What would you do for someone that you love? Would you take on a lion? How about a shark? A Dinosaur? Most of us don't have to worry about facing ferocious animals in order to save those we love. But Christ has stepped in between us and death/devil/hell in order to save us for all eternity. Easter Sunday proves that Christ has won the victory over sin, death, and the devil once and for all.
The Bible is clear – Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. This is so important!
We take a look at 5 meals in the Bible that define our relationship with God.
As Jesus makes His way to Jerusalem riding on a donkey, He is welcomed with shouts of "Hosanna in the highest!" As we take a look at what "Hosanna" means, we will see that it is a fitting cry to Jesus, but not just for the journey of Palm Sunday into the city. The hosannas of the people are more fitting for the journey that Jesus takes to the cross, where He goes to save all people.
Famous Last Words - Luke 23:32-49 - Pastor Brad by Pastor Brad & Pastor Glenn
Do you fear death? I don't think we would be surprised to find out that many people in the world fear dying. And maybe there would be less to fear about death if we knew what happens after we die. Guess what?!?! We do! As we look at the actions of Christ during Holy Week, death no longer has any sting, any power over those who are in Christ, because Christ has triumphed over death and the grave.
Why did God have to make a new covenant with His people? Because they broke the old one. So God restructures our relationship with Him by making it all about Jesus Christ.
As the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness to save the people of Israel, so the Son of God was lifted up on the cross to save the entire world. While some may think that God is a God of wrath and condemnation, we see through Jesus that God is a God of salvation.
The hymn ‘Abide With Me’ was written by a physically sick man. The words, however, lift us towards the One who never changes and promises incredible healing for all who put their trust in Him.
The Ten Commandments are good because they come from a good, good, Father.
Jesus abides in us and His Word abides in us. In Malachi 4 we hear that the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. As we view this as a prophecy of the Son of righteousness, who rises from the dead and gives life to His people. We see this most clearly done in His outstretched arms on the cross, where sins are forgiven, where brokenness is restored, and where ultimate healing is found because it's the only place where life comes from death.
What do Abraham, Peter, and Paul all have in common? They were all sinners. The Bible is full of sinners. And Christ died for sinners, while were in our sin. Because He loves us. Christ died for sinners, like you and me. Not because we deserved it, because we didn't deserve it, and because it was the only way to save us.
Three Temptation Truths - Pastor Brad by Pastor Brad & Pastor Glenn
What God doesn’t say, and what God does say from the book of James as we face trials in our lives.
To abide means to stay, to remain, to dwell. So when we sing "abide with me" we're asking Jesus to stay with us, to remain with us, through every single moment in our lives. And, spoiler alert, He does! And for those who believe, in life, and in death, Jesus abides with us.
As we celebrate the Transfiguration of Our Lord, where Jesus' appearance changes and Moses and Elijah appear with Him, we can think about how these things are all connected to us and how God works in the past, present, and the future not just in our lives, but in the lives of all people.
A look at the prophet Jonah is like looking in the mirror. We all struggle with issues of anger and despair, and yes, even God’s grace when it is showered on others.
A question that is asked of Jesus by a man with an unclean spirit, is a question that we ourselves can ask of Jesus. To put it in a little different way, we could ask: What do you want with us, or for us, Jesus? As we look at the interaction Jesus has in the Gospel reading, we can take look, also, at how Jesus interacts with us in our lives.
How God uses a reluctant prophet to change a wicked city. This is the story of the pursuing power of God’s Word. What has God been saying to you lately?
Can Anything Good Come Out of Nazareth? A question that was once asked about Jesus, can be asked about any number of things if we just replace "Nazareth." From times of struggle/suffering/loss/pandemic, the question is often asked regarding negative experiences. So, it really is a matter of asking: Can anything positive (good) come out of something negative? Of course, the answer is yes, and even though this question was asked about Jesus, He is often the answer to finding the positives amidst t...
St. Paul teaches us that we can maintain our joy in the coming year by thinking about what God thinks is true, honourable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable.
When you take a look at the stories in the New Testament, especially in the Gospels, you're going to see one long narrative of a faithful God, who sent His faithful Son, Jesus Christ, to die for His people who are not faithful to Him. They/We are sinners with a sinful nature, and are more often than not, faithless. Yet God works even in sinners, to help them lead faithful lives, and today we will look at one of those faithful individuals who is often forgotten in the long list of faithful follow...
This is the follow up to “Joyful in Stressful Times”. When you know what you don’t want, figure out what you do want, and make your request known to God.
As we take a look at the world and our lives over the past year, there are many words we could use to describe it, but the word today is: inconvenience. But inasmuch as our lives have been inconvenienced because of a pandemic, we have reason to be thankful, and it's all because Jesus Christ inconvenienced Himself by being born for us, identifying with our inconveniences, only to give up His life for us, in order to give us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life.
Christmas is all about Jesus. Why would Jesus us love us so much to come down from heaven?
In the 2003 Christmas movie, Love Actually, you here the opening line show you that amidst whatever is going on in life, if you look hard enough you'll find that "love actually is all around." If we view those words in our lives of faith, we'll find that love actually is all around because Jesus Christ is actually all around, and at Christmas we don't just celebrate His birth, but His death and resurrection, and His eternal presence.
God wants us to access His joy anytime. Paul shows us how.
Using the LASSIE method from Everyone His Witness, we find that being a witness means we Listen, Ask, Seek, Share, Invite, and Encourage. As we look at what it means to be a witness in our world, we see that it happens in the context of relationships. Relationships are built on communication. We've already heard about the listening, asking, seeking, sharing, and inviting parts, and now we hear about encouraging: following up and following through. But amidst encouraging those that we witness too...
One of the most encouraging things we can do for someone else is telling them that we are praying for them. Better yet, as part of our witness, let’s offer to pray for them right there and then at that moment.
Using the LASSIE method from Everyone His Witness, we find that being a witness means we Listen, Ask, Seek, Share, Invite, and Encourage. As we look at what it means to be a witness in our world, we see that it happens in the context of relationships. Relationships built on communication. We've already heard about the listening, asking, seeking, and sharing parts, and now we hear about inviting: inviting to keep the conversation about Jesus going. The invitation to come and see the Savior of the...
