Fear & Peace

Fear & Peace

Dave Riddle - 4/14/2024

Key Passage: John 20:19-30

They were afraid

- John 20:19

- The disciples were deeply afraid

- John 19:38

- Joseph was deeply afraid

- Luke 24:37

Called to peace

- John 14:27

- Embrace peace, not fear!

The disciples rejoiced

- John 20:20-21

- Peace Be With You

God wants to give us peace

- Peace with Him

- The peace that only He can provide

- eirene: a national state of tranquility, harmony, and safety. In a Christian context: the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Jesus, and so fearing nothing from God and content with his/her earthly lot of whatsoever sort that is.

- Peace: the absence of chaos.

The key to peace

- John 20:25-27

- it isn’t based on what we see or experience.

- Peace is found through faith in Jesus.

- John 20:28-29

- Believe

- John 20:30-31

- Are we foolish and slow to believe?

- Luke 24:25-27

Walking with Jesus

Walking with Jesus

Dave Riddle - 4/7/2024

Key Passage: Luke 24:13-37

Jesus came near and walked with them

- Luke 24:13-15

- Now you see me.

- Luke 24:16 - they were prevented from recognizing Him

- Now you don’t.

Jesus stops us in our tracks

- Luke 24:17

- Jesus knows the answer, but he sets them up for a teachable moment.

They didn’t understand what they had experienced

- Luke 24:19-24

- They lacked a spiritual perspective.

- They forgot what Jesus said would happen.

- They failed to acknowledge the resurrection.

They Invited Him to Abide with them

- Luke 24:28-29

- Stay with us. Abide with us.

Watch out for and welcome Jesus into your life!

- Don’t pass up opportunities to invite Jesus into your daily life.

- Ask him to abide with you.

Submit to as Lord

- Do you have expectations that you need to surrender?

Get perspective through truth

- When we encounter truth our perspective changes.

- Do we examine the circumstances of our lives through the lens of scripture?

Be a witness

- Luke 24:33-35

- The two disciples got up immediately to share the good news of their encounter with Jesus.

As followers of Jesus we don’t travel through life alone. Allow Jesus’ presence and His truth to transform your life.

Palm Sunday - A Triumphal Entry

Palm Sunday - A Triumphal Entry

Paul Trulock - 3/24/2024

Key Passage: Matthew 21:1-11

No longer hiding the fact that He is the messiah

  • Matthew 21:3

The King had arrived

  • Prophecy fulfilled

    • Matt 21:5

  • Hosanna, save us, son of David

    • Matt 21:9

Who is this?

  • They missed who Jesus truly was.

    • Matthew 21:10

  • They expected a different kind of King/Savior/Messiah.

    • They wanted to submit to a King, but not this kind of King.

What’s your triumphal entry experience?

  • Where you cry out “Hosanna, save me”, but Jesus responds differently than expected?

  • where your spiritual high doesn’t connect to who Jesus really is?

  • Where you find yourself asking, “where are you Jesus?”

Where is your devotion?

  • Crucified with Christ

    • Galatians 2:20

      • I no longer live but Christ lives in me.

Do you see Him?

  • You may not know where you’re being led, but do you know the one who leads you?

Has Jesus made a triumphal entry into your heart? Have you submitted to His reign?

Who was Melchizedek?

Who was Melchizedek?

Dave Riddle - 2/4/2024

Key Passage: Hebrews 7:1-10

Abram meets Melchizedek

- Genesis 14:12-20

Other Mentions

- Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 5:6, 6:20

The Hebrew priesthood

- Tribe of Levi

- Descendants of Aaron

- Made non-permanent sacrifices

- The role was hereditary not necessarily due to their righteousness.

* None of these things applied to Melchizedek

Melchizedek’s Priesthood

- A Royal priesthood

- A universal priesthood

- He received a tithe from chosen people, not the other way around.

- Not a descendant of Levi/Aaron

- Righteous and peaceful

- Without genealogy?

- What!?

The mystery of Melchizedek

- Hotly debated

- An Angel taking human form?

- Unlikely. The priesthood is a human function.

- An actual historical human being who acted as a priest before the order that would come later?

- A type/foreshadowing of Jesus?

- Christophany? A pre-incarnate Jesus?

- Maybe, but Jesus does have a father/mother. The author says Melchizedek is like the Son of God, but that he is the son…

We can put complete faith, hope, and trust in Jesus alone

Jesus: Our Promised Hope

Jesus: Our Promised Hope

Dave Riddle - 1/28/2024

Key Passage: Hebrews 6:13-20

We inherit the promise

- Hebrews 6:12-13

- Genesis 12, 15, 22

- Through Abram a blessing for the entire world.

- Jesus.

Guaranteed with an Oath

- Hebrews 6:13-17

- Galatians 3:29

- Heirs according to the promise

Jesus is our refuge!

- Hebrews 6:18

- Size the hope set before you

We have this hope as our anchor

- Hebrews 6:19-20

- Our hope is Jesus.

- The perfect priest.

- The perfect sacrifice.

Are You Spiritually Lazy?

Are You Spiritually Lazy?

