Some of the basic questions of life are what is right, and what is wrong? What is good? And what is bad? What is morality, and do you, as a person, have morals?” Is there a code of ethics for everyone to ascribe to? Morality in its simplest definition is “the distinction between right and wrong, but should we all define what is moral the same way? …

The children of God are peacemakers. A peacemaker is someone who intentionally works to help people reconcile with God and others. Anyone who does the hard work of peacemaking will be blessed by God. Main Points: 1. The word “peace” in Matthew 5:9 combines two Greek words. Together they mean to bring about wholeness, to bring all the essential part…

We are not God. We are not little gods, but we were created to be like God in character and lifestyle. Our life should reflect the glory of God to others. When we do this, we are healthy and whole. The Bible describes this as holiness. Main Points: 1. Our sin has distorted the image of God within us, and now we can’t see ourselves as God sees us. W…

As Christians, we must see that the grace that offers us God’s forgiveness, enables us to forgive others when they sin against us. Main Points: 1. Our forgiveness of others is a response to the forgiveness we have received. If God can forgive me, he can enable me to forgive others. 2. Christianity is a religion of forgiveness and healing. It is abo…

The Big Idea: Fear of the Lord is deep respect, awe, and reverence for God. We give God the glory, honor, reverence, gratitude, and praise, he deserves. God holds this preeminent position in our hearts and lives. We regard his desires over and above our own. Main Points: 1. We should fear or respect the Lord as one who has authority over us. It is …

The Big Idea: As Christians, our convictions are shaped by biblical principles. Since we believe the Bible is God’s Word and that its truth lasts forever, our beliefs and convictions cannot change regardless of the changes in our society. Main Points: 1. What are your core convictions? Have you ever made a list? A conviction is a firmly held belief…

The Big Idea: Joy in the Biblical context is not an emotion. Joy is an attitude of the heart. It is not necessarily based on something positive happening. Joy is something that lasts; happiness is something that is temporary. When happiness fades away, joy remains. Joy is something God deposits into us through the Holy Spirit. Main Points: 1. In th…

The Big Idea: If you fully understand the gospel and what Jesus has done for us, you comprehend that was not just executed 2,000 years ago by the Romans. You recognize that He willingly laid down his life as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus died for us. He took our place. With his death on the cross, He paid the penalty for our sins, so we would not…

The Big Idea: When we come to God in prayer, our confidence is not found in ourselves, our ability to pray good prayers or even the amount of our faith. Our confidence rests solely in God. We are confident in His love, His character, and his power. We are confident in His promises and that He always fulfills his Word. Main Points: 1. It’s possible …

The Big Idea: Trust today that your steps are being established by the Lord. When it’s time to take the next step, God will it clear. As you wait, believe that even though the waiting may not make sense, God’s will is being performed in your life. His will, His plan, and His timing is perfect. Main Points: 1. God is never early, never late, but he’…

The Big Idea: From scripture, we come to see that love is more than words, feelings, and emotions. Love is action. True love calls for us to do something, and also to refrain from some things. Main Points: 1. Love, when truly demonstrated, is not just an emotion expressed to family and close friends. Love is seen the clearest when it is given to th…

The Big Idea: Think about this truth for a moment: The God we serve has no limits. There is no limit to his power, his ability, his creativity, or even his love. God is not limited in the ways he can meet your needs. He has infinite possibilities. Main Points: 1. Sometimes I cry out to God to meet a need. I’m trying to bring my faith to believe God…

We should desire to be like Jesus in our values, beliefs, character, and behavior. The only way we can be imitators of God is that we would follow him. We must come to know Him. We must learn from Him, and it’s only then that we will know what to imitate. Main Points: 1. In some ways, we cannot be like God. You and I will never be all-knowing or al…

Through the power of the Holy Spirit that lives within us we can be watchful, alert, and on guard against Satan’s attacks. We can recognize spiritual warfare when it comes. We don’t have to be caught unaware. We can resist, and with God’s strength, stand against our enemy’s attacks. Main Points: 1. I have noticed that quite often the scripture call…

I’m convinced you have potential you cannot see. God has placed within you the potential to make a difference, to be a blessing, and to do great things for His Kingdom. Quite often, we cannot see our potential. We downplay our gifts and talents. We think others are more capable and more qualified. We hesitate to step out in faith and let God use ou…

As I prayed about today's podcast episode, I sensed God saying to me that there would be people listening today who are ready for their lives to change. They would be desperate to change. Main Points: 1. Some of you here today need to hear a word from God. And what he wants to tell you is that he wants to change you. The Christian life is fundament…

Do you recognize the presence of God in your life? In one sense God is always with us, but I believe if we seek him, God will show up in manifest presence and power. Let’s ask God to give us a greater desire and awareness of His presence. Main Points: 1. Imagine how incredible this moment was for Moses. He was in the very presence of God himself. T…

