Prophets, Priests, and Kings
by Sermon Recap on June 4th, 2025
In Deuteronomy 17 and 18, we're invited to see how Jesus fulfills and surpasses the roles of judge, king, priest, and prophet in Israel's history. We learn that while human leaders often failed, Jesus is the perfect embodiment of these roles. As the better judge, He brings true justice and peace. As the ultimate king, He models humble servanthood and complete devotion to God. As our great high priest, He offers the final, perfect sacrifice. And as the prophet like Moses, He speaks God's words with ultimate authority. This message challenges us to examine our own dependence on God, our devotion to His Word, and our willingness to listen to Christ's voice. It reminds us that in Jesus, we have a leader who perfectly meets our deepest needs for justice, guidance, reconciliation, and truth. Read More
Purging Evil
by Sermon Recap on June 3rd, 2025
In a culture filled with noise and distractions, it’s easy for our worship to drift off course without us even realizing it. This sermon invites readers on a journey through Deuteronomy to explore how ancient warnings about idolatry still speak powerfully to our modern lives. Whether it’s success, comfort, or even good things like family, anything we elevate alongside or above God can quietly become an “Asherah pole” in our hearts.
This post offers a reflective yet practical look at how misplaced affections, grumbling attitudes, and surface-level faith reveal deeper worship issues. Drawing from Scripture and everyday examples, it challenges us to tear down the idols we’ve built, offer God our best, and pursue peace that only comes from a right relationship with Him.
With Christ as our perfect sacrifice, we are freed not only from sin but also from the trap of false worship. Through heart-checks, authentic community, and vertical dependence on God, we can become people of undivided devotion—shining with a peace the world can’t manufacture. Read More
4 Ways to Get More Out of a Sermon
by Corey O'Grady on June 3rd, 2025
Every Sunday, we gather to hear God’s Word—but how often do we walk away unchanged, like the message bounced off instead of sinking in? This article invites you to rethink how you listen to sermons. What if hearing a sermon became one of the most meaningful parts of your week—not just something to sit through, but something that actually shapes your heart, strengthens your faith, and fuels your walk with Jesus? Read More
No Justice, No Peace
by Sermon Recap on May 19th, 2025
In Deuteronomy 16:18-20 we study the profound connection between justice and peace. We learn that true justice isn't just about identifying wrongs, but about aligning our actions with God's righteous standards. The message challenges us to pursue justice not as an abstract concept, but as a lived reality in our daily lives. We're reminded that peace isn't something we can manufacture on our own - it's the fruit that grows from the seed of justice, nurtured in the soil of God's covenant. This teaching invites us to examine our own hearts and actions, asking whether we're truly pursuing justice or merely seeking fairness or vengeance. It's a call to live with integrity, doing the right thing for the right reasons, even when it's difficult. As we reflect on this message, we're encouraged to seek true justice - not in our own strength, but through faith in Jesus Christ, who alone can make us righteous and empower us to live justly. Read More
Remember and Rejoice in Faith
by Sermon Recap on May 13th, 2025
In Deuteronomy 15 and 16, we're reminded of God's desire for His people to gather in worship, remembering His faithfulness, rejoicing in His present goodness, and trusting in His future promises. The passage discusses some of the key celebrations for ancient Israel: the consecration of firstborn males, Passover, and the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths. These rituals weren't mere obligations, but invitations from God to experience His presence and goodness. As we reflect on these practices, we're challenged to consider how our own worship today incorporates these three 'tenses' of faith. Are we remembering God's past deliverance, rejoicing in His current blessings, and trusting in His future faithfulness? This message encourages us to view our gatherings not as burdens, but as opportunities to encounter God's love and renew our faith. It's a call to approach our gatherings together as more than just routine, but as transformative experiences that shape our daily lives and deepens our relationship with God. Read More
If grace is free, why does obedience matter?
