We are constantly being bombarded with messages that aim to shape who we are and what we love. In the sixteen waking hours of a day, what will you devote yourself to in order to have the best messages shape you? By learning more about what the Bible is, may we grow in our affections for it. Listen to Pastor Brett's talk on the doctrine of Scripture for more.
If we have been given the means of life in written words, we do well to devote ourselves to read them, study them, and share them. In this session from the 2022 Spring women's seminar, Kelina Toney shares the impact the Word of Life has had on her and leads a workshop on how to study the Word yourself.
There are different aspects or emphases to consider in thinking about atonement. The Passover keys in on redemption. The Day of Atonement, however, draws out the themes of propitiation and expiation while conveying the inadequacies of animal sacrifices. This special day was always intended to point God's people forward to the fulfillment of his promises in Christ. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on Leviticus 16 for more.
Promise is one of the most powerful and potent things mankind has ever known. True promise has been the impetus of exploration and investment. Yet promises without fulfillment is worthless; such promises are the kind made by sin. God promises so much more in the gospel that is being fulfilled. Listen to Pastor Haakon's exhortation for more.
The Sunshine Protection Act of 2019 would end the biannual practice of re-orienting our days through adjusting for Daylight Saving Time. However, a far more societal change came when God grounded his delivering work through the Exodus on the death of a lamb. Israel would forever change their calendars for their year to begin with commemorating this event. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on Exodus 12:1-28 as we press in to how are sin before a holy God is dealt with.
As Christians, we stake our hope on the promise that Christ will come and bring to completion what he began in his death and resurrection. However, the air we breathe in our context is one of cynicism. We can be jaded with doubt and unbelief, even the promise of Christ's return. Listen to Brian's exhortation for more.
The good news of the gospel is that we will be with God for eternity. We will respond perfectly to the true perfection of his character. However, in this life, we so often do not feel appropriately in response to the truth we observe. That is, we struggle to pursue God in worship. Listen to Pastor Zach's exhortation for more.
Peter concludes his letter with a few key, final reminders he wants us to walk away with. Count the patience of God as salvation. Don't follow the error of lawless people. Grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. These themes of the letter get pulled together in these closing verses. Listen to Pastor Haakon's sermon on 2 Peter 3:15-18 for more.
There are seasons of waiting we all go through: engagement before marriage, leading up to the birth of a child, paperwork to be completed for buying a home, interview processes for jobs. Whatever it is, waiting is hard, and none of us like it. That is where we presently are in the Christian life—in a season of waiting. So what kind of people ought we to be? Listen to this sermon on 2 Peter 3:11-14 by Pastor Kenny Ortiz from Cities Church for more.
King Saul disobeyed the clear command of the Lord when coming against the Amalekites and claimed his failure came from a desire to make a sacrifice. Yet he was judged and removed from his position due to his disobedience. Our ceremonial functions likewise must flow from a heart of obedience. Listen to Pastor Haakon's exhortation for more.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces is an unnerving situation to imagine being in. What might it be like to have fighter jets flying over your home? It is hard to think of such things happening largely because we are at peace. Peacetime can keep you from such readiness for war. Listen to Pastor Brett's exhortation for more on the spiritual dynamic of how this plays out.
What would you do if you would never be found out? Maybe like D.B. Cooper, you'd come up with a way to get a bucketload of cash without anyone getting hurt. No fear of judgment has a way of leading to poor choices. How much more so if we don't think Christ is returning in judgment? Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on 2 Peter 3:1-10 for more.
The responsibility of a church to appoint a man to the office of pastor is an important one. In January, the pastoral team recommended that Brian Wiseman be so appointed. So Pastor Brett sat down with Brian for a conversation to help you get to know him better.
Jesus told a parable about someone who spent all they had to gain a treasure in a field. Paul talked about being willing to lose everything to gain Christ. Do you think of your life in Christ in such terms, not just giving but more actively spending to gain more of Christ? Listen to Pastor Haakon's exhortation for more.
You're hiking around some cliffs when your children get too close to the edge. Is yelling, "Stop!" ungracious or unloving if the kids thought so as it ended their game? Of course not, a stern warning can be an act of love to convey grace. Peter's further characterization of false teachers serves as such a warning lest we follow them off the cliff. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on 2 Peter 2:10-22 for more.
