Sermons

To review 2012 sermons, please click the links below to play an audio MP3 version of a sermon, read sermon summaries online, or download a printable PDF of sermon slides (if available). Unless otherwise noted sermons are by Pastor Tom. They are listed chronologically in order of the most recent sermon at the top.

February 2012

Mission in Uganda - 2-12-12. (No sound track.) James Harrington, founder and director of The Ugandan Water Project spoke about the power of simple projects to impact lives for Jesus. His project collects clean rain water for East African people who otherwise would have to walk 15 miles a day for dirty ground water. Please visit his website: www.ugandanwaterproject.com.

Prayer: Breath of Life - 2-5-12. PDF. MP3. This February we are considering the gifts & callings of the congregation by presenting different ministries currently active in our midst, beginning with prayer. This sermon summarizes two brief points about prayer from Ole Hallesby's 1931 classic ext on Prayer, followed by comments from some of the prayer leaders in our church, including the teens.

January 2012

Honor - 1-22-12. PDF. MP3. The Bible says we are to honor all people, especially fellow believers. Why is honor so important, and what is the proper Biblical understanding of honor? This powerful day of sharing includes comments on honor by Ret. Major Tim Woods, our Boy Scout troop leader, and a panel from our youth group who spent the month of January focusing on "honor."

Words of Great Encouragement, by Charles Spurgeon - 1-15-12. MP3. Bruce Chapman performing as Charles Spurgeon, presents interpretations of twelve scriptures excerpted from Spurgeon's sermons that bring encouragement for those wilderness seasons of our lives when the world seems to be pressing in all around us.

Love Story in a War Zone - 1-8-12. MP3. PDF. The Bible begins with a marriage and ends with a marriage. Ephesians tells us marriage is a type of Christ's love for the Church. What can we learn about the purpose of married life from the Bible's love story, set in the battlefield of our hearts? If you like this, you may want to attend our Marriage Mondays series in January-March. Click here for more.

What Time Is It? - 1-1-12. PDF. No MP3 available. The Bible distinguishes between chronos time -- everyday chronological time -- and kairos time, which refers to special moments in time when God intervenes in the affairs of humanity to bring about His purposes. A few relevant passages are summarized in the PowerPoint slides.

2011 Sermons Are Available Here:

December

Every Good Gift Is From Above - 12-18-11. MP3. The Bible is a book about giving, from the Beginning, when God gives seeds and food to Adam and Eve, to the Book of Revelations, when Jesus promises the "free gift of the water of life" to all who come to Him. Love is the ultimate expression of giving, but sometimes our expressions of love miss the mark because the intended recipient speaks a different "love language." Learn about the five primary "Love Languages": words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service and physical touch.

What War? - 12-11-11. MP3 (the sound level drops in the second half of this recording, but just turn up your volume at that point to hear the whole sermon). Christmastime seems hardly the best time to speak about war, yet Jesus said He came not to bring peace but the sword. In fact, the Bible is full of warfare, from Genesis to Revelation. What can we learn about war from a study of the warring mindsets found in Scripture? How is God preparing His People to move forward in a world increasingly beset by tension, rumors of wars and outright conflict?

What It Takes to Start Revival - Steve Smith, Guest Speaker. MP3. Australian evangelist Steve Smith describes various practical steps and aspects of church revival based on his extensive experience in the U.S. and in Australia.

November

Our Time in the Desert - 11-27-11 - Caleb Vincent, Guest Speaker. MP3. Caleb talks compellingly about how God draws us and calls us through desert places of spiritual dryness and bareness.

Riney Whyte, Guest Speaker - 11-20-11. MP3. Brother Whyte shares deeply from his heart about his love of the Lord and the power of God to heal and change lives. What a testimony this man has!

My Church, My Body - 11-6-11. MP3. The Book of Acts very clearly depicts the early church as a multiplying church. Thousands were added to the Body of Christ in a day! Early believers were taught obedience to the Word more o than simply knowledge of the Word. What can you do today to put into practice what you have read or heard from the Lord?

October
Plan Your Next Harvest Now - 10-30-11. MP3. The most important thing missing from our spiritual life is usually our lack of intention. Ever since Adam failed to open his mouth to stop Eve from taking the Apple, humanity has lacked spiritual willpower. Jesus left us both a model and the power of the Holy Spirit to acquire the capacity to live life after the Spirit and not the flesh.

