Pastor Jeske concludes his Advent series "What Magnificent Advent Plan!" with his Bible study on Galatians 3:26 - 4:7 - "Perfect Timing". Paul gives his final contrast between God's people before Christ's coming and the position they enjoy now. Paul has been stressing the temporal nature of the change. At this point he dwells on their status, moving from being slaves to becoming sons and daughters of their heavenly Father. Although Israel prayed for the Messiah to come during its many terrible t...
Dec 22, 2021•25 min
This week we'll be studying Judges 16:23 - 31 under the theme "The Weakness of Samson." Samson is famous for his feats of strength, but is was actually spiritual weakness that characterized most of his life. Disobedience to God, breaking his vows, and serving other gods are what ultimately led to his death. But in that rock bottom moment, in repentance, he returned to the One who'd given him every good thing. Samson was constantly failing. But God's grace to him was relentlessly unfailing. In hi...
Dec 20, 2021•30 min
Pastor Leyrer concludes his Advent Series "To Us a Child Is Born!" reflecting on Isaiah 9:6 "He Will Be Called...Prince of Peace."
Dec 17, 2021•14 min
Pastor Jeske' continues his advent series "What a Magnificent Advent Plan!" discussing the "retroactive benefits" in Hebrews 11:8-19. These verses highlight the glorious outcome of a lifetime of faith. The author reminds his readers that people like Abraham did not, in this life, receive all that they had been promised. God promised Abraham a nation as numerous as the stars. But all that Abraham received, in this life, was Isaac. Abraham died not yet receiving his nation. This did not stop Abrah...
Dec 15, 2021•28 min
This week we'll be studying Judges 11:29 - 40 under the theme "The Recklessness of Jephthah." Like all of us, Jephthah is a bit of a product of his environment. He was raised in a highly dysfunctional environment, became a violent gang leader, but was tremendously gifted in leadership and battle. Unfortunately, though he knew who the true God was, Jephthah approached the Lord God not similar to the way the pagans worshipped their gods. In other words, he couldn't conceive of a God of grace, and ...
Dec 13, 2021•33 min
In week two of Pastor Leyrer's advent series, we look at Isaiah 9:6 with the focus on "He Will Be Called...Everlasting Father". The prophet gives four throne names for Jesus in this verse - one being "Everlasting Father". He will be an enduring, compassionate provider and protector.
Dec 11, 2021•13 min
This morning, pastor Jeske brings part 2 of his Advent Series: WHAT A MAGNIFICENT ADVENT PLAN! Diving into Jeremiah 30:4-10, we learn God will do far more than bring the Jewish exiles back to rebuild Jerusalem. He will give them the new covenant, enable them to live with him forever and without sin, and provide a new David—the Messiah—to be their king. This implies that the return from exile is only the first step in God’s much greater work.
Dec 08, 2021•27 min
This week we'll be studying Judges 7:1-25 - under the theme "The Unlikely Leadership of Gideon." Gideon didn't actually have a lot going for him...from a worldly perspective. He's relatively poor, timid, and has no real connections. But when God flexes his muscles, he often uses such individuals, so that the glory is obviously his. We're going to see how, despite Gideon's constant need for reassurance, God ushers in a Kingdom victory against the Midianites through this broken vessel....
Dec 06, 2021•38 min
Pastor Leyrer's 3 week Advent series "To Us a Child Is Born!" starts by looking at Isaiah 9:2-7. Focusing on verse 6 - He Will Be Called ... Wonderful. As Wonderful Counselor, the coming Son of David will carry out a royal program that will cause all the world to marvel.
Dec 03, 2021•11 min
Pastor Jeske's Advent series, "What a Magnificent Plan", kicks off with a study on the "Meticulous Genealogy" in Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-37. Jews kept extensive genealogies as records of family descendants to establish a person’s heritage, inheritance, legitimacy, and rights. Matthew gives Jesus’ ancestry through Joseph’s line to demonstrate that Jesus is the legal heir to the covenant promises linked to David’s throne and the legal heir to the covenant promises linked to Abraham’s heirs an...
