Advent 2021: Hope

Psalm 42: 5 - 6

We begin our Advent sermon series with the theme of “hope.” During this season, many of us hope for many things— a new Christmas sweater, a new iPad, new experiences, new relationships, etc., but these worldly hopes are not based on assurance.

Scriptural hope, on the other hand, is all about assurance because it is founded upon faith in Jesus the Messiah. While God’s hope looks forward to victorious life on earth, most importantly, Advent reminds us of the best promised hope— the return of Jesus in all His glory.

Standalone Sermons: Thankfulness

Philippians 4:8

Pastor Scott highlights different practices of gratitude that we can apply in confronting our natural habit to complain.

Proverbs: Trust First

Proverbs 3: 5 - 6

Assistant pastor John shares his story about how he’s been learning how to trust in the Lord in light of his diagnoses of muscular dystrophy and stage IV cancer.

Communion Sundays: Strengthening our Grip on the Anchor of our Souls

Hebrews 5:11 - 6:20

This message explores how Scripture teaches we are either growing and maturing in Christ or receding and drifting away from our Savior, that we are not static beings but in a dynamic process in which the Lord exhorts us to engage with His Word for growth and renewal.

Standalone Sermons: Just Keep Swimming

Acts 14: 1-7

Guest speaker Dexley Dorcely, assistant pastor of Faith Community Church in Providence, shares a message about staying faithful to the mission of preaching the gospel even when it gets hard.

Proverbs: Don't Hold Back

Proverbs 24:24-26

The message on this proverb spotlights the importance of speaking the truth to those who are “wicked.” It is a massive temptation for us, as Christians, to avoid speaking truthfully to people around us practicing wicked things. If we confront people about their sin, in most cases, it will not go well. And yet the passage offers a tremendous promise to us if we are faithful in the call to rebuke the wicked. Telling someone the truth about their sin is an act of tender love. Pray for courage to speak plainly. Ask God for a heart of compassion. Don’t hold back.

Communion Sundays: Simple Gospel

John 3: 16-18

To prepare us for communion, Pastor Scott unpacks one of the most popular Bible passages (John 3:16-18) to focus on God’s immense love and the power of belief in the gospel.

Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord

Proverbs 1:7

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning…” As believers in Jesus many of us love to sing and talk about the love and grace and mercy of God. But how often do we really think about the ”fear” of the Lord? In this message, John doesn’t try to define this term but looks at the truly awesome and sometimes terrifying stories in Scripture where people encounter the real presence of God in His glory and holiness and how they reacted. By peering at these we recognize the significance of truly knowing God through understanding of the fear of the Lord.

Communion Sundays: Aspects of Christ's Sacrifice

Hebrews 10:1-18

We explore the passage in Hebrews 10:1-18 in preparation for Communion Sunday. The message considers three aspects of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ: the singularity; the sovereignty; and the sufficiency of his sacrifice. As we posture ourselves to receive God's word, our hearts and minds are ready to fully respond to the invitation to come to the table of the Lord's Supper.

Proverbs: Rescue the Perishing

Proverbs 24:11

Every Christian should be a rescue worker. I’m not sure that’s what comes to mind when people think about Christians, even good Christians. If someone were to describe a devoted Christian they might say he or she believes in God, loves the Bible, attends church, is kind and generous, and does not participate in many sinful things society freely indulges in. 

This little verse in Proverbs, however, along with many other passages in the Bible, calls us to rescue people. But when we look at the people around us, we don’t see anyone drowning. No one we walk by on the way to work is sinking in quicksand or stuck underneath the rubble of a collapsed building. If we did happen to see someone in situations like this we probably wouldn’t personally try to rescue them but would contact trained rescue workers. This message asks, what is God exactly calling us to do?