A Safe Place - 10-23-11. What was going to be a sermon about what it takes to make our church a place where people feel spiritually safe enough to allow their hearts to become vulnerable turned out instead to be a demonstration of God's Spirit and power. The anointing in the service was so strong we ended up ministering and praying over each other with no time left for a sermon. Our church was indeed a safe place this day! "And it shall come to pass afterward tThat I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh." Joel 2:28

Doug Stanton, Guest Speaker. 10-16-11. Doug's sermon, and selected portions of his teachings given from 10-13 through 10-16 will be available online soon.

What Harvest? Rediscovering the Power of First Fruits - 10-9-11. MP3. PDF. We often fail to reap a harvest in our lives because we don't sow in faith with works. Faith without works is dead. Ezekiel 44:30 says Firstfruits offerings have the power to "cause" a blessing in our lives. What are Firstfruits offerings and how can we apply them in our lives!

The Delight of Pure Love (Between a Man and a Woman) - 10-2-11. MP3. PDF. What is God's design for unfolding love between a man and a woman? From Genesis to Revelations, the entire Bible speaks of love and marriage, culminating in the marriage supper of the Lamb. The implications for modern dating practices are powerful, calling us to a deep examination of how best to create a Biblical culture in our homes and lives that create the best opportunity for God to bless our children as they mature and move on to replicate God's pure pattern of love here on earth. Click here to see a brief summary of traditional Jewish/Biblical wedding customs.

September
The Delight of Pure Faith - 9-25-11. PDF. The topic of purity and religion is fraught with difficulty, associated with images of strictness and severity found in fundamentalist religious sects. How can we become more spiritually pure without falling under a spirit of religious control or engaging the "morality police"? This sermon concludes that the starting point for forming pure faith in our hearts is hearing God's word and calling out for His mercy. Then learn to delight yourself in the instructions of God!

Readiness Weekend - 9-18-11. Listen to the MP3 of a talk by Bill Enslow, Jr., given Friday night at the church as part of the Readiness Fair. Dr. Bill said our goal is not just to prepare for possible disasters, but to prepare to do God's purposes during those disasters. Also, we need to prepare our own households so that we can be free to help others in times of trouble. Sunday we listened to a sermon by Bill Johnson, Bethel Church, Redding, CA, about "What to Do in a Disaster." He teaches that we need to establish our faith on God's purposes, not Biblical prophecies of coming disasters -- which are really not prophecies so much as Biblical descriptions of the conditions in which we may find ourselves serving God. (We can't post Bill Johnson's talk online because it's copyrighted, but if you want to hear it, email Pastor Tom.)

Guest Speaker Allen "Butch" McDaniel - 9-11-11. MP3. Allen and Alice McDaniel have traveled the globe for years as evangelists and ministers of the Gospel. (Learn more about them at: www.bibletalk.com.) Just returned from a 5-month trip to the UK and Israel, Allen spoke today about the "very serious" nature of our times and released a fresh call on God's people to get up out of the pews and live out our faith in everyday life.

Abba - 9-4-11. (No MP3 Available). PDF. Today's sermon never got preached because the Spirit of God ministered the love of the Father rather than having Pastor Tom talk about it. The PDF summarizes a few key scriptures Tom had prepared for his talk but never used. The service ended with all the fathers invited to form a blessing line, then blessing all the rest of the congregation.

August
Born to Serve - 8-28-11. (No MP3 Available). PDF. Humanity was created to serve God, in reverant fear before the One who created us. Romans 12 informs us that it is a rational choice to decide to serve God sacrificially. The PDF highlights a few relevant slides that were prepared for today.

Will the Real Israel Please Stand Up - 8-21-11. MP3. In the last week Hamas declared an end to its truce with Israel and fired well over 100 rockets into Israel! September 24th the UN will vote whether to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state - without any apparent concern about Israel's national security - while the leading Palestinian political parties publicly declare their goal is to annihilate Israel as a people and a nation. What does the Bible say about Israel and why should we care as a church?

Dive In! 8-14-11. Dive into God's presence and glory. Click the sermon title at left to see a prophetic word about the Dive In Conference held August 12-13th. We hope to have an audio copy of the speakers' talks on Sunday available soon.

