One of the five core values of Calvary Church is Going into God’s World. We do this by extending the gospel to others, right here and around the globe. This value has been a priority for the church since its founding in 1937. Today, we will hear why this value has been at the very core of who this church has been and why we must make sure it remains a priority into the future.
Easter is the celebration of the historical event of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without it, there is no hope for the new life promised to us in the gospel. Today, let’s lean in together to the truth of the gospel presented in the first few verses of Paul’s New Testament letter to the church in Rome.
We all love the experience of receiving something new. Out with the old, the broken, the torn, the dysfunctional...and in with the new! From the beginning to the end, God's Word is filled with all He is doing in us that is new! Today, we look at God’s new solution to a very old problem.
Daniel’s faithfulness has been on display through the trials and tragedies of living nearly his entire life in a foreign land with God’s exiled people. Today, our journey through the book which bears his name comes to an end. Like Daniel, may we commit to being faithful to God who has displayed His faithfulness time and time again.
Last week’s prophecy and Daniel’s life circumstances lead him to mourning. As we see Daniel respond to his disappointment, and experience a great vision, let’s consider how we can respond to God’s invitation for us today.
From Daniel’s great prayer comes one of God’s great prophecies. There is much for us to learn and apply from both. Let’s come to God’s Word today with eager and expectant hearts.
Daniel 8 continues the prophetic section of the book with Daniel’s second vision. From our vantage point, we can look back and see how many of the prophecies in this chapter have already been fulfilled with incredible accuracy. It gives us great confidence in the trustworthiness of God and His Word.
Daniel 7 is the hinge chapter in the book. We move from court tales—the stories of Daniel and his friends living under the rule and reign of the Babylonian kings—to the visions and dreams of Daniel, which will remind God’s people that, even though they will suffer, He won’t abandon them, and they will one day share in His eternal kingdom.
Despite Israel’s extended exile, God is demonstrating His sovereign plan over kingdoms and individuals. In chapter 6, Daniel’s faithfulness and obedience to God is on display when faced with the danger of the lions’ den, challenging each of us to boldly trust God in the face of opposition.
At this point in our study, Daniel and the nation of Israel have been living in exile in Babylon for about sixty-five years. Today, the “writing is on the wall” for Babylon. We will see God deal with proud rulers who had knowledge, but rebelled against God, and consider our response to God.
Daniel and his friends are exiled to a foreign land, but God’s sovereignty and faithfulness are displayed throughout their lives. In chapter 4, the king’s pride is on full display, but God humbles the king, who finally turns his heart to the Most High God.
Daniel and his friends are exiled to a foreign land, but God’s sovereignty and faithfulness are displayed throughout their lives. In chapter 3, the king sets up an image of gold and commands all people to bow to it. Daniel’s friends refuse, and are thrown into the fiery furnace, but God preserves their lives.
Daniel and his friends are exiled to a foreign land but God’s sovereignty and faithfulness are displayed throughout their lives. In chapter 2, Daniel’s faithful resolve is on full display as he wisely navigates the angry and irrational king through the God-given interpretation of his dream.
Daniel and his friends are exiled to a foreign land, but God’s sovereignty and faithfulness are displayed throughout their lives. Daniel’s faith shines forth as he continually hopes in God’s promises, despite his circumstances. Chapter 1 sets the context, tone, and theme for the rest of the book.
This Christmas, we have focused on the reality that Christ came down. This truth isn’t just to be received, but it calls for a response. Today, we will explore how Jesus, through His prayer, envisions our response to this truth.
Jesus’ own words explain why He came down. Today, we will examine what Jesus meant when He said that He came to give His life as a ransom.
This year, we turn our attention from the “what” of Christmas to the “why.” Why did Christ come down to earth? Ironically, Jesus most clearly explained the reason for His birth just before He died.
This time of year, we focus on the events surrounding the birth of Jesus: Mary and Joseph anticipating, angels proclaiming, shepherds glorifying, and wise men worshiping. But, this year we turn our attention from the “what” of Christmas to the “why.” Why did Christ come down to earth? Let’s look to the very words of Jesus to find our answer.
In different ways and at different times, we all have experienced deep suffering and real loss. Yet, the apostle Peter encourages true believers to continually worship and exalt God, even through the trials of life. Come and see the reasons for Peter’s radical and counterintuitive expectation: we replace our sorrow with joy.
Jesus closes His sermon the way any good sermon should end—with application. Through a metaphor not easily forgotten, Jesus tells us that hearing is not enough. To live our lives as faithful followers of Jesus, we need to hear and do.
In the last several weeks of the series, Jesus has provided a blueprint for the life God desires for His followers. Today, as He nears the sermon's conclusion, Jesus challenges us to commit to the narrow path of life – through Him – and warns us to beware in discerning those who attempt to lead us astray.
Jesus helps us understand how to help others when they have issues in their lives (specks) by first looking at the issues in our own lives (logs). Doing so requires wisdom from above, so Jesus invites us to persistently ask, seek, and knock, knowing our Heavenly Father will answer.
Jesus continues to help citizens of His kingdom know how to fully follow Him. In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, He addresses our worry by helping us see it is directly connected to what we prioritize.
Having already called us to examine our horizontal relationships with others, Jesus now calls us to reflect on our vertical relationship with God. Jesus commands us to examine the motivations behind our spiritual habits through a warning, an expectation, and a model.
Jesus lists the characteristics of a disciple in the beatitudes. He then tells them they are a positive influence, salt and light, to this world who is set on persecuting them. In the rest of chapter 5, He encourages us to make sure our pure hearts are motivating our behavior.
In our series so far, Jesus has focused on the characteristics of a disciple, as outlined in the beatitudes, and emphasized the call to be influencers by living as salt and light. Today, we start exploring the defining standards of Jesus’ disciples, beginning with a life in pursuit of reconciliation.
Jesus lists the characteristics of a disciple in the beatitudes, and explains that they will be persecuted if they live that way. He then goes on to tell them that they are a positive influence – salt and light – to this world that is set on persecuting them.
As Jesus begins His teaching on what it means to be a citizen of His Kingdom, He starts with character, not conduct. Before unpacking how we should behave, He directs us toward our dependence upon God.
The Sermon on the Mount may be the best known of Jesus’ teaching, but it’s also quite possibly the least understood. Straightforward, practical, and countercultural, this text records Jesus’ description of the ordering of relationships and the expected behavior of a disciple. As we prepare to jump in verse-by-verse next week, let’s better understand the characteristics of Jesus’ most beloved sermon today.
