Who Is Jesus Really?

Lee Campbell

John 1:1-18

The Bible describes the Word as: ancient, a person, the creator, God, and human. All of these descriptions also explain the nature of Jesus. Jesus, the creator of the universe himself, chose to descend to earth and became human in order to gather people together for the purpose of knowing God personally.

Now What?

Scott Risley

Matthew 28:16-20

After Jesus resurrected from the dead, He met with the disciple and commissioned them to send them out into the whole world to continue the mission He started. He came to seek and save those who are lost. As the Father sent Him, He likewise sends the disciples to go and make disciples, baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them everything Jesus had taught them. Just as the disciples were commissioned, so is every Christian called to follow their example.

The Tongue

Jim Leffel

1 Corinthians 14:26

James told us that the tongue is hard to control and it can do a lot of damage. What we say can be very encouraging, or dangerously damaging. We are called to speak to others like we are saying the utterances of God.

It Is Finished

Scott Risley

Matthew 27:11-51

Whereas the enemies of God used the cross to kill Jesus, God used it to bring eternal life to whomever puts their faith in Jesus to pay their sin debt. When Jesus said, "It is finished," He was proclaiming the punishment for sin had been fully paid by His death. For anyone who believes, the certificate of debt has been cancelled. Have you asked to have your certificate of debt nailed to the cross? Are you growing in your appreciation of the cross?

Old Testament Lessons for the New Testament Church

Jim Leffel

Exodus 11:1-12:51

The Bible claims divided loyalties have always been present in the human heart. Paul appeals to the Old Testament account of the Israelite's Exodus from Egypt to point the New Testament Church away from idols and back to Christ.

Freedom And Conscience

Jim Leffel

1 Corinthians 6:12

One aspect of God's purpose in reconciling people to Himself is to create a community to show the world what He is like. One way believers in Christ can show God's love to others is to gain biblical knowledge tempered with discerning love when interacting with other people. Under grace, believers have God-given freedom with a clear conscience, but in this passage are encouraged to use this freedom to love and serve others instead of self.

What Does Spiritual Maturity Look Like?

Dennis McCallum

Ephesians 4:3

Our culture believes that the path to personal peace is based on our good circumstances and developing an inner sense that nothing is bothering us. The Bible, however, says that personal peace comes from a relationship with God and is the sense of security and purpose that comes from trusting in God's love. This peace is accessible to all believers no matter what their circumstances, and anxious believers can experience it through practicing gratitude.

Gospel of Radical Grace

Jim Leffel

Mark 2:13-17

In Rome, tax collectors represented a system of extortion and betrayal, and were seen as sinners and outcasts. The Pharisees were correct in their moral assessment of tax extortion, but drew the wrong conclusion about Jesus spending time with them. Jesus demonstrates that the gospel of radical grace is both mercy to the undeserving and healing for the sick. Malia Bauer's testimony about her experience of God's healing and grace was included.

Living in Exile

Jim Leffel

Jeremiah 29:4-14

Jeremiah writes to the Israelites who were placed in exile after Babylon took captive of Jerusalem. Jeremiah had been warning the people about Babylon. They realize what he has been saying all along is actually true, so now they are attentive to Jeremiah's words. The people's main inquiry is how does God want them to live as Jewish people in exile. Jeremiah warns those in exile of two items of importance; these warning can also be applied to Christians living today since the world is not their true home. Jeremiah's first warning is to not conform to Babylonian culture so that they would not forget that they are God's people. On the other hand, he also warns them to not fully retreat from the culture around them and live in isolation. He also encourages them to work for peace and to do so by treating others with compassion and dignity. Lastly, the exiled as well as the Christian today is to live in hope of God's promises and what is to come.\r\n