Unmet Expectations
Knowing many people are interested in Christ for all the wrong reasons, we must be vigilant about maintaining a thoroughly biblical view of God and the Christian life amid all voices to the contrary.
Sanctification
Strength in Frailty
We must be continually mindful of our inherent human frailty, knowing that God wants us to be spiritually strong by trusting in his varied provisions as we seek to live for Christ and serve his cause.
Submitting to His Sovereign Authority
We must be very careful that we do not evade our responsibility to submit to Christ’s lordship by seeking excessive information or unneeded confirmation when the application of God’s word is sufficiently clear.
Living the Christian Life
True Christians must be fearless and faithful as stewards of God’s message of reconciliation in a defiant culture until Christ returns to reward his ambassadors.
The Impact of Repentance
Dig into the key verse for Book of Luke. We should rejoice in our salvation and pursue our sanctification knowing that when God works repentance in our lives his forgiving grace entirely covers our sins and permanently redirects our lives.
Loving God’s Holy Standards
If we love Christ we will love what he loves and hate the sins for which he died and which cause such great damage to the body of Christ.
Christ. Freedom & the Resurrection
For those of us who believe Christ’s teaching and continue to trust in him, God promises to release us from the eternal penalty of sin, helping us now to increasingly overcome the corrupting power of sin in our lives.
The Fear of Being Unprepared
We must make certain that we are personally and spiritually prepared for the powerful, glorious, and imminent return of Christ; and rightly be fearful if we are not.
The Fear of God
We must understand the clear and repeated call to fear God, first in view of our need for salvation and then in view of his absolute and ultimate authority over every aspect of our lives.
Taming Fire
God has granted us the powerful gift of communication, which we must employ with great care and deference to the good intentions of our all-knowing and all-hearing God.
I Can't Lord, I Have to Put Family First
While our biological families can be a great blessing to our Christian life, we must be prepared because they can easily pose a challenge to us keeping Christ as the unrivaled Lord of our lives.
I Can’t Lord, It Would be Too Painful
It is easy to fool ourselves (and others) with the words we use to express our loyalty to Christ, what matters is possessing a faith that expresses itself by a willingness to follow him despite the costs.
Better to Give than Receive: Reflecting the Incarnational Love of Christ
Christ should be our example in how we are to sacrificially love when people are difficult, trusting that God will faithfully reward those who imitate Christ.
Confident in His Power to Protect
Extreme examples of demonization can provide us with insight into Satan’s agenda regarding our own lives, making us vigilant but always confident in Christ’s supreme power and authority.
Excuses that Interfere with Our Preparation
We often make excuses attempting to rebuff the conviction that comes with God’s truth, but we must learn to concede his good purpose for us and respond with humble obedience.
Understanding Obedience as Christ Does
Obedience to the word of God is a fundamental duty of the Christian life – one that is forsaken at great personal cost, and one that is ultimately rewarded with lasting benefits.
The Practical Value of Integrity
As we consider Christ’s hatred of hypocrisy, we should at the same time consider the explicit and implicit benefits that are derived from living a Christlike life of integrity.
Bethlehem: The Epicenter of a Divine Revolution
God’s choice of Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah should stir up in our biblical memories a number of remarkable reasons why God graciously sent Christ in the first place.
Carnal Christians
Is there such thing as a “carnal” Christian? Pastor Mike takes a look at what the Bible has to say about this cultural title.
Are All Sins the Same?
Is murder worse than lying in God’s eyes? Or are all sins the same? Pastor Mike takes a look at Scripture to determine how God views sin.
When Life Really Hurts
Though the next life will be characterized by happiness and joy, for now, because of sin in our world and in our lives Christians will have plenty of grief and a lot for which to mourn.
When You’re Not Satisfied
We must discern that there is no true or lasting satisfaction in any temptation to sin, knowing that every feeling of deprivation in doing what is right is always an investment that God rewards.
Traditions & Authentic Rules
Christ’s dispute with the Pharisees regarding what constituted proper OT ceremonial obedience is a model for us as we consider our obedience to the moral rules of the NT.
Wants & Genuine Needs
We must see the surpassing importance of the obedience God asks of us compared to the relative unimportance of most of the personal things we ask of him.
Managing Your Ambitions
We need to guard against Satan’s incessant temptation to have us seek greatness at the wrong time, in the wrong way, and for the glory of the wrong person.
Curbing Your Appetites
We must be vigilant to the ways our legitimate desires are exploited to entice us to disregard God’s promised provision so we’ll pursue unbiblical means of satisfaction.
Living In Light of Our Coming Judgment
All of our decisions about “gray areas” need to be carefully and soberly considered in light of our future accountability at the bema seat of Christ.