Dec 01, 2021•31 min
We're taking a 1-week break from our Judges series, and this week we'll be meditating on our aim as grateful pilgrims in this world as we study from 1 Peter 1:3-8.
Nov 29, 2021•26 min
On this Thanksgiving Day worship, pastor Jeske's bible study, SAY YOUR THANKS NOT ONLY AT MEALTIMES, dives into the verses of Psalm 136. This psalm records a worship leader tracing God’s covenant love through the high points, verses that are devoted to the creation story, verses that retell the exodus, and a call to grateful worship.
Nov 29, 2021•22 min
Christ is Your King! Christ is Your Friend! This week's message is based on Colossians 1:15-23.
Nov 25, 2021•30 min
This week we'll be studying Judges 4:1-24 - under the theme "The Bravery of Deborah." God, who designed humans as male and female, has always had a better way of perceiving gender and sexuality than the fallen world. Cultures tend to vacillate between overly restrictive traditionalist viewpoints to progressive viewpoints that contain no guidance or parameters. But everything that is created has design and intention. And God created us male and female. The narrative of Deborah, Barak, and Jael ar...
Nov 22, 2021•36 min
Based on Daniel 12:1-3. REMEMBER YOUR RESURRECTION! I. When Trouble II. Gives Way to Triumph Saints Triumphant Sunday points us to believers in heaven. The older we get, the more we look forward to living in glory. We peek into heaven through God’s Word and see Christian loved ones who have already been transferred from the church militant to the church triumphant. As much as we might miss them now, our hearts leap at the reminder that one day we will join them because their Savior is our Savior...
Nov 16, 2021•26 min
Today's theme focuses on the Last Judgment with Pastor Jeske's bible study on Revelation 6:9-17 - What Will You Be Doing on Judgment Day? At the end of the world, Jesus will come back in glory to judge both the living and the dead. Those who believe in him receive a verdict of “not-guilty.” Those who do not believe stand condemned to the eternal suffering of hell. How wonderful it is to know our verdict ahead of time! “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (R...
Nov 10, 2021•33 min
SERIES SUMMARY: The Book of Judges bridges the period between the exodus of the Israelites in Egypt and wandering in the wilderness, to the time of the Kingdom of Israel. God's people have settled in Canaan, but they didn't drive out all the people's God commanded them to. As a result, they continually fell into worshipping foreign gods (i.e. idols). To chastise them, God would allow one of these neighboring nations to oppress them. The Israelites would cry to God for help. And God would then se...
Nov 07, 2021•33 min
Today, we celebrate The Festival of the Lutheran Reformation looking at the question, "How Can I Be Sure about My Salvation?". Pastor Jeske's bible study dives into II Peter 1:12-21. The Festival of the Lutheran Reformation of the Church emphasizes the true Church’s unfailing reliance on the Word of God and unflinching testimony to it in the face of persecution. Jesus promised to pour out his Spirit on the Church that we might be God’s mouthpiece even before kings. Today the Church prays that th...
Nov 03, 2021•29 min
In this, our final week of the series, we'll be studying 1 Peter 5:5-7 - under the theme "HUMILITY (in Conversation) - RULE 9 - "Assume the person you're listening to might know something you don't. " Jordan Peterson, as a clinical psychologist, knows that psychotherapy is more than just giving professional advice. It's engaged conversation, with an emphasis on listening. Humans need to be listened to in order to survive, but that requires humility on the part of the listener - a willingness to ...