Hear, Know, Trust - 8-7-11. MP3. PDF. Jesus said: “This is eternal life, that they may KNOW Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent." How well do you know Him? This sermon closes with a powerful witness to who the Bible says Jesus is and what He did for us. YOU CAN SEE THE CLOSING VIDEO BY CLICKING HERE, aptly spoken by Dr. S.M. Lockridge.

July

Resting in the Freedom of the Lord - 7-31-11. MP3. PDF. One key to walking in the freedom of the Lord is to learn to rest in Him. This day, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart as the Israelites did in the days of the wilderness. To rest in the Lord we need to experience the fullness that comes from hearing His voice, obeying His Word and overflowing with His Spirit.

Restoring Your Innocence - 7-24-11. PDF. MP3. Llife often brings experiences of disappointment, abandonment, rejection and outright abuse that can cause bitterness to take root in our souls, affecting our attitudes and behaviors, even resulting in harm for our families and friends. What is the secret to restoring purity and innocence to our souls?

Free to Learn - 7-17-11. PDF. (No MP3 this week, sorry.) What does the Bible say about learning? The Word of God endorses both practical and spiritual learning, but these two spheres of learning call for different approaches to instruction.

How Free? 7-10-11 - MP3. We cherish religious freedom, but how free are we, really? Free enough to stand firm in our faith against all odds? Free enough to share our faith with a stranger? This sermon looks into the Perfect Law of Liberty promised in Christ Jesus! (The sermon PDF will be available shortly.)

The Root of American Liberty 7-3-11 - MP3. PDF. The liberty we celebrate on July 4th has roots in the heart of William Tyndale (1492-1536), who first translated the Bible from Greek into English. Before Tyndale's destiny could be fulfilled, it was necessary for King Henry VIIIth to separate England from the Roman Church. The tortured outcome of Henry's story was the release of Tyndale's Bible along with a new spirit of liberty that culminated in the American Declaration of Independence. Our Bill of Rights, authored by James Madison (probably a direct descendant of Tyndale), protects the same freedom of religion that Tyndale championed and we enjoy today.

June

Glory and Honor 6-26-11 - No MP3 available. PDF. God shares His glory with us despite our shortcomings. If we want to experience more of God's miracle imparting Glory, we need to honor Him with our whole being, all our heart and soul and strength. Fortunately, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us so that we can be transformed from glory to glory with Him.

Have You Seen Father? 6-19-11 - MP3. PDF. This Father's Day sermon concludes that, Biblically speaking, when fathers reproduce themselves not just physically but spiritually, with integrity, they walk in the authority God intended, and both they and Abba receive honor.

View from the Watchtower 6-12-11 - MP3. PDF. Pastor Tom highlights the vision that is guiding our congregation into the second half of the year, based on John 1:51 where Jesus tells Nathaniel that he will see "angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." BONUS: Audio of the Church Annual Meeting, reviewing the financial year 2010.

Lord, Where Am I? 6-5-11 - MP3. PDF. Faith is the evidence of things not seen, which means it is often difficult to assess where we really are in our spiritual walk. God, in His Wisdom, provided a spiritual map in the layout of the Tabernacle of Moses that helps clarify the stages of our spiritual growth. (PDF of Tabernacleof Moses slides.)

May

Faith One on One 5-29-11 - MP3. PDF. Life presents us with many one-on-one situtations, often confrontational. Spiritually, God calls and equips us invidiually, in addition to our being part of the Body of Christ, to overcome life's challenges and bear fruit in His Kingdom. Sharing our testimonies and our lives with others is the ultimate one-on-one way to make our faith contagious. (The last twelve minutes of the MP3 consists of soaking music from our friend Steve Smith. Enjoy!)

Contagious Faith 5-22-11 - MP3. PDF. The early church made faith in Jesus truly "contagious" through demonstrations of miracles and by word of mouth. What led to this kind of explosive growth? Can we recapture the ingredients of contagious faith today, in the age of network marketing and Facebook revolutions?

Israel at 63 5-15-11 - (PDF) Modern Israel turned 63 this past week, a day Jews celebrate but Palestinians call Nakba Day, meaning literally "catastrophe." What does the Bible say about the formation of modern Israel, and why should Chrisitians care? Pastor Tom(MP3) and Caleb Vincent (MP3) both spoke about the topic. For more complete understanding of contemporary issues related to achieving peace in Israel, download our small booklet on Peace and Justice in Israel here. (This booklet is best read by printing it in landscape mode, folding each page and nesting them inside each other. Then the pages line up in correct segquence.) For a compelling 5 minute video about Israel's need to defend its borders, please click here.

