Results

"An elderly woman who had many troubles and yet retained a happy face and cheerful heart was asked her secret. She said that for many years she had kept a 'Pleasure Book.' Every evening she wrote in it something pleasant that had happened to her that day. Sometimes she had an enjoyable walk, or someone…

NOTES: This is a manuscript, and not a transcript of this message. The actual presentation of the message differed from the manuscript through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is possible, and even likely that there is material in this manuscript that was not included in the live presentation…

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives…

Good afternoon. It's a joy to gather together once again in the presence of the Lord. As we gather today, I want to extend a warm welcome to each and every one of you. Whether you've been a part of our community for years or you're here for the very first time, you are a vital part of this family, and…

God’s Fire: Refining Gold Week 4 This past Thursday, a few of us from Faith enjoyed Sr. Citizens Day at Camp Pearl. There were plenty of donuts and coffee, and we ate a Thanksgiving meal. We also got to hear from Pastor Chuck Lusk, a church planter and recently retired Afghanistan veteran. He experienced…

“What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” William Shakespeare uses this line in his play Romeo and Juliet to convey that a name is nothing but a name… OR IS THERE??? Is there something more to this name “Christian”???… follow along as we read from 1 Peter…

Intro: My experience going to the hospital I can assure you that was one of the messiest, middle of the night, situations that I have ever been in. It was painful at its best and beyond uncomfortable. I could not escape it. Have you ever had that happen before? You know, just a messy or uncomfortable…

Faith In The Fire or Joy In The Traffic Jam All of the scripture this morning is predicated upon the righteousness of one man, Abraham- that righteousness was given to him because of his faith.... the previous chapters are summed up in the passage, “Abraham believed God and righteousness was imputed…

Introduction We’re continuing our study of James He was the half-brother to Jesus Earliest book written, in the 40’s This is a letter is all about how our faith should affect our works, deeds, actions. I left out a note on the word “Greetings” in verse 1. It is the usual greeting with which, as the papyri…

Suffering. Hurt. Rejection. Surely God wouldn’t let righteous people go through hard times. God guarantees our lives on earth to be healthy, prosperous, and for us to have money. Honestly my friends, no way. This is such a lie that we can believe that can leave us doubting God’s goodness. It can lead…

James 1:2–4 (ESV) — 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when…

The historic Christian Church gave Latin titles to each Sunday. They titled the Third Sunday in Advent “Gaudete,” which means “Rejoice!” As we reach the midway point of Advent, we remember that when the King shall come, he will bring us perfect and everlasting joy. Joy is not the same thing as happiness.…

Intro Peter is writing to the elect exiles. Directly applies to us, for we are elect exiles in this world. Living Hope v.3 Hope is the key. Not hope like this world has, and anxious desire for something to happen. Christian hope is a confident anticipation for what we know God will do. It is called hope…

Scripture Reading Psalm 24 Good morning. As we gather today we sit under the King of Glory. The one who created the universe. Who created you and me and who knows the beginning and the end. Let us start today remembering who is in control all of the time. Let us look at our Catechism question for the…

A song that came out some years ago says, “Don’t worry, be happy”. The problem is that the song never tells you how to be happy. Paul doesn’t tell us to be happy, in fact the Bible never promises happiness, instead he says to rejoice, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Joy is described…

1 Peter 1:6-9 We have spent the last few weeks exploring different passages on loving God. We know that the Lord told us in Mark 12:30 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. So…

If one’s creed does not control one’s conduct, his creed is worthless! In his book, In The Eye of the Storm , Max Lucado tells the story of Chippie the Parakeet… Chippie never saw it coming… one minute he is perched peacefully in his cage… and other next he is sucked in, washed up, and blown over! It…

Introduction: I’m quite sure you’ve heard the saying, “When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade”. And if you’re familiar with that saying then you understand that it is a challenge to our Perspective on what life can sometimes bring. Life is not fair, and is often filled with the harsh reality of various…

INTRODUCTION Let’s turn together in our Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1. & we’re gonna read verses 6-9 . 1 Peter 1:6-9 . & when you find that in your Bible Pls stand for the reading of God’s Word. The title of today’s teaching is: How to Rejoice Through Our Trials. In 1 Peter 1:6-9 ...…

What can we assume about James from his introduction of himself in verse 1? To whom is James writing and how does he refer to them ? ( James 1:1-2 ) James tells his readers to, “count it all joy when ye fall into divers (various) temptations (trials),” . Discuss your own experiences and how you have…

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead brought to an end the power of our common enemies — sin, death, and the devil. Life for the people of God should be pleasant, a mere step away from heaven. The victory is complete, and it is ours. But it seems like the battle continues to rage in the form of tests…

Welcome Prayer Engage / Tension Before we begin reading James, it’s important to look at some of the details about the book like authorship, who it was written to, and the reason it was written in the first place. If you can guess, the book of James was most likely written by James, the half brother…

Introduction: If you would please turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter 4:12-19 Illustration: Imagine you are a Christian living in a country where your faith is illegal and persecuted. You face constant threats, harassment, and violence from the authorities and the society. How would you feel? How would you…

It’s not a question of if we will face trials, but when. We live in a fallen world, with the darkness of sin present everywhere. It is no surprise, then, that those who follow Jesus Christ will experience hardships, opposition, trials of every kind. Jesus Himself warned His disciples that in this world…

Now I will tell you what! preparing this weeks sermon was quite difficult! I spent a lot of time working through this text. reading commentaries and wrestling with the themes that seemed at first to not really flow into the kindo cohesive whole that is easy to understand. And quite frankly it wasn’t…