What would the world be like if we viewed everyone as our neighbors? And, what if we truly loved our neighbors as we love ourselves? Main Points: 1. Our relationship with God is inseparable from our relationships to the people in our lives. We can’t be in a love relationship with God and not act in love towards other people. This is what Jesus call…

In the greatest demonstration of love the world has ever seen, Jesus, the Son of God, willingly lays down His life as a sacrifice for sinners. Christ died for us so that we won’t have to die. Motivated by love, Jesus takes our place on the cross. He becomes our substitute. He satisfied the justices of a holy God, by taking our penalty. Main Points:…

God invites us into this intimacy. He calls for us to be close to Him. This is what differentiates Christianity from any other religion in the world. God is not cold and distant. He welcomes closeness with himself. He calls and invites us to seek Him and pursue Him. Main Points: 1. Can you hear His voice? In your loneliness, in your anxiety, in you…

To fulfill God’s plan for your life, it will take courage. Your next step will require courage. But here’s what’s encouraging, you don’t have to exhibit a lot of courage, just a small amount will do. Imagine what God can do with a small amount of courage! Main Points: 1. We all admire people with great faith. You know, those who do big things for G…

Today you and I will face things that will threaten our faith, especially our faith in God’s protection. You might be worried about your marriage, the decisions your children are making, the future of your career, the economy, or even your physical safety. You might be worried about your retirement account, the increase in crime in your neighborhoo…

Faith and obedience go hand in hand. What leads us to obey God is the fact that we trust Him. If you don’t trust him, you won’t obey Him. Faith is a choice. Obedience is a choice. Every time we do something just because God “said so” we are acting in faith. Main Points: 1. By faith we believe in the Word of God. This faith leads us to submit oursel…

It’s always better to listen to the caution of the Holy Spirit and to guard our hearts against pride. If we do not live in humility before the Lord. God himself will humble us, and it is not pleasant. Main Points: 1. What is Humility? Humility is an accurate estimation of our self-importance in relation to God and others. Humility is having a right…

At its heart, the Bible is a book about relationships – how we relate to God, and how we relate to each other. Main Points: 1. You need to know this about God. He is concerned with your aloneness. 2. I believe God is calling the church to be a place of hope. A place of life. A place of love. A place of honesty and genuine friendships and relationsh…

From generation to generation, the Word of God endures. It is timeless in its relevance. It speaks to the hearts of men, women, teenagers, boys, and girls. Seasons come and go, but the Scripture is still powerful in its application to the human condition. Main Points: 1. The Word of God we have is precious. God has spoken and we have it in print an…

Our relationship with God is like no other. In our relationships with people, there may be a thousand things they don’t know about you, especially as it is related to the heart. Your friend doesn’t know your thoughts, your desires, your motives, and your feelings, but God does. Main Points: 1. Think about this truth: God knows absolutely everything…

As we read the four Gospels, we see Jesus modeling prayer and teaching His disciples to pray, but did you know that Jesus gave us only one prayer request? Yes, Jesus himself asks us to pray for something. Main Points: 1. As Jesus speaks about the lost, those who have not put their faith in God, he uses the metaphor of a field of crops that are ripe…

You never know the impact of your kindness, your love, and your words of encouragement. I believe people around you today are desperate for encouragement. Everyone around you is fighting a battle you know nothing about. What a difference you could make in someone’s life by encouraging them to trust the Lord, to keep believing, and to not give up. M…

I want to assure you today that no matter what you are experiencing or what you feel, God’s face is turned towards you. He does know what you feel and He cares. Main Points: 1. Perhaps you feel down today, thinking all your hope is gone, that even God has abandoned you. Yes, you may feel those things, but that doesn’t mean your feelings are true. T…

I love the words of Jesus. I’ve discovered that most people do, even non-believers. You can even purchase Bibles that only have the words of Jesus printed. It’s been said that no one speaks like Jesus and I would agree. His words have power and they have life. These truths are encouraging, uplifting, inspiring, and challenging. They changed people’…

God loves a cheerful giver. I believe this is because God himself is a giver. God loves to give. Every blessing we have is because God has given them to us. When we give with joy we are being like God. Main Points: 1. God blesses those who give. He said if we give sparingly, meaning in a small amount, we will receive a small blessing, but if we giv…

As Christians, prayer is always a whisper away. Prayer is communication with God, and we can live each minute of the day in a constant, flowing, conversation with God. You don’t need a special appointment to talk with God. You can do so, anywhere, and at any time. Main Points: 1. There is significant value in making a specific time for prayer. I th…

The Big Idea: We hear it said all the time. People don’t change. Who they are….is who they are. It’s seems like a hopeless statement. But Christianity is about change. The Bible is full of stories about messed up people who changed by the power of God. God takes what people see as useless, worthless, ruined, and broken and makes them new. Main Poin…

