church-as we build one another up to maturity in the unity of our Lord Jesus Christ.…

[1 Peter 4:9] Peter wants us to have open homes and open hearts toward one another in the body, even when it's hard and we are tempted to complain. God instructs us by the example of the children Israel grumbling against God. God destroyed Israel for complaining and grumbling about lacking food and water-how much more if we complain about inconveni…

[1 Peter 4:8] In this third sermon focusing on this passage, we narrow in on the priority of love, "above all" in Peter's mind. Healthy churches forbear and deal with sin in love. We must have thick skin and warm hearts, always humbly seeking the good of others, even when it means rebuking or overlooking a transgression in love.…

[1 Peter 4:7] End of all things is near, THEREFORE... In this second sermon focusing on this passage, we narrow in on the first statement about being of sound judgement and sober - having a focused mind with control and clarity in all areas of life for the purpose of prayer. Sobreity in Paul's letters and the teaching of Jesus has a goal: alertness…

[1 Peter 4:7] In this first sermon focusing on this passage, we narrow in on the first statement about being of sound judgement and sober - having a focused mind with control and clarity in all areas of life.

[Acts 2:42-47] What does the quasi biblical term “discipleship” mean, and should we even be using it?

[Acts 2:37-38] Baptism is like a wedding; it is a public, formal commitment to another. Baptism accompanies repentence toward God as a symbol of core realities of Christianity and salvation through Union with Christ. Jesus himself defines how baptism should be done - by immersion.

[1 Sam 13:8-14] David was a man after God's own heart because he constantly and repeatedly inquired of the Lord as to what he should do, seeking God's will above his own. Jesus encourages us to do what the story of David in 1 Samual depicts - constantly ask, seek, and knock because your Father in heaven wants to give what is good to those who ask H…

[ 1 Pet 4:7] How should we think about this term "near/at hand" if it has been 2000 years already since Peter wrote this? 1. God’s perspective of time (2 Pet 3) and 2. Sudden and unexpected (Matt 24, 1 Thes 5)

[Heb 5:1-10] Priests are appointed by God to deal with our sin problem; blood is required to pay for sin. Prophets spoke to the people on behalf of God throughout the Old Testament, but priests are tied to a covenant and bring the people to God. Jesus is the ultimate and final great high priest who brings us to God.…

[Heb 1:3-4] The radiance of His glory here is referring to the mount of Transfiguration where Jesus shone forth light. Jesus upholds all things by the word of His power, which is a job attributed to Yahweh all throughout the Old Testament. Jesus’ purification for sins is effective and final, evidenced by his sitting down at the right hand of the ma…

[Heb 1:1-2] The Psalms lay the foundation for the Prophets, hundreds of years beforehand. There are 7 Old Testament passages referenced in Hebrews 1, all from the Psalms and 2 Sam 7, not the prophets. Hebrews is a book of contrasts between the New Covenant and the Old Covenant, and the introduction highlights that God spoke long ago in type/shadow/…

[1 Cor 15:23-26] Jesus, exalted at the right hand of the Father is ruling and reigning over all His enemies. He was raised from the dead as the firstfruits of the resurrection and will appear to bring human history to its appointed end, when death is destroyed as the last enemy and Jesus presents everything to God the Father.…

[Col 3:1-4] Foundational to Christianity is that Christians have been raised with Christ and seated with Him at the right hand of God. This is the final culminating application of Paul's theology laid out in chapters 1-2. Does this passage explain you?

[Col 3:1-4] Foundational to Christianity is that Christians have been raised with Christ and seated with Him at the right hand of God, regardless of how much theology about this truth you understand. There is only one category in Christianity, not two types of believers; all believers raised up with Christ.…

[Phil 2:5-11] Can man be proud after God has been humbled? This is New Covenant ethics; we go to Jesus Christ for our example of humble obedience to God our Father.

