Messages

A sermon from the series “1 Thessalonians – Life in these Last Days.” Televangelists and prosperity preachers are notorious for exploiting people’s faith for their own financial gain. Far from being a new problem, spiritual frauds have existed for centuries. They even gained a reputation in Paul’s time. So much so that, after fleeing Thessalonica, Paul was accused of being one of them. To discredit him before new believers, the leaders of the time tried to smear Paul’s ministry and motives. But it didn’t work. In 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12, Paul defends his ministry as authentic, and in doing so, he shows us what it means to be faithful servants of Christ’s gospel.

BTW, are you wondering what the asterisk is about? Watch and find out!

A sermon from the series “1 Thessalonians – Life in these Last Days.” Last Sunday, we began a new sermon series on 1 Thessalonians titled “Life in these Last Days.” Since Jesus ascended into heaven after His resurrection, the church has always expected His return in its lifetime. Knowing Jesus could come back at any time, they lived life to the full. No, they didn’t indulge their wants and desires. They devoted themselves to sharing the message of salvation with those around them. We, like Christians through the ages, believe we’re living in the last days. That fills us with a zeal for gaining a godly reputation in Ossipee and the Lakes Region. We seek to live in such a way that others see Jesus in us.

A sermon from the series “1 Thessalonians – Life in these Last Days.” Today we’ll begin a new sermon series on Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. It’s one of Paul’s earliest and most heartfelt letters. After founding the church, he was forced to leave town because of persecution. He fled when the church was only five weeks old. Paul felt like a parent being torn apart from his infant child. Although he desperately desired to return to them, he was prevented from doing so. Imagine his delight when he received a glowing report on how well the Thessalonian believers were steadily growing in Christ amid their own persecution.

If Paul were here today, he could easily write a letter to us—to the Church of Ossipee and the Lakes Region. Like the Thessalonians, he’d commend us for our love and commitment to Christ, for standing strong in our culture, and for longing for Christ’s return. As he told the Thessalonians, we’re to do these things “more and more.”

A sermon from the series “Vision Sunday.”

A sermon from the series “God\’s Unwanted Gifts.” While we’d all like to avoid suffering, it’s been called God’s workroom of grace. What we suffer isn’t a failure of God’s plan but a tool to bring us into line with it, so we’ll love what He’s prepared for us more than our present comfort. Yes, suffering is painful, but God promises we never suffer in vain. Our pain has a purpose in God’s hands—and that purpose is to bless us beyond imagination. Join us as we unwrap the last of God’s Unwanted Gifts.

A sermon from the series “God\’s Unwanted Gifts.” Tom Landy, the longest-standing coach of the Dallas Cowboys, said, “The job of a coach is to make athletes do what they don’t want to do, in order to be what they’ve always wanted to be.” While it doesn’t translate perfectly into our spiritual lives, it’s a pretty good analogy for how God works in us. Join us Sunday as we discover how God uses discipline to shape and mold us into who he wants us to become.

A sermon from the series “God\’s Unwanted Gifts.” Loneliness has been a steadily growing trend in our country. In fact, many health officials are calling it an epidemic. A UCLA study using MRI technology shows how painful loneliness can be, noting, “The region of the brain that’s activated when we experience rejection or loneliness is the same region that registers the pain of stepping on a Lego.” While this emotion can be distressing, it’s not all bad. Join us as we learn about the gifts of loneliness from the story of Hagar found in the Old Testament.

A sermon from the series “God\’s Unwanted Gifts.” Waiting is hard. No one likes to wait in a line that seems to last forever. We can become so impatient and irritable. Research shows that the average attention span shrank from twelve seconds in the year 2000 to eight seconds in 2015. This means our attention span is officially shorter than that of a goldfish by a full second! And that was over ten years ago!

But waiting is a part of life. And, more importantly, it’s a key part of the Christian life. God intentionally sends us into seasons in which we must wait for Him. While no one wants to wait, it can become a gift and a blessing. God intends to grow our faith through such times. Today, we’ll see how we can wait patiently for the Lord.

A sermon from the series “The Sermon on the Mount.” This week, Jesus will conclude His Sermon on the Mount with a story. It’s about two homebuilders. The houses were similar, but their foundations couldn’t have been more different. One built on solid rock, while the other built on sand. When the storms came, one stood firm while the other was washed away. Jesus tells this parable to illustrate the importance of putting the Sermon on the Mount into practice. It’s not enough to merely hear Jesus’ teaching—it must become the foundation of our lives.

A sermon from the series “The Sermon on the Mount.” On Christmas Eve, Pastor Marc shared Jesus’ teaching on the wide and narrow gates. The path to life is narrow and few find it—only through Jesus Christ can we be saved. There are popular, yet dangerous, teachings in our world such as how all paths lead to God. These teachings are false. Today, we will look at how false prophets use teachings like these to try to lead other down the wide path to destruction. We will also look at how false disciples deceive themselves with a false sense of salvation, believing they are on the narrow path when they are not. We will learn to recognize deception, avoid false prophets, and find our salvation in Christ alone.