by Seth Shelton on May 12th, 2025
This blog post explores the common question, “If God’s grace is free, why am I expected to obey Him or love and serve others?” by unpacking a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature and effect of grace. Rather than demanding anything, true grace—God’s undeserved, unmerited, and unobligated favor—transforms those who receive it. Through a biblical lens, the post explains that grace meets us in our spiritual death, makes us alive in Christ, and empowers us to live differently, not out of obligation but as a joyful response. Obedience, love, and service are not expectations placed on us to earn grace, but the fruit produced by grace within us. The right question is not why grace expects something, but how grace so deeply changes us that we long to obey and serve in return. Read More
My Brother's Keeper
by Sermon Recap on May 5th, 2025
This week, we're challenged to reflect on our role as our brother's keeper. The central message revolves around God's call for His people to be generous and compassionate, mirroring His own nature. We're reminded that as God's children, we're not just recipients of His blessings, but channels through which His love flows to others. The tithe, often seen as a burden, is reframed as a joyful act of worship and a means to support God's mission and care for the needy. This passage beautifully illustrates how our generosity isn't just about giving money, but about reflecting God's character in our relationships and community. As we consider the Sabbath year of release and the call to open-handedness, we're invited to examine our own hearts. Are we holding tightly to what we think we've earned, or are we living with the same generous spirit that God has shown us? This message challenges us to see our resources, whether financial or relational, as tools to bless others and glorify God. Read More
Is Church Attendance Necessary?
by Cara Erickson on May 2nd, 2025
Many people wrestle with the question, “Do I really need to go to church?” On the surface, it seems simple—but underneath lies a deeper conversation about what it means to follow Jesus and grow in faith. The truth is, church attendance isn’t a condition for salvation. You don’t become—or remain—a Christian by showing up on Sundays. Salvation is entirely the work of Christ, not of human effort.
But while church isn’t necessary to be a Christian, it is vital to grow as one. God didn’t design faith to be lived in isolation. The church is more than a place—it’s a people. It’s in the context of Christian community that we learn to apply God’s Word, love others well, and serve with the gifts we’ve been given. Simply put, if we want to mature in our faith and reflect Christ more fully, we need the church—and the church needs us. Read More
Sons of God
by Sermon Recap on April 28th, 2025
In our study of Deuteronomy 14, we're invited to see God's laws not as restrictive burdens, but as loving boundaries set by a caring Father. The food laws and funeral practices discussed aren't just arbitrary rules - they're designed to set God's people apart as holy and treasured. So we are challenged to consider how we live as God's children in a world that often pulls us in different directions? But this message ultimately points us to Christ, who perfectly fulfilled these laws and offers us the opportunity to become children of God through faith in Him. As we reflect on this, we're encouraged to live in a way that reflects our status as God's holy and treasured possession, not out of obligation, but out of love and gratitude for the freedom we've been given in Christ. Read More
Sharpened by Love: The Role of Love in the Life of the Church
by Cara Erickson on April 25th, 2025
This article explores the foundational role of love in the life and mission of the church. Love is presented as the keystone of obedience, the means by which mission is accomplished both within and outside the church body, and the whetstone that sharpens and strengthens the people of God. Through Scripture and practical reflection, the article challenges believers to examine their personal and communal expressions of love and encourages a renewed commitment to embodying Christlike love that glorifies God and advances His kingdom. Read More
Easter 2025: His Resurrection, Our Rest
by Sermon Recap on April 21st, 2025
This Easter, we're invited to explore a often-overlooked aspect of Christ's resurrection: rest. The sermon delves into Hebrews 3 and 4, revealing that true rest isn't found in vacations, retirement, or worldly pursuits, but in the finished work of Jesus. We're reminded that God wove rest into creation, and despite humanity's fall, He continues to offer it. The key is recognizing that rest is found in a person - Jesus - not a place. His resurrection provides the rest our weary souls long for. We're called to 'strive to enter that rest' - a paradoxical concept that invites us to actively trust in Jesus' completed work rather than our own efforts. This message speaks directly to our weary souls, offering hope and a new perspective on what it means to find rest in a restless world. Read More
Palm Sunday: Your King Has Come
by Sermon Recap on April 14th, 2025
On Palm Sunday we reflect on the profound significance of Jesus as God's chosen king. The sermon takes us on a journey through Deuteronomy 17, where God lays out the qualities of the ideal king for Israel. Remarkably, Jesus fulfills every aspect of this description - chosen by God, faithful to the covenant, humble, and righteous. This Palm Sunday, we're called to receive Jesus as our true king, to revere Him with genuine adoration, and to rejoice in His coming. The triumphal entry into Jerusalem wasn't just a historical event; it was the fulfillment of prophecy and the revelation of God's perfect plan. As we contemplate this, we're challenged to align our lives under Christ's authority and to live with the joy that comes from knowing our king has come and is coming again. How might our lives change if we truly embraced Jesus as our king in every aspect? Read More
Categories
Tags
Archive
2025
March
April
May
2024
February
March
April
2023
May
November
December