The Big Idea: Fear of the Lord is deep respect, awe, and reverence for God. We give God the glory, honor, reverence, gratitude, and praise, he deserves. God holds this preeminent position in our hearts and lives. We regard his desires over and above our own. Main Points: 1. We should fear or respect the Lord as one who has authority over us. It is …

The Big Idea: Jesus paid our debt on the cross. He bore our sins upon his body. He suffered and died in our place, as our substitute. Jesus took the shame, condemnation, and pain we were to bear. He carried our cross and paid the ultimate price. It was a very high price to pay for our forgiveness. Main Points: 1. Forgiveness comes at a cost. If you…

The Big Idea: Any attempts at finding joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment apart from God always leave us empty. Yes, there may be temporary moments of happiness and perceived satisfaction, but it is never lasting. Millions of people can testify that they never knew real joy until they knew Jesus as Savior and Lord. Main Points: 1. As real as our phy…

The Big Idea: There is one key that is necessary for a relationship to be restored. It requires forgiveness. I’ve never seen a broken relationship restored without forgiveness. Main Points: 1. A relationship can break down from neglect. A relationship can break down from conflict. A relationship can break down from misunderstanding. The world is fi…

The Big Idea: We understand that those who don’t believe in Jesus, can’t see the immense value of the cross of Jesus. But there is also a danger for the believer. There is the danger of the cross and the gospel message becoming so familiar to us that it loses its value, its meaning, and its impact in our lives. Main Points: 1. The message of the cr…

The Big Idea: I don’t believe there is anything that causes our spiritual roots to grow deeper than suffering. Most of us listening today have experience with reaching out to God in hard times. It’s here that we grow in our faith, we experience God’s grace, strength, and peace. In times of suffering, we learn that the promise is true. God will neve…

The Big Idea: I’m convinced that most of us listening today would say we have been blessed by God. In fact, many would say that we have been greatly blessed and blessed beyond what they deserve. God has been so good to us. So what do we do with our blessings? Main Points: 1. Jesus teaches us that the blessing is found in the giving. The blessing is…

Where do we find absolute truth? We find truth in the Bible. What God says is true, and it is true absolutely. There is no wavering in God’s truth. Truth does not change according to polling data or by decisions handed down by Congress or the Supreme Court. Why? It is God’s truth. Truth is what God says. Main Points: 1. We don’t usually think of a …

God has ordained that His Word would last forever. No man can destroy the Word of God. It remains throughout every season and every generation. Main Points: 1. Scripture has never been more available than it is today. As of September 2020, the full Bible has been translated into 704 languages, and the New Testament has been translated into an addit…

Out of all the prayers we pray, there is one prayer that is more difficult than all the others. It is the prayer of surrender. The prayer of submission to God is harder than all other prayers. It requires great trust in God. It demands a letting go of our control. It’s releasing the situation in God’s hands and trusting Him to meet the need as He s…

Satisfaction apart from Christ is an elusive search. Our flesh craves more and more. More everything. More anything. No matter what we have, whether it’s money, possessions, recognition, sex, accomplishment, or experiences, we still want more. Yet, like Rockefeller, we have discovered that more doesn’t satisfy. Main Points: 1. What is satisfaction …

Jesus leaves the glory and majesty of Heaven and takes on flesh and blood. He becomes one of us. He doesn’t leave his deity behind, but he takes on humanity. He is fully God and fully human at the same time. Yes, it is miraculous. Main Points: 1. Not only does Jesus take on humanity. He moves into our world, our neighborhood, our very lives. He exp…

It’s so easy to become distracted and to turn our eyes to other things. Whether it’s other people, mistakes or failures, or simply the cares of life, we are tempted to look away from Jesus. We don’t usually do this intentionally, we just become distracted. Main Points: 1. The scripture likens the Christian life to a race that is to be finished. We …

Can I give you a word of encouragement? Your unsaved family members are on the mind of God. While He won’t force anyone to believe in Him, He is actively pursuing them through His Holy Spirit. In fact, scripture tells us this is the reason God has delayed the return of Christ. Main Points: 1. First, let me encourage you to pray faithfully and consi…

Obedience comes down to simply taking God at his Word and doing what he has said. We bring ourselves to this obedience because we fear the Lord. He is God and we are not. We submit to his lordship and leadership in our lives. Main Points: 1. I want to take Him at His Word. I want to readily obey the instructions of Scripture, simply because God has…

Often in Scripture, our relationship with God is described as a walk. Sometimes we’ll use the phrase “we are on a journey.” This idea goes back to the relationship Adam and Eve had with God in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:8 - “God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” Main Points: 1. When I preach funerals, I’ll often say, “The …