It isn't too hard to slip into a level of comfort and ease in our understanding of Scripture. In 2 Peter 2:1-10, Peter pivots from holding out right doctrine to a warning that false teaching can from among *us.* We avoid such error by enduring in faith in the one who knows how to rescue. Listen to Pastor Haakon's sermon for more.
"Evangelicals" like us rightly focus on the gospel and a call to respond to it in faith. However, we can often think of faith as one tool in our theological tool box that is taken out when discussing evangelism and salvation and then put away. Listen to Pastor Dan's exhortation to rather carry on in faith in all of life.
We do not worship God that people made up a long time ago to make themselves feel better. We worship a God who is real. We worship a God who has revealed himself to us, both in his creation and in his Word. Rejoice in your real Lord. Listen to Pastor Haakon's exhortation for more.
"The Joe Rogan Experience" is a podcast with typically lengthy and pot-stirring episodes. Recently, Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson was on and made a profound statement about the foundational truthfulness of the Bible. It caused a bit of a stir. Yet when Peter makes a similar claim, we can breeze over it. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on 2 Peter 1:20-21 for more.
The life-altering, world-shaping theological truths of 2 Peter 1:1-11 are like shampoo—lather, rinse, repeat. Go on remembering the central claims of apostolic message, namely that Jesus Christ will return in power to establish his eternal kingdom. We know this to be true because Christ's majesty has been seen in person and testified to throughout the Old Testament. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on 2 Peter 1:12-19 for more.
As we carry on as a church, it can be increasingly challenging to become complacent. Yet as Christians, we are called to do the work of the ministry—not the pastors only or paid professionals. Abandon the mindset that ministry just what is done up front on Sundays. Listen to Pastor Zach's exhortation for more.
On a cold winter day, how do you get your car to warm up? Not by rubbing your hands together or running around it or blowing warm breath—you need to start the car. We can make all kinds of efforts but a prior activity is required first. Listen to Marshall Segal's sermon on 2 Peter 1:5-11 in drawing out how we make effort because God has first started the car.
Everywhere you look in Scripture, when God gives authority, responsibility and accountability are coupled with it. Whether it was a unique role like Moses or the special office of king or pastors today, God gives authority but also accountability. This is a reflection of God's character. Listen to Pastor Haakon's exhortation to love God's authority.
There are times when you need to know what you know. You need to have a confidence and certainty in your knowledge because of the situation. Before the apostle starts in on addressing false teachers, he begins 2 Peter by focusing on what we as Christians need to be confident of. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on 2 Peter 1:1-4 for more.
Gen Z has never known a time without the connection of smartphones, yet studies show this generation reports the highest sense of isolation and loneliness. The prevalence of smartphones has served to hide ourselves rather than connect us to other. This hiding is an expression of shame. Listen to Brian Wiseman's exhortation to us to put away shame by drawing near to God.
What is more valuable, the goose or the golden egg—a fish or knowing how to fish? While wisdom is at the basis of any kind of value, data and information alone does not constitute wisdom. This holds true in our relation to God. Listen to Pastor Haakon's exhortation for more.
"Tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!” It may not be Braveheart but certain lines from movies draw us in and summon us to action. We are likewise summoned to action in 1 Peter 5:8-14 as we must be ready to face a fearful lion. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon for more.
The tornado that recently tore through 200 miles of Kentucky demonstrated power that humbled all who were in its path. No one needed to be told to get down upon experiencing that display of greatness. Yet we need to be told to humble ourselves before God. Listen to Pastor Zach's sermon on 1 Peter 5:6-7 for more.
"I didn't get to it." "I was too busy." "I didn't have time." Those phrases or similar ones really are just deflections helping you avoid the reality that you prioritized something else over the task in question. There are 8,760 hours this year. How will you make the time to do what serves your soul best? Listen to Pastor Brett's exhortation for more.
In addressing elders and the church as a whole, he keys in on the necessity of humility to mark both groups. In the complementing roles of leading and following, shepherding and submitting, humility is to be the hallmark of both. And this because it is the way of the Chief Shepherd. Listen to Pastor Brett's sermon on 1 Peter 5:1-5 for more.
