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Text: John 1:1-2
Sermon: Word with God
Date: December 2, 2012
Listen to audio: December 2, 2012 AM Sermon
If you want to read the story of Jesus’ birth, you will probably look to the gospels of Matthew or Luke. There you find the stories of angels, shepherds, wise men, and a stable. You wouldn’t read Mark, because that gospel begins with Jesus’ ministry, and skips the story of His birth altogether. You probably would not read John, even though his gospel does contain a unique telling of the story of Christmas. This year, during the season of Advent, we will consider John’s unique telling of the Christmas narrative.
December 2 is the first Sunday of Advent, and our message focuses on John’s words that tell us Jesus was with God from the beginning of time.
Sermon:
Text: Ruth 1
Sermon: A Cling of Godly Love
Listen to audio: November 25 AM Sermon
On Sunday, November 25, Rev. Rick William led our morning worship service and preached from the book of Ruth.
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Text: Daniel 4
Sermon: Exalt Myself
Listen to audio: November 18, AM Sermon
Nebuchadnezzar was king of the Babylonian Empire almost 600 years before Christ was born. During his lifetime, he was arguably the most powerful and influential ruler who had ever lived. Most of the known world was under his political power. During his reign, he accomplished wonderful building projects and was able to glean wisdom and insights from the nations of the known world.
In Daniel 4, we read a unique story, which seems to be written by Nebuchadnezzar, that chronicles his descent from what appeared to be the ultimate position to power, to a man who struggled to maintain his sanity. At the center of this struggle was a desire to be exalted and a refusal to acknowledge God.
Perhaps one of the most difficult idols to defeat is the idolatry of self. When we live to satisfy ourselves and see our name exalted, we can run into the problem of ignoring God. In this last sermon in our series on contemporary idols, we will consider Nebuchadnezzar’s fall from power as a warning to acknowledge God’s power in our lives.
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Text: Ephesians 6:16-20
Sermon: The Pursuit of Happiness
Listen to Audio: November 11, 2012 AM Sermon
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
-The Declaration of Independence
Happiness is an ideal that we wish for others, and pursue for ourselves. But is it a worthwhile pursuit?
In light of the words of The Declaration of Independence, many people have taken the pursuit of happiness as something that is almost considered sacred. But happiness is elusive. We might be happy for a moment, but sooner or later something changes, and our happiness fades.
If the elusive and fleeting feeling of happiness becomes the primary pursuit of our lives, we are chasing something that will not satisfy. In Ephesians 6, the Bible gives us a vision for a pursuit that is a more fulfilling and lasting focus that stands in sharp contrast to the temporary nature of feeling happy.
Sermon:
Text: Genesis 29:16-20
Date: November 4, 2012
Listen to Audio: November 4, 2012 AM Sermon
Many people believe that falling in love is the ultimate pursuit.
Even though love, romance, and marriage are wonderful gifts from God, it is easy to exalt the status of love and marriage, so that our expectations of love and marriage can never really be satisfied by our expereinces
Sermon: “JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE”
Text: John 11:1-42
Date: October 28, 2012
Listen to audio: October 28, 2012 AM Sermon
On Sunday, October 28, Rev. Scott Hoezee led our morning worship service. Rev. Hoezee is the Director of the Center for Excellence in Preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary.
Sermon: “The Gospel in the Old Testament”
Text: Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Date: October 21, 2012
Listen to audio:October 21, 2012 AM Sermon
On Sunday, October 21, David TenClay led our morning and evening worship services.
Sermon:
Text: 2 Corinthians 8:9
Date: October 14, 2012
It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that money can be the answer to all of life’s difficulties. We believe that if we acquire enough money, we can satisfy our desires for influence, pleasures, and security.
In 2 Corinthians 8, the Bible alludes to a group of Christian in Macedonia who did not consider the acquisition of wealth their primary purpose in life. Instead, they found joy in sharing what God had given them in order to see God’s Kingdom plan advance.
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Text: Esther 7
Date: October 7, 2012
This Sunday, we begin a series of sermons that will consider the objects in this world that we have a tendencey to exalt to the status of God. If you would like to read a good book on this topic, I highly recommend Timothy Keller’s book, Counterfeit Gods.
Haman is a character in the book of Esther who love power. However, his pursuit of power led to his personal downfall. His life is a demonstration that the insatiable desire for power cannot be satisfied.
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Text: Matthew 7:24-27
Date: September 30, 2012
Listen to audio: September 30, 2012 AM Sermon
In the final section of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He uses an illustration from home building. He tells His followers that His words are not merely to be heard and admired, but understood and applied to daily lives. In fact, if we merely hear and admire, we are as foolish as someone who goes to great lengths to build a new house, but neglects the important step of establishing a solid foundation of the home.
Hearing may be good and necessary, but to experience the benefits of Christ’s wisdom, we are called to put His teaching into practice.