Generosity is a defining hallmark of God's people throughout our history, all the way back to the first century, when The Apostle Paul organized an effort for Christians from all over the Mediterrenean to give generously to their brothers in Judea to buy them food in a time of famine. In this message, we learn these lesson from a straightforward textual study of 2 Corinthians 8-9.

This message, preached on Father's Day 2015, discusses the importance of passing our faith down on to our children. Obviously, they don't just inherit that faith—they must choose to make it their own. But, there is so much that we can do encourage them to do just that: to lay hold of the truth about Christ and develop their own lasting convictions in that.Note: This sermon was heavily inspired by a sermon that a friend of mine—Don Truex—wrote. Outline used with permission.

Sometimes, trying to raise godly kids can feel like trying to build something with no blueprints; we're never quite sure what the next move should be. But, God hasn't left us to completely wing it — he's taught us some wisdom for thinking about how to train our kids to maturity. In this lesson, we look to the book of Proverbs for four parenting concepts that will help Christian moms & dads as we guide our kids to become saints who give glory to God.

This message talks about the unity of believers, based on a prophecy about the city of Jerusalem from back in Isaiah. The prophecies of the Old Testament were already teaching God's people so much of the grand truth about the church; we would do well to look back and see that once in awhile for the clarity it can add to our understanding the present.

It is God's nature, as revealed through the whole Bible, to be creative. That is, he often creates new things, bringing life again and again. This message highlights that element of his nature and shows why we can have the hope of salvation by seeing that nature at work and trusting in him to create new spiritual life in us.God creates. God resurrects. And God redeems.

The most important determining factor for our effectiveness in worship is this: Do we understand who GOD is? If we can  tune our hearts to that reality, then our ability to worship will take a qualitative leap forward. This message reminds us of his nature as it pertains to how we worship him.

In the years that I have spent teaching and preaching, a few subjects have garnered a good deal of pushback from Christians. One of those subjects is the virtue of Christian joy.This message was one lesson in a series on basic Christian character traits that I and several other men participated in. The goal was to give some clarity on the subject and to help people who genuinely struggle with the practice. I hope that it does the same thing for you!

Some believers are more accustomed to the term "The Lord's Supper" than to the designation, "Communion." But both terms are biblical, and they both describe an element of this worship activity that is important for us to consider. In this message, we talk about the fellowship aspect of communion—that it's something we share with Christ and with our fellow believers.This was my message spoken on the last time I will have the mic before my preaching predecessor moved away. He and his wife are beloved by this church and by me, so it was particularly important for me to get an opportunity to publicly express our love for them.

Jehoiada the High Priest is not a particularly well-known Bible character, but his story of integrity serves as a powerful example for us if we take the time to notice it. This message shines a light on his life and his interactions with the kings of God's people.

In John 17:1-5, Jesus begins offering a long prayer to God on the night of his betrayal and crucifixion. He begins the whole thing with a prayer that God's splendor and glory will shine through him, and for those who have the faith to see it, that's exactly what happened.