God is continually at work through His unseen spiritual realm. Angels are created spirit beings sent by God to protect, encourage, and serve those who will inherit salvation, always carrying out His will. Though we can't see them, like the wind, we may see evidence of their involvement in our lives from time to time.

Solomon didn’t fail because of lack of knowledge, but because he failed to remain faithful. The kingdom split, and Rehoboam and Jeroboam likewise failed to trust God but instead relied on self and had fear instead of faith. Both, actually, were given good starts but ended in failure. Through it all, God remains faithful, His purpose will stand no matter what men do.

Jesus promised power - this life was never meant to be lived with human strength alone. Receiving the Holy Spirit doesn't cause instant, complete transformation, but it is a planted seed that can grow us into mature Christians.

After Christ's resurrection He told the disciples to wait. Many times, we too have to wait, and in those times it's easy for doubt to enter. When we doubt, we need to ask questions that cause us to delve more deeply into scripture and prove all things.

Solomon was given all possible advantages as he assumed the throne of Israel. His reign started strong, as Solomon worshiped God and built the temple. As his reign progressed, he increasingly ignored the instructions God had commanded to those who would be kings over Israel. His life contains many warnings we would do well to heed.

Jesus taught that every generation of believers enters into the labors of those who came before them, building upon a foundation of faith, truth, and service. While laborers may change over time, God's Work remains the same, and it is ultimately God who gives the increase.

Understanding our identity is important. The United Church of God is not a new organization but a continuation of the Church Jesus Christ established. This sermon highlights identifying characteristics of the true Church and reports on a recent trip to visit a Sabbath group in Liberia.

In the rebellion of Korah, the rebellion was ultimately against God and who He'd put in place as High Priest. The high priesthood foreshadowed Christ as our High Priest today. Without Christ's sacrifice, we'd all die from the plague of sin.

Many times when we sin, it's not because of a sudden fall into transgression, but rather, we've ignored the warning signs that we need to either turn around or risk spiritual failure. If we can develop our conscience and stay close to God, we can more effectively resist temptation when it comes our way, and avoid sin.

Satan sets traps to ensnare us. We need to be wise, watching out for what to avoid. Being offended is just one of the ways we can be trapped. We can look at Christ's example and see His amazing example of how not to take the bait.

God’s desire, when He delivers His people from the spiritual bondage of sin, is that they never return to it again. These Feast days serve as a reminder of the continual need to remove spiritual leaven and to move forward as unleavened people in Christ, continually guided by God's presence in our lives.

Blind spots can keep us from spiritual growth. These can be things we simply haven't learned/seen yet. Not focusing on the whole picture can also skew our spiritual vision. Most deadly of all is when we are in a state of denial about the seriousness of our sin. In all cases, the challenge is that we don't see blind spots, hence the name. If we are examining the scripture with humility and not shying away from correction that comes our way, and praying for God to show us what we need to see, we can overcome.

As the Passover approaches, God’s people examine themselves, acknowledging their ongoing need for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Passover reminds us that through His sacrifice and living presence, we are reconciled to God and empowered to pursue a lifelong journey of transformation with humility, gratitude, and hope. This message explores three key reasons why the Passover is essential.

Many scriptural examples show people and angels praising God in song. The book of Psalms contains many words David sang in praise. This is an important way to worship God, and we should incorporate this into our lives. We can improve our singing ability with a little effort, and we can also sing praises to God throughout the week, outside of our congregational Sabbath services.

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.

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.