Nov 01, 2021•35 min
This morning, Pastor Jeske finishes his bible study on "All You Need Is Love" by diving into the concept of "Love Your Church" as laid out in 1 Peter 2:17 - Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
Oct 29, 2021•34 min
This week we'll be studying Acts 5:1-11 - under the theme "HONESTY - RULE 8 - "Tell the truth - or, at least, don't lie. " Honesty is the best policy...or so they say. "Best" in what regard? Honesty can certainly get us into trouble. It can certainly hurt feelings. Honesty can condemn. But it's also the only way forward. Whether we're talking about "telling lies" or "living lies" (i.e. denial), truth alone can set people free. Truth can create order, whereas deception breeds chaos. In our text t...
Oct 24, 2021•31 min
Today's message follows the theme "Love Your Neighbor" continuing Pastor Jeske's series on "All you Need Is Love". The service includes a presentation on the Central Africa Medical Mission, a 60-year legacy of healthcare in Zambia and Malawi. The volunteers and national staff see many faces and have been a light of Jesus to many people.
Oct 20, 2021•38 min
This week we'll be studying Romans 12:1- under the theme "SACRIFICE - RULE 7 - "Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient). " Modern people often look at the ancients, and their practice of things like "sacrifices" as primitive and unscientific. Jordan Peterson, however, would argue that the concept of sacrificing something good in the present in order to bless the future in an even more substantial way is the single most important revelation in human history. The Bible, too, says a great...
Oct 17, 2021•32 min
Today, seminarian Silas Dose shares a message on Numbers 11:16, 24-29 with the theme "All God's People Proclaim".
Oct 13, 2021•24 min
This week we'll be studying James 4:11-12 under the theme "CRITICISM - RULE 6 - "Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world. " While creating something meaningful is hard work, tearing something down takes very little effort. This is perhaps most evident in our words. And while there are many ways to cause destruction with our words, stander/criticism might be THE most difficult for many of us Christians to resist. This week, we'll find out how criticism from our mouths is di...
Oct 10, 2021•32 min
Today's bible study is part 2 in the series, "All You Need is Love". Today, Pastor Jeske focuses on the theme "Love Yourself". Diving into I Corinthians 1:4-9, Paul expresses thanks to God for the Christians in Corinth. God had been very kind to them, and he had done wonderful things in their lives. Most Christians in Corinth were not wealthy (1:26), but they lacked nothing in their relationship with God. God had made them able to speak for him. God had given them the knowledge that they needed....
Oct 07, 2021•32 min
This week we'll be studying Hebrews 12:7-11 under the theme "PARENTING - RULE 5 - "Don't let kids do anything that makes you dislike them. " The fact that God uses the term "Father" as a way for us to describe his relationship with us is fascinating and fairly unique to Christianity. As a loving father, however, the assumption of the writer to the Hebrews is that this means God will discipline us through hardship in life. Many Christians don't like to hear this, just like many parents don't like...
Oct 04, 2021•35 min
Pastor Jeske launches a new series "All You Need is Love". Today's message focuses on loving God. God calls us to know and love him. Here’s the heart of what God wants from us. First: to understand who God is. Second: God wants our devotion, loyalty, and love. Develop habits that help you know and love so you don’t forget. To know and love God means that we take repeated action to integrate that knowledge and love into every part of our lives: private, family, and public.
Oct 02, 2021•31 min
This week we'll be studying 2 Corinthians 10:12-18 under the theme "COMPARISON - RULE 4 - "Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today. " If you don't find your identity in the gift of Christ's righteousness, you're going to look for it comparing some aspect of your life against the lives of others, just the way the rest of the world establishes identity. This week, Paul teaches us something about self-image as he contrasts his ministry with that of a group who c...
Sep 26, 2021•32 min
With the theme of teaching your children, Pastor Jeske's bible study today focuses on the first 8 verses of Psalm 78. The psalm was apparently written by Asaph, who was a Levite and a music leader in the service of King David. People who do not orient their lives on the testimony of God in Scripture cannot know what is good for them or for their children. They may have strong opinions about what is right or helpful, but those opinions will be based on what feels good or on some cultural pressure...
Sep 22, 2021•28 min
