In the account of the rich young ruler, people get caught up in what he was asked to give up; that is probably a commentary on how deep a hold…
Peter wraps up his first letter with a call to be watchful, resist the devil, and stand firm in the faith. He does this because we have a real enemy…
The air that we breathe is hostile towards humility. Peter concludes his first book by making clear that humility is the key to finding real rest in the chaos that…
We all spend a lot of time trying to justify ourselves. Sometime believers get discouraged because they aren't getting better faster. That can lead them to run away from God…
In this second part of Romans 6, Pastor Dave lays out in 5 practical steps how we defeat sin. The steps include knowing our position in Christ and then responding…
Part Three of Romans is about living the Christian life. So far we have looked at condemnation and justification. Today we start sanctification. Sanctification is God's work of making us…
This Easter we are celebrating via the internet. Our theme is Jesus' victory over death. In this Easter message we see that death is unnatural. We weren't created to die…
The results of Adam and Eve's disobedience have reached through the centuries. Two of those consequences are a broken relationship with God and the decay and death of all creation.…
Living by faith is the point of Romans 4. It is by faith alone, in Christ alone, for His glory alone. In this text, Pastor Dave reminds us that Old…
How can anyone be righteous apart from their behavior? The answer is in Romans 3:21 and following. There is a righteousness that was promised 430 years before the Law of…
Many Jews thought their place in heaven was reserved because they were Jewish, and because they had been circumcised. Once Paul explains that neither will save them, they are left…
What happens to people who have no access to a Bible? Paul anticipates the question as he shares how people are judged who have the law and how they are…
When David sinned against God with Bathsheba, his greatest fear was God removing His Spirit from Him. In this message in Romans we see the consequences of not repenting quickly.…
There are a lot of modern distortions of the church. The Bible makes clear that the church isn't a building, nor is it an order of superior priests. The Church…
Acts 1:8 explains that we are witnesses. For many that word brings fear, anxiety, and guilt. In this message we look at the difference between your part and God's part.…
When Jesus shares the parable of the sheep and the goats it sounds like the ones who had compassion on the poor, imprisoned, and sick will get to heaven and…
"Why are you here?" is the question posed in this message. The Scriptures are actually very clear that we have been left here for ministry. Pastor Dave takes a look…
It is my conviction that every believer has to deal with strongholds. Strongholds are areas where Satan has taken a natural desire and supercharged it to create something that controls us.…
Suffering is a common experience. In this message Pastor Dave looks at a philosophical question generated by pain. He also explores the theological answer to suffering and a few practical…
Every believer is equipped to hear from God. Jesus said that the indwelling Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth. In this message Pastor Dave teaches about how we…
In Acts 2:42 we have the job description for every believer. As the church explodes on the scene of history, they begin to establish the key commitments. These four things…
Why do verses 9 through 20 of Mark 16 have a parenthesis that says "Earlier manuscripts do not include these verses"? This message explains the manuscript evidence we have and…
As Jesus prepared His disciples to be His witnesses he encouraged them to press on, even if the world hated them. The cultural Christianity that pervades the US churches is…
In this message from John 15:12-17 we look at Jesus' command to "love one another". This was not a call to love the world, but a call to the disciples…
Jesus invites His followers to abide in Him. This high honor is not meant to be something for the Spiritually elite, but is for every follower. We are invited to…
What do you need to know about the end times? The day before Jesus was arrested He sat down with his inner circle and told them what to watch for…
In Mark 12, Jesus gives the Jewish religious leaders a clear warning about their plan to kill the Son of God. He speaks to them out of the very Psalm…
Immediately after Jesus tells them that he is going to die in Jerusalem a third time, James and John ask if they can sit on His right and left. Talk…
This week in Mark, Jesus encounters the rich young ruler. The text says that Jesus loved him. In our culture we seem to think that love equals acceptance of everything.…
The heading in the Bible says "Teaching About Divorce" for Mark 10:1-12. But actually it was the Pharisees trying to get Jesus in trouble, the people wanting to know the…
A lot of people in our culture want to make Jesus into a blob of love and forgiveness. Of course those are part of His attributes, but He is also…
