The letter Paul wrote to the Ephesians is all about what it means to be “Alive in Christ.”Have you ever wondered what it would take to come truly alive? To be alive in Christ is to be abundantly alive forevermore. In this series through Ephesians, we’ll be exploring this topic in detail. The Book … [Read More…] The Word of His Grace
The resurrection changes everything. But for many people, the resurrection is just a fact until we get the call with the goodness that changes our lives. In this Easter Sunday sermon, we explore 3 vignettes of people when they first discovered the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. The resurrection had already taken place, but … [Read More…] When Jesus Calls Your Name
Throughout this series, we’ve seen how our orphan hearts tend to look to everything but God for the significance, security, and satisfaction we long for deep down. We’ve seen how we look to people, power, and possessions to know who we are. And, how they all end up letting us down. But the good … [Read More…] Living as a Child of God
In this sermon, we look at the 9th and final identity trap: Solomon aimed for satisfaction through possessions. King Solomon was one of three great kings who ruled over Israel. King Solomon’s story is a fascinating and cautionary tale. The story begins fairly well and things seem to be going so great, but then … [Read More…] Solomon’s Trap—Seeking Satisfaction Through Possessions
In this sermon, we look at Naomi’s identity trap: looking for satisfaction through power. We meet Naomi in the Old Testament book of Ruth. Ruth is Naomi’s daughter-in-law. Usually, when we study this book, we’re focused in on the beautiful love story that takes place between Ruth and Boaz. And Naomi is sort of … [Read More…] Naomi—Seeking Satisfaction Through Power
In this sermon, we turn the corner to our desire for satisfaction and how that too so often leads us into the trap of looking to people, power, or possessions instead of the ultimate satisfaction that is ours in Jesus. Our story is taking from John 4, where a find a pivotal conversation between … [Read More…] Samaritan’s Trap—Seeking Satisfaction Through People
In this sermon, we explore Naaman’s security trap—seeking security through possessions. As we follow along in 2 Kings 5, we’ll discover a new and better identity as a child of God. 1) Naaman’s Hardship Naaman’s story is somewhere in the middle 60 years of Elisha’s ministry. Naaman means “gracious.” He is the commander … [Read More…] Naaman—Seeking Security Through Possessions
In this sermon, we look back over 3 millennia to the story of Gideon and his identity trap—seeking security through power. 1) Gideon’s Test Gideon was a tribal warrior leader-judge. His story takes place between 1179-1154 BC and is recorded in the Book of Judges chapter 6. The context of the story is … [Read More…] Gideon—Seeking Security Through Power
In this sermon, we go back 2,500 years to the Medo-Persian Empire to discover Esther’s identity trap—seeking security through people. Through the story, we’ll see how God loves her out of her orphan-hearted identity and into the true security of living as a child of God. Esther’s Secret: The story begins with King Xerxes … [Read More…] Esther—Seeking Security Through People
The Book of Ephesians is about God’s plan for the fullness of time to unite all things throughout eternity. God’s plan is the biggest logistic undertaking of all time. Against that backdrop, we get a prayer report from Paul in Ephesians 3 about the way he prays for the church. Paul’s primary point is … [Read More…] Bigger Prayer, Bigger God
