Date: 5/1/2016
Title: A Heart Response (Part 2)
Speaker: Pastor George Gracie
Scripture: Matthew 5:6
We are what we eat, and we eat that for which we have an appetite. Although this axiom refers to food and our physical bodies, it is also true of our souls. Jesus makes this point in the Sermon on the Mount when he declares “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
Date: 4/24/2016
Title: A Heart Response (Part 1)
Speaker: Pastor George Gracie
Scripture: Matthew 5:4-5; Numbers 12
Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount by declaring “blessed” are those who mourn and those who are meek.
Everyone experiences sad and tragic losses at some time or another, often of those we love. Yet, Jesus describes another type of mourning that is deeper: the mourning over our personal sin before a holy God.
This mourning, should in turn spur us onto meekness. This is not to be confused as weakness, as the world often presents it. Rather, meekness is a freeing and empowering humility before God and others.
Date: 4/17/2016
Title: The Importance of Being Poor in Spirit
Speaker: Pastor George Gracie
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-3; Psalm 51
We live in a world that exalts self and prizes self-sufficiency. Yet, this is not the way to enter the kingdom of heaven. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus marks out a different way to the kingdom of heaven: being poor in spirit.
Date: 4/10/2016
Title: The True Ministry of Jesus
Speaker: Darryl Stalter
Scripture: Matthew 4:12-25
In our world of competing and conflicting messages, it is often confusing to know which one to listen too. Unfortunately, this is also true concerning the true nature of the message and ministry of Christ. With so many competing views to choose from, how is one supposed to make a decision? Fortunately for us, Jesus clearly defines his ministry and message in the Bible.
Date: 4/3/2016
Title: Facing Temptation
Speaker: Darryl Stalter
Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11
Temptation is something we all face. Temptation often makes what is dangerous and what wants to consume us look both attractive and nourishing. How do we face such temptation? We do not have to guess. Jesus also not only faced temptation, but showed us the way to face and to overcome it.