Date: 2/25/2018
Title: Little Faith vs. Great Faith
Speaker: Pastor George Gracie
Scripture: Matthew 17:14-20
In Matthew 17 the disciples find themselves unable to deliver a demon possessed boy. Jesus rebukes his disciples telling them that it is their lack of faith that prevented them, reminding them that faith like a grain of mustard seed could move mountains. Likewise, faith is central to God moving in our lives.
Date: 2/18/2018
Title: Jesus Only
Speaker: Pastor George Gracie
Scripture: Matthew 17:1-13
In Matthew 17 Jesus is transfigured with Moses and Elijah appearing with him. Peter responds with a desire to build three tents to honor them. Peter was still speaking about this, a voice broke through declaring Jesus alone to be God’s Son. Upon lifting up their eyes, Peter, James and John saw Jesus only. Likewise, we need to move past our preconceptions and see Jesus only.
Date: 2/11/2018
Title: The Cross Over Comfort
Speaker: Pastor Darryl J. Stalter
Scripture: Matthew 16:21-27
Somehow, we have bought into the belief that God’s primary desire is for us to be comfortable, to be happy, to achieve all our dreams, and to have everything we want. We have bought into the lie that states the since God is love, if you have enough faith you will never experience discomfort, sadness, suffering, loss, sickness, or defeat. And because of this, when the realities of life come crashing down we start doubting God and blame him for not fulfilling these false promises we have believed. In Matthew 16 Jesus commands us to take up our cross and follow him. We are to told to choose the way of the cross over this deceptive comfort.
Date: 2/4/2018
Title: The Only Question That Really Matters
Speaker: Pastor Darryl J. Stalter
Scripture: Matthew 16:13-20
Questions. Life is full of them; however, not all questions are equal. Some questions are not really that important at all. Other questions are more vital and important. Questions like: Who am I? Where did I come from? What is my purpose? Why does a universe exist? Is there an absolute truth, and if so what is it? The answers to these questions are very important, as they shape our lives, our views, our behaviors, our families, our neighborhoods, our cities, our states, our nations, and our world. In Matthew 16 Jesus reminds us that there is really one question that matters, the answer to which answers all other important questions.
Date: 1/28/2018
Title: Beware!
Speaker: Pastor Darryl J. Stalter
Scripture: Matthew 16:1-12
With so many conflicting teachings surrounding Christianity, often from supposed experts, charismatic teachers, and those with a massive twitter following, it is too easy to believe a false teaching without realizing it and without understanding how that can affect the whole of your Christian understanding and practice. In Matthew 16 Jesus warns us: Beware!
Date: 1/21/2018
Title: Compassion at Work
Speaker: Pastor George Gracie
Scripture: Matthew 15:29-39, Mark 7
Compassion. It is more than just a feeling. It is being moved to doing something about the suffering we see. In Matthew 15 Jesus takes time in his ministry to express compassion in meeting people in the midst of their pain with a compassion that works. Jesus calls us to the same compassion.
Date: 1/14/2017
Title: The Unusual Encounter
Speaker: Pastor George Gracie
Scripture: Matthew 15:21-28
In Matthew 15 we see Jesus in the midst of an unusual encounter. In this encounter, Jesus responds to a Canaanite woman’s request to heal her daughter in an unusual and unexpected way. Although Jesus’ response can at first glance seem overtly harsh, it provided an opportunity for the woman to demonstrate he persistent and humble faith.
Date: 12/31/2017
Title: A Clean Slate
Speaker: Pastor George Gracie
Scripture: Psalm 51; Hosea 3
As we begin a new year, we often reflect on the past. For some of us, that past is marred by mistakes and sin. In Psalm 51 and Hosea 3 we learn that God offers us a clean slate in Jesus Christ and we can star over no matter what time of year it is.
Date: 12/24/2017
Title: The Star: A Journey to Christmas
Speaker: Pastor George Gracie
Scripture: Various
We have celebrated this Christmas season with a journey. It was a journey of hope, love, joy, and peace. Most of all, it has been a journey to a manger where lay the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, in whom all hope, love, joy, and peace is found.