Nobody likes to fail, but a failed attempt at something can be a great teacher. The disciples fail to cast out an unclean Spirit and it becomes a teaching opportunity…
In Mark 8 Jesus begins to set his face toward the cross. He also begins training the disciples. Lesson #1- the values and truths of the Kingdom will collide with…
This week we are taking a look at what the Bible says about baptism. We are celebrating 9 baptisms this morning and then talking about the process of coming to…
This Easter morning we took a look at the first Easter. The first Easter wasn't a joy-filled victory celebration. It began wondering if there was any hope at all. It…
The cross of Christ is a place of senseless cruelty and amazing grace. As we look at chapter 15 of Mark we see the rejection of the religious leaders, the…
Statistics tell us that fewer and fewer people believe in hell these days. Yet the Bible hasn't changed at all. There is a phenomenon called the unintentional results. The unintentional…
A few signs of the Messiahs arrival would be that He would be anointed to bring good news for the poor, heal the blind, and set captives free (Isa. 62).…
Have you ever been gripped by fear or doubt? The storm that caught the disciples on the sea of Galilee terrified them. They woke Jesus up in a panic and…
Jesus used parables for clarity and confusion. The parable of the sower is the first public parable that he uses specifically to help those who are part of the kingdom…
C.S. Lewis first suggested that Jesus was either a liar, lunatic, or Lord. Mark chapter 3 may well be the place where he got that information. In this account, Jesus…
Are you hard hearted? Most people don't think they are, but hard heartedness affects your ability to see the truth. In these four short snap shots, Mark reveals some hard…
In this message on the calling of Levi we see that Jesus was a friend of sinners. Pastor Dave showed us some of the context and the helped us see…
The crowd came to Jesus to be healed. Some stayed and became committed while others fell away, or were critics. Jesus came to address sin. In this account of the…
These four fishermen never thought of themselves as world changers, but Jesus knew they would be. He called them to follow and immediately he shared a clear message of repentance.…
On the outskirts of the inner circle around Jesus was a young teenager named John Mark. He was there when Jesus was arrested and ran for his life. He was…
Imagine being stuck in a cave with no lights. After a while the darkness would begin to feel oppressive. Then imagine a tiny light starting to appear. It was into…
What's in a name? Isaiah gives 4 names to Jesus, the first of which is Wonderful Counselor. In this message we look at the characteristics of kings, the results of…
Every Christmas we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. This year we are looking at Isaiah's prophetic words about the coming Messiah. We begin by examining the unusual, joyful,…
Some sin clings to us like a leaf that doesn't drop in the fall, but it will drop when the new life of spring courses through the tree. In the…
Many people think that Christianity is about improving your behavior. A crucified life isn't about improving a behavior or two, it's a core exchange of purpose and identity. This week…
Just because our culture has reassigned sin titles that are not nearly as offensive doesn't mean God no longer cares about sin. This is the first of 3 messages on…
Guilt and shame are two results of the fall that follow us to the grave. In this message we explore two distortions of the normal guilt and shame from the…
The Psalms are filled with heartfelt expressions of the battle between David's fallen soul and the Spirit of God. In this message we look at how our emotions flow from…
Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies it will not bear fruit. Our lives are that seed. I have been crucified with Christ it is no longer my life. A…
"There is therefore now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." When you read this verse, do you add a phrase beginning with the word, "unless?" This week…
What does Paul mean when he says, "If I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it?" Is this the lamest excuse in the…
In this message Paul begins to describe the battle that wages war inside of all believers. He explains that the law is good, but we are not. You may find…
Why did Jesus have to die? This is an important question to answer. Although justice is a difficult concept the Scriptures are clear that God has assigned the wage of…
Today we introduced a new series called "Following Jesus Will Kill You." This series is based on Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ..." This message starts the series by…
The final sermon in the Life Practices series is on investing eternally. As we grow spiritually we realize that we can trade temporary things for eternal ones. This sermon focuses…
Sometimes the instructions God gives in His word are the direct way that we are to address a problem. In this message you will see that a life of praise…
This week we began our new series called "Life Practices." Over the next few Sundays we'll explore different spiritual disciplines to grow in our walk with Christ. This message focuses…