One, Two, Three...Believe! 5-8-11 (PDF) Jesus asked: when the Son of Man returns will He find faith on earth? Real, time-consuming faith is a casualty of modern culture, which prefers instant gratification, and even instant religion. Why is faith so important? (No MP3 this week due to techincal problems.)

Set Apart for What? 5-1-11- (PDF) The Bible says we are to be holy like God. Holy means "set apart." What does this mean for us today? (No MP3 this week due to technical problems.)

APRIL

Resurrection Day Sunday: Violent Grace 4-24-11- (PDF) (MP3) The grace and power of Jesus' Resurrection is made all the more amazing and far-reaching when we realize the emotional and spiritual violence of the events He endured at the Cross. A brief written summary of the key points is found here, and the MP3 is here! With thanks to Michael Card for inspiring this sermon with his small book A Violent Grace.

Palm Sunday: God's Appointed Time 4-17-11 - Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem on the day we celebrate as Palm Sunday marked the beginning of His fulfillment of the promise of Passover, that Israel and Gentiles would be saved by the blood of a lamb. (pdf) (mp3 - Note: the last 5 minutes of this recording was inadvertently clipped off, but the main teaching is still there.) (For a more detailed presentation of the Hebrew view of time and the Biblical festivals, you may want to take a look at this separate Hebrew Roots teaching, HERE.)

Word Words 04-10-11 - Our words are powerful seeds that unlock God's creative power in our lives and the lives of others. Do your words reflect the world, or the Word and Way of God? (pdf ) (mp3)

Holy Spirit 04-03-11 - The Holy Spirit in Scripture and in our lives. (pdf) (mp3) Download a free copy of our 21-page booklet entitled "The Holy Spirit: Learning How to Walk in the Sanctifying Power of the Holy Spirit.

MARCH

Who We Are in Jesus 3-27-11 - What is your true identity? If it's not based in Jesus, you are giving up the fulness of your inheritance as a child of God. (pdf) (mp3)

Pearl of Great Price 3-20-11 - What is the Kingdom of Heaven? Is it somewhere far off, a place where believers go after they die? Or is it here, now, in your heart? (pdf) (mp3)

Enlarged Hearts 3-13-11 - Psalm 119:32 says: "I shall run the way of your commandments for You will enlarge my heart ." This is an MP3 of guest speaker Lisa LaLonde sharing about "Enlarged Hearts." (No written summary available)

Youth Invasion Weekend 3-06-11 - MP3 of youth sharing their experiences from the March Youth Invasion conference, which included a live Skype talk from Israel. (No written summary available)

FEBRUARY

For Such a Time as This - Guest speaker Bruce Chapman dramatizes this remarkable and timely Charles Spurgeon sermon. 2-27-11 - MP3 (No written summary available)

Us vs. Them 2-20-11 - God's Scriptures admonish us not to compare ourselves to others, yet even Jesus' disciples couldn't resist this powerful temptation. Remember, the measure we use to judge others is the measure God will use to judge us!(pdf) (mp3)

Watch Therefore and Pray 2-13-11 - We have been called as a congregation to mark the boundary of the Kingdom of God in our region and to serve as a watchtower, watching over those around us, and being watched by those who are searching for the truth of God in Jesus. (pdf) (mp3)

JANUARY

The Kingdom and the Power 1-23-11 - Two kinds of power are described in the New Testament: the power of God's Authority (Greek: exousia), and the power of His Spirit (Greek: dunamis). Learn more about God's power in this sermon. (pdf)

The Life Is In The Blood 1-16-11 - Scripture says "the life is in the blood." There is new life in the "blood" of Jesus, which is the Holy Spirit moving within us. (pdf)

In His Presence 1-09-11 - The presence of God is available to us all the time through Jesus if we step aside from the familiar, sacrifice our priorities for His, and learn to see Him in everyone we meet. (pdf)

The Light of the World 1-02-11 - Jesus came as the light of the world and Scripture says His light is the Life of humanity. Like the original sacrificial lamp kept burning before the altar in the Tabernacle of Moses, when the light of Jesus is kept burning in our hearts it brings light to a lost and dying world. (pdf)

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