The experience of human suffering has perplexed minds ever since the fall. For Christians, the question of suffering rises to a new level of importance because of our belief in the sovereignty of our loving and merciful God. In Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, John Piper and friends tackle some…

God’s Comfort—2 Cor. 1:1-5 Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting 4/22/09 Trouble is an inescapable consequence of living in this world. Today, we hear everywhere of people doing horrible things to themselves and others. Job 14:1- Sometimes is this trouble God seems afar off- Job 13:24- this was certainly the…

This is going to be fast and maybe feel like trying to drink out of a fire hydrant…because I want us to swim in the depth of the joy God has promised us and not to miss out on the joy set before us. Why? BecauseJoy is necessary…happiness is commanded to the church. Why? Because we were created to glorify…

Introduction READ TEXT Illustration : Super Heroes discovering their powers/privileges Here in Romans is where we discover the benefits/blessings of being “in Christ” Justified, set free, a new life (out of autonomy and self-sufficiency, adopted, heirs. Here we see more of what it means to be “in Christ”…

God understands that we live in a broken and suffering world. Jesus came to live in this world and experienced the same pain and grief. Which is why He calls us to lean into Him, His love, and His church for healing and love.

The End Times Sermon #7 Smyrna-The Suffering, Rich Church Revelation 2:8-11 Intro : The city of Smyrna was located some 35 miles north of Ephesus. It was a prosperous city with a population of over 100,000 in John’s day. That location has been inhabited for over 3,000 years and no one knows for sure…

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, The living presence of the Holy Spirit in believers leads to Christlike virtues within them, just as a living tree will bear good fruit. God expects his people to bear spiritual fruit 4 What more could…

Life is not easy. You may feel like things are going along pretty well and then suddenly, like the flip of a switch, life changes, You get a troubling call from a Doctor You are told the company is downsizing and you are left out Someone you thought was your friend turns on you There is an accident Someone…

The Seven Churches of Revelation B. To the Church in Smyrna(2:8-11). 8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who…

In the United States, a person who runs for major political office usually has to undergo a process known as “vetting” as part of their campaign. The idea of the vetting process is to dig deeply into the person’s past to see if you can turn up anything that would undermine them as a candidate. During…

Scripture provides examples of types of hardship which people may expect to encounter.

Intro 2020… what else do I need to say? It’s been a year. Because it’s been that kind of year, most of our messages have been pretty heavy. So today, I want to shift gears for a few weeks. We have been fighting the pandemic along with being in an election year so I think we need to lighten if up a bit……