A message from the series “Advent.” Joy is the emotional by-product of peace and hope. God wants our lives to be overflowing with joy, and everyone longs for joy. How do we find lasting joy? Psalm 16:1-11 teaches us three things: How to find joy? Where to find joy? Why this joy will last? We are challenged to recognize what our hearts are “running after” and to consider the source of lasting joy.
A message from the series “Advent.” Although the world we live in knows no settled peace, the prophet Isaiah speaks of the One called the “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6-7). Isaiah is referring to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who makes possible our peace with God. The Messiah enables us to have internal peace, relational peace and circumstantial peace.
A message from the series “Advent.” The word advent means long-anticipated arrival. In this first week of Advent, we look to the prophesies of Isaiah 42:1-7 to find hope in the coming Messiah. Isaiah identifies the messiah as Jesus Christ who brings hope as (1) the agent of universal justice worldwide; (2) the hope of all peoples; and (3) the humble healer.
A message from the series “Dual Citizens: 1 Peter.” In 1 Peter 1:22-2:3, we see that even in the hardships of life Christians can be people whose lives are characterized by love. There are two truth principles here. First, without the new birth –the transformation that occurs through belief in the gospel – people are incapable of truly living out Christian love. The second principle is that love is the acid test of Christian faith.
A message from the series “Dual Citizens: 1 Peter.” We see in 1 Peter 1:13-21 that Peter issues a call to action in light of our position as dual citizens of heaven and earth. Practically, Christians can balance our dual citizenship by: 1. Sober-mindedly following Christ; 2. Being conformed to the holiness of Christ; 3. Living as though we were ransomed by Christ; and 4. Placing our faith and hope in the God who saved us.