Luke 1:26-38 “The Glory of Christmas: Mary”

Message: Luke 1:26-38 “The Glory of Christmas: Mary”

Advent begins this week and so we begin a new Advent message series. This first message will focus on a truth we can learn from the life of Mary. Mary’s plans changed that day the angel of the Lord encountered her with a new set of plans leading to the glory of that first Christmas in a Bethlehem stable. She could tarry and worry, or she could trust and wait on the Lord over the next nine months to fulfill His plans and carry her into motherhood. Mary chose to trust and wait. She chose to let God carry her through upcoming days of uncertainty, questions from society about her character, hardships on her husband who also would need some time to process this new change of plans.

Our God knows the plans He has for all of us. As crazy as those plans may seem at times, they are plans for our welfare and not for our evil. They are plans to give us hope and a future. And that future includes a capacity to experience and enjoy the glory of Christmas.

 

  

Romans 7 7-25 “Faults & Faith”

Message: Romans 7 7-25 “Faults & Faith”

In this final message we’ll take a look at how Torah wasn’t prescribed to fix our faults, but rather to reveal them. Since Torah, or the Law, which is rules and regulations, can’t fix us, the Gospel turns us toward the solution, which is the Grace of God in Jesus Christ and the power of the Spirit at work in our lives. We’ll see how facing our faults is a mark of the mature believer. 

Romans 6:11-23 “Everyone Serves Something or Someone”

Message: Romans 6:11-23 “Everyone Serves Something or Someone”

Last week we talked about the two ways that are open to us. There is the Way of Adam and then there is the Way of Christ. This week we continue that discussion in more vivid detail. In Romans 6 Paul essentially says that everyone services something or someone, so who or what do you serve? We were made to serve God, which actually brings us greater freedom. Yet, we often choose to serve lesser beings or ideas, which ultimately place us in bondage and lead to death.

 

  

Romans 5:12-21, 8:1-12 “There’s Another Way”

Message: Romans 5:12-21, 8:1-12 “There’s Another Way”

In these passages, Paul reveals the two ways that are open to humanity. One is the Way of Adam, which is the way of ‘men.’ That way leads to destruction. But a new way has been opened up, which is the Way of Christ. This is the Way of Grace, and is not brought about by anything we can do, but received by faith in what God has done for us. This is a faith requires incredible trust in God rather than taking situations into our own hands by means of control. It is a faith that extends grace to others. 

Romans 4:1-25 “Replacing the Law”

Message: Romans 4:1-25 “Replacing the Law”

The Jewish people replaced Faith with the Torah (right practice). Christians replaced Faith with Theology (right belief). Both are a form of salvation by works. But Faith was never meant to be replaced by anything. Genuine faith ultimately leads to both sound beliefs and good works. Rather than replacing faith, they flow from faith. So the question is, why do we do what we do? Are we seeking to earn something, or does what we do simply flow out of our faith because our faith makes us who we are? Faith does not seek a reward because the life that flows from it is it’s own reward.