Two Birth Announcements

Jim Leffel
Psalms 110:1

God uses a barren woman to bring forth John the Baptist and a young virgin to give birth to Jesus Christ. Both of these births fulfill Old Testament prophecy and God's promise to send the Messiah. Mary responds in faith to God's plan and His goodness. She is a picture of courage, faith, and humility.

Purpose of Luke

Jim Leffel
Luke 15:11-32

Luke lays out his purpose, approach, and method for recording the life of Jesus. The book of Luke was written to persuade Theophilus about who Christ is. He presents evidence for Christ from the Old Testament and gives first-hand accounts with historical accuracy. This book means to present evidence for Jesus Christ as the Savior and show lost people their need for him.

Two Ways

Mike Sullivan
John 3:16-19

Each person has a choice between what Jesus calls the ?narrow way? and the ?broad way,? and each route has its own ramifications for how people will live now and where they will spend eternity. Jesus says that most people will choose the broad way because of the influence of false teachers, but he also gives criteria for our evaluation of such teachers and encourages his hearers to act on his truthful teachings instead.

Freedom from (Material) Anxiety

Gary DeLashmutt
Matthew 6:25-34

Jesus invites us to live a worry-free life through exercising faith in his promises about our material possessions.This kind of faith has three roles in the lives of believers: 1) it argues with our anxious thoughts in light of what God says; 2) it actively seeks God's kingdom and righteousness; and 3) it focuses on the present instead of the future. Developing this faith is the key to a more anxiety-free life, and it's clear from the Bible that God is our Father who promises to take care of us in this life and the next.\r\n

Key Elements of Daily Private Prayer

Gary DeLashmutt
Matthew 6:6-13

It is important for all Christians to develop a personal, private spirituality with God, and Jesus models that kind of spirituality through the Lord's Prayer. The Lord's Prayer provides a valuable framework for private prayer while also emphasizing three important truths: 1) God is our loving Father and we are his children; 2) God is our rightful King and we are His servants; and 3) God is our Provider and we are dependent on Him daily. We as Christians can pray along these lines daily and as a result develop a deep personal relationship with God.

Meeting Up With God

Dennis McCallum
Psalms 86:1-17

Any relationship has two persons involved and involves interaction to some extent. Our relationship with God is one that we may be neglecting because we don't see him face to face, but it is by far the most intimate and complex one because He is our creator and we are made in His image. Some questions we can ask during our time spent talking and learning with God are: who are you talking to?; what is He like?; what has He done for you currently or in the past?; and what the answers mean for your life.

Waiting on God

Chris Hearty
2 Samuel 23:13-17

In David's psalm he shares his longing to dwell with the Lord forever. David models spiritual confidence in the face of adversity and human opposition. He expresses God's trustworthiness and encourages the assembly to endure in waiting on the Lord.

The Good Shepherd

Dennis McCallum
John 10:11

God provides for those He calls His own. And He demonstrates this in the image of the good shepherd. We all have choices about whether to lean on Gods leadership or to rebel in autonomy. God as our creator: knows our needs, wants to provide for us, and performs needed correction in the lives of people who follow Him even if it goes unnoticed.

Introduction to the Psalms

Dennis McCallum
Numbers 13:25-14:9

This psalm is about the benefits of meditating on the Word of God and applying it in everyday life. Two examples of people having God's viewpoint when others had only a human viewpoint are discussed. David who was immersed in the Word, had a history of faithfulness to God and believed God would empower him to kill Goliath when no one else did. Likewise, Joshua and Caleb believed God that they could enter the Promised Land and defeat the giants when the other ten spies did not.\r\n