In his sermon, Pastor Scott emphasizes the importance of trusting in God's presence and promises through life's inevitable storms, using the biblical story of Jesus calming the sea as a metaphor for facing challenges with faith. He encourages believers to deepen their relationship with God, assuring them that this foundation will provide peace and stability no matter the turbulence they encounter.

The book of Judges covers a dark period of time for Israel. Throughout, we see Israel abandoning God in pursuit of something they thought would bring them more pleasure. In Judges chapter three, we are introduced to Ehud, a man God would use to deliver Israel and guide them back to right relationship with Him. Ehud is unique, yet God used him. You might be unique, but God can use you!

We all know what it feels like to be hurt. The old saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is a lie. Sometimes, no matter how tough we think we are, the words and actions of others hurt. The question is not whether or not you will be hurt, the question is, how are you going to respond when the hurt comes? As a Christian, we only have one choice: forgiveness.

After Jesus rose from the tomb, He appeared to His disciples for forty days. Not long before He ascended to heaven, He commanded His disciples to wait for the promise, which was the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In this message, we want to answer the question, “Can believers be baptized with the Holy Spirit today according to Scripture? If so, what is the goal of the Holy Spirit in our lives?”

The atmosphere around the three crosses is divided. The Roman officials and the general public are watching Jesus get what they believed He deserved, and at the same time, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is watching as her heart is pierced. In the midst of the turmoil that day, there is one person that got it! As we'll discover, we all have many things in common with this one person, and our response needs to be the same.

If you were to ask people in the church today what our purpose is, most would probably recognize that our ultimate goal in life, our primary objective, our primary reason for living could really be summarized in saying we aim to please and serve Jesus. We are told in Scripture that God's yoke is easy and His burden is light, yet it seems that people in the church today are void of joy and they are stressed beyond measure. Could it be that we have taken our focus off of pleasing Jesus and instead accepted the yoke of pleasing man?

🗣️ Speaker: Pastor Scott Anderson

📖 Scriptures: Leviticus 1:2-9, Leviticus 2:5, Romans 12:1, 1 Corinthians 15:31, Isaiah 6:1, Ephesians 5:26, 2 Timothy 4:3, Genesis 4:10b, Hebrews 12:24

🖼️ Photo by Hillie Chan on Unsplash