[Acts 2:32-33] Jesus is exalted at the right hand of God, a place of honor and responsibility. This current reign of Christ from beginning to end is a central issue to the gospel and the biblical message.

[Acts 2:32] Like the first disciples, we are all witnesses to the truth in the Gospel of Jesus Christ because we know the one true God. Luke’s introduction is clear that his Gospel account is based on sober-minded testimony from credible men and women; sound, historical, reliable, eyewitness testimony consistent with the whole Bible.…

Starting with the Old Testament prophets up through the New Testament, God’s Covenant with David is reiterated, highlighted, elaborated, and fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah.

[Acts 2:29-31] David wrote over half the psalms and laid out the kingdom of God before the major and minor prophets came and wrote the rest of the prophetic books that are built upon the foundation of David. Psalm 16 is an elaboration of the Davidic Covenant made by God with him in 2 Samuel 7, where God promised that one of his descendants would si…

[Psalm 16:1-11] Psalm 16 is quoted by Peter in this first sermon at Pentecost. We walk through all eleven verses in this exposition, explaining how this Psalm is about the resurrection of Jesus, our eternal hope.

This morning we consider the uniqueness of the birth of Jesus, the eternal Son of God, as the Savior of the world.

[1 Peter 4:7] Just as Jesus did in His parables, Peter is urging believers to alertness about the closeness of the end so that we will be sober in prayer.

[1 Peter 4:6] These people who were alive at one time, had the gospel preached to them, believed and were saved, will bring them to judgement and life. This is our hope as well when we follow Jesus and walk in His Spirit. Men will think you foolish and you won’t have peace in this life with the world, but that is the price and path to eternal resur…

[1 Peter 4:4-5] Do not be surprised that the world will view us as strange when we walk in righteousness and avoid sin; know that those who run into excesses of dissipation are the aberrant ones to God. Both Cain and Able made an offering to God, but God had regard for only one. Are you really giving God the very best of your life?…

Statement of Faith Point Seven

[1 Peter 4:3] We are not missing out on anything the world has, carrying out the desire of unbelievers. Do not look back at your former life with fondness like Lot’s wife. The time of being a slave to sin is over. How are you doing with the temptations to sin with sexual immorality and alcohol?

[Eph 6:1-10] Paul calls the church to take their stand against Satanic forces by arming themselves with all the armor God provides.

Statement of Faith Point Seven

[Eph 5:15-21] What does "be filled with the spirit" mean, and how do you do it?

Hell is real a real place where sinners will go forever, and Jesus depicts it as both like a furnace of fire & outer darkness. Two different things are bing communicated by these descriptions, and they are completely complimentary, true, and harmonious in describing God’s judgement. All these attributes of Hell go together; there is no specific ord…

The consequences of sin, both inherited and actual, are separation from God in spiritual death. complete disinheritance as children of God, subjection to all the miseries of this life, physical death and eternal conscious punishment of both soul and body in the lake of fire in the age to come.

[Psalm 46] We have a heavenly city of God as believers in Christ, so we need not fear the instability in this world, even wars and rumors of wars.

[Psalm 16:1-4] Psalm 16 is quoted by Peter in this first sermon at Pentecost. We walk through the first four verses of Psalm 16 in this exposition, touching on prayer, verbal praise of God, love for the brethren, and the sorrows of the wicked.

Statement of Faith Point Seven

[Acts 2:24] It was impossible for Him (Jesus) to be held in its (death’s) power or grip. He HAD to be raised, there was no other way or possible outcome because of who Jesus was and is according to the scriptures.

Statement of Faith Point Seven

[Acts 2:24] Philosophy and science have no knowledge or authority on God, miracles, and eternal life. The resurrection of Jesus is a historical and prophetic matter, a fact attested to by divine revelation and testimony of men and the Holy Spirit.

[Acts 2:23] God's foreknowledge is in reference to His sovereign electing grace in His salvation of sinners. The biblical usage may be surprising to you when compared to how it's most often used in theological conversation today to justify man's free will.