King David was a flawed individual, yet kept pursuing a relationship with God for his whole life. It’s encouraging for us to see that no matter what our sin, we can repent and be restored to God. In David’s psalms we can see what it looks like to have a heart that God wants. When we look at David’s life, we see history but also prophecy, as he will be the spiritual king of Israel in God’s Kingdom.

David was anointed king as a young shepherd but waited years before taking the throne. During that time, his experiences shaped the skills he would need as king. Step by step, he learned to place his faith in God. For David, no season was wasted; God used each one for growth and preparation. Likewise, our trials teach us to rely more fully on God, just as they did for him.

In our lives and a world sometimes filled with negativity and stress, gradually developing a cynical worldview can easily happen. We can be quick to justify our reactions and our less-than-positive outlook. However, God would rather us look through those moments with hope instead of immediately focusing on what is wrong

Romans 8 is rich with encouragement for our Christian walk. It reminds us of God’s great love—that He gave everything, even His own Son, so that we might have life. While we are called to faithfully do our part, we can fully trust that God has already done, and continues to do, everything necessary to help us on our journey to His Kingdom. He is able to work every circumstance for our good, and His power far surpasses that of any adversary we may face.

God set rules in place whereby the firstborn would receive the birthright. There are also instances in scripture when He bypassed the firstborn for a later son who received the blessing instead. Examples include David, Joseph, Jacob, and others. God is working out His purpose, and has the prerogative to select whomsoever He will to accomplish His goals.

God and Samuel both desired Saul to succeed as Israel’s first king, but Saul ultimately failed to do his part. Time and again, he chose partial obedience instead of fully following God, allowing his insecurities and fear of people’s opinions to cloud his judgement. As a result, he was removed from the kingship. Saul’s story invites us to reflect on the importance of remaining faithful to God and staying true to the calling He has placed on our lives.

We are called to give an answer for the Hope that lies within us. Scripture adds further detail to this admonition - we need to be able to do so with love, not arguing our point, kindly but boldly sharing our faith. Part of this is also discerning when silence is the better part of wisdom.

In the Church of God we are all well aware of the reasons we don't celebrate Christmas, but what about the New Year on January 1? Turns out, not only is this not based on God's calendar, but is rooted in paganism as well. God makes it abundantly clear what He thinks about incorporating pagan worship into our lives. We must continually take care to not let man's opinions replace God's clear commands.

Continuing our look at the earliest recorded quote of Jesus from Mark 1:15 we look at the last half. "Repent and believe in the Gospel,” Jesus had said, as He began His public ministry. A two-fold command for this lifelong journey of a changed mind, heart, and life. The Apostle Paul exemplified the transformative power of repentance and belief in a life and leaves for you and I an example of responding with conviction, commitment, and courage to the Invitation from Jesus to live the Gospel, 'til Thy Kingdom come. 

Korah and Moses were cousins. There were a group of 250 leaders of Israel that rebelled. Korah, Dathan, and Abirium rejected God and were put to death. We all deserve death and need to examine our lives to avoid falling short.

The Gospel of Mark is punctuated with action and response, stressing the urgency of the story and the message. It was also likely the earliest gospel written down, making Mark 1:15 the earliest recorded direct quote of Jesus. A quote which shows how God’s plan and our personal response all collide. In Part 1 of this 2 sermon series we’ll look at the first half of that verse.  "The time is fulfilled; the Kingdom of God is at hand.” A message given then, which is before you and I today. An invitation for us to respond by living our lives punctuated by action and response, driven by the urgency of the message that we should be active citizens of the Kingdom of God today, aligning our lives under the reign of it’s King and It’s values.

The Sabbath assembly is a holy convocation called by God. In it, we worship Him, strengthen one another in our common calling, and shine as a light to the world. The congregation itself is also an assembly called by God, and when He gathers us on the Sabbath, that gathering becomes God’s workshop—a place where He teaches us, shapes us, and forms us in His likeness. May we never take the blessing of God’s assembly for granted.

As we approach Thanksgiving, a day our nation sets aside to acknowledge God’s blessings, Scripture reminds us that gratitude is far more than a feeling; it is an act of worship. While society drifts towards entitlement and unthankfulness, God’s people are called not only to be thankful, but to "give thanks" continually, recognizing Him as the Giver of every good gift. 

Samuel was dedicated to God before he was even conceived, and lived his entire life in service to Him. He served rather than seek promotion. After years of leading Israel, he guided the people back to God. As the last of the judges, he ordained Israel's first 2 kings. His life is exemplified by godly leadership, and is a wonderful example for us all.

While personality traits can be refined, they are actually integral to how you and I serve God and His people. God graciously gifts each person unique abilities, regardless of their personality type. It has been so since the dawn of time and can be seen as we travel through the pages of the bible and meet real people with real personalities. Some personalities are loud and jump off the pages into your imagination. Others are quiet, more subtle, and settle in your heart and mind to consider. Their stories reveal how God works through different personalities with purpose to do his work.

As winter brings shorter days, many experience Seasonal Affective Disorder, restored through renewed exposure to light. In a similar way, the long period between the Fall and Spring Holy Days can lead to spiritual dimness if we allow distance to grow between us and God. The remedy is continual engagement with the spiritual light of God, His Word and His Son. Walking daily in the light keeps our spirit vibrant, even through the darkest seasons.

The Day of Atonement points to a pivotal moment in God’s plan when Satan will be removed, ushering in a 1,000-year period of peace and renewal under Jesus Christ’s reign. Satan’s influence has led to global deception, conflict, temptation, and environmental destruction.  His binding will clear the way for truth, unity and healing from God to flow out across the whole earth, unopposed.  This sermon catches a glimpse of what that wonderful day will look like. 

We need physical nourishment - ideally, that nourishment should be pure or very minimally processed. Likewise, we need to partake of spiritual nourishment that is as pure as possible, reading the Bible and not just depending on others to tell us about it.

Nearly all we make and do begins with a plan; we have a vision of what we hope to accomplish. Nehemiah had a vision of a walled, cleaned up Jerusalem while David had a vision of dwelling in God's house forever. Dwelling in God's house forever is a good vision for us all - we'd live according to His "house rules", and totally look to Him in trust to provide all our needs and protect us. Little of worth is accomplished without vision.

The hope of salvation is our "why" for doing what we do. This is such an amazing truth. We need to not take it for granted but should be inspired to purify ourselves and get in shape spiritually. 

This Includes an offertory message.