Browse our Sermon Series:
The Assurance of God in Us
1 John 4:13–21 | One of the key themes of 1 John is that true believers love one another. John has continued to make this point throughout the letter. And last week, as we studied verses 4:7-12, we saw the simple command to love one another in light of the audaciously gracious love of God. And while we can say “Amen” to that with our mouths and understand it in our heads, the reality is that many of us can struggle with this in one of two ways. The first struggle is that we can doubt that God can truly love us like that. And the second struggle is that we can despair that we are failing at loving others as God loves us. But John does not want us to despair or to question God’s love for us. He desperately wants to assure us of God’s love for us and His abiding in us which is evidenced by a confidence before God and a love for others.
In Sorrow and In Suffering
Psalm 88:1-18 | What comes to mind when you think of the word lament? We typically use the word in expressing sorrow or regret. For example, “I’m lamenting that I didn’t join them for the weekend retreat,” or “I lament the loss of our friendship.” However, lament is a specific language that God has given us to bring our sorrows before Him. In fact, the Bible is full of examples of lament. A full 1/3 of the Psalms are considered Psalms of lament. The reality is that life is hard, and we will face trouble and sorrow on this earth, and yet we look forward to a time when we will dwell with God, where there will be no more tears and no more suffering. But until then, lament is a language given to us by God to navigate the reality of the present with the promise of the future. In this message, we study one of the darkest and saddest Psalms of lament in the Bible. And yet, we will find in this Psalm some surprising truths that will lead us to trust and hope in the sovereign God of our eternal salvation, even in the midst of sorrow and suffering.
The Power of the Name of Jesus
Acts 19:1-20 | Many of us have learned during our lives that there can be power in a name. There are few things more awkward than calling someone by the wrong name, but few things more beneficial than knowing the right names at the right times in the right circumstances.
As Christians, we know that there is one name that is above all names: Jesus. In fact, at Harvest, we often sing about the power of the name of Jesus. But what are some of the specific ways that this power is manifest in our lives?
In this message, we open God’s Word to Acts 19 and find Paul returning to the city of Ephesus as he begins his third missionary journey. And as Paul begins an extended time of ministry in Ephesus, we will see specifically how the name of Jesus has an extraordinary impact on individual lives as well as the entire region. One of the events, in particular, is definitely not something you will read about in the “Precious Moments Bible.”