Dave Riddle - 1/21/2024

Key Passage: Hebrews 5:11-6:12

Laziness

- Hebrews 5:11

- Dullness to the word. Stupidity.

Unready to Share

- Hebrews 5:12

- You ought to be teachers, but you still need basic instruction.

We live on baby food

- Hebrews 5:12-14

- Solid food = Teaching that goes beyond the basics.

- Baby food is great for babies, but it’s not great for adults.

Advance towards Maturity

- Hebrews 6:1-3

- Move beyond these elementary teachings and allow ourselves to be challenged.

A Tricky Passage

- Hebrews 6:4-6a

- parapito: to slip aside, fall beside, deviate from the right path, turn aside or wander

- Many views on what this passage means depending on how the words are translated and who the intended audience is.

What kind of fruit are you producing?

- Hebrews 6:7-8

- Are we advancing in fruitfulness?

How are you serving?

- Hebrews 6:9-10

- Our lives should be marked by service

Diligence not Laziness

- Hebrews 6:11-12

- Speedy, diligent, passionate, looking for opportunities.

Imitators

- Hebrews 6:12

- Imitators of those who have faith and perseverance.

- Worthy of being imitated by someone else.

Our Great High Priest

Our Great High Priest

Dave Riddle - 1/14/2024

Key Passage: Hebrews 4:14-5:10

The Great High Priest

- Hebrews 4:14

- Enthroned in Heaven

- The Son of God

Appointed by God

- Hebrews 5:1

- An act of God’s grace to restore broken relationships.

- Hebrews 5:6 (and 6 other places in Hebrews)

- A permanent priesthood

- A different kind of priest

- Hebrews 5:6

- A priest and a king.

Sympathetic to the People

- Hebrews 4:15-16

- A High Priest who understands our weakness

- Hebrews 5:2, 7-8

- Jesus did what the priests did not.

- Hebrews 3, 9

- He offered himself as a sacrifice

Hold Fast

- Hebrews 4:14

- Let us hold tightly to the confession of our faith. What Jesus did for us.

Approach the throne of grace

- Hebrews 4:16

- So that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.

The Promised Rest

Phil Woodman - 1/7/2024

Key Passage: Hebrews 4:1-13

They will not enter my rest…

- Hebrews 3:11, 4:3

- The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years.

- A loss of blessing, not a loss of connection.

Rest

- Hebrews 4:1-13: Rest is mentioned 11 times in 13 verses

Don’t make the same mistake as the ancient Israelites

- Hebrews 4

What is God’s Rest?

- Hebrews 4:3-4

- The author appeals back to creation.

- On the seventh day God rested.

- Eternal rest. No evening, no morning.

- God offers us this same rest.

Greater than Joshua’s rest

- Hebrews 4:8

- Joshua 22:4

- The work was done. They could go home and rest.

- That must have felt amazing after years of slavery, wandering, and fighting.

- It was incomplete and pales in comparison to the rest offered by Jesus.

- We are a tired and disconnected people.

- Rest.

God’s rest is available today

- Hebrews 4:7

- Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.

- Hebrews 4:9

- …a sabbath rest remains for God’s people.

How do we enter God’s rest?

- Hebrews 4:11-13

- Make every effort to enter that rest.

- Fight for sabbath. It’s ok to say no! Is ok to have free time.

- Rest in God’s Word.

Hope in Times of Trouble - New Year’s Eve

Hope in Times of Trouble - New Year’s Eve

Paul Trulock - 12/31/23

Key Passage: Psalm 46

Preparing for 2024

Selah

- To pause and calmly think

Our Refuge in Times of Trouble

- Psalm 46:1

- God is our refuge and strength

- God is an ever-present help

God is Resident in us

- Psalm 46:7

- The Lord of Hosts is with us

- Also, Psalm 46:11

- Individually and as a church.

Relax

- Psalm 46:10

- Be still, cease fighting, stop resisting… and know that I am God.

- Know that I am God

- In our minds and in our hearts.

We know all this, so why do we worry?

- I believe. Help my unbelief.

- Mark 9:24

- We fear the unknown, and lack faith.

Help me overcome my unbelief

1. Be honest with God

2. Abide with God

3. Submit to God

Repent Believe Obey

Repent Believe Obey

Dave Riddle - 12/24/2023

Key Passage: Matthew 1:18-25

A picture of repentance. Joseph turned away from his plan to quietly divorce Mary and he turned towards God’s way instead.

This is the first of four times that we see Joseph respond to a dream by choosing to believe and obey.

Repent, believe, obey. This is the daily posture that God desires for us.

You Have Found Favor With God

Fear Not! You Have Found Favor With God

Dave Riddle - 12/17/2023

Key Passage: Luke 1:26-38

Grace

- Luke 1:28

- Greetings: Be of good cheer. Root word: grace.

- Favored one: to provide someone with special honor. Root word: grace.

- “Grace to you, oh highly favored one”

- The same message Paul has for the Ephesians.

- The same message is given to each of us in the good news of the gospel.

Mary Was Very Perplexed

- Luke 1:29

- diatarasso: very disturbed. Disturbed wholly. Agitated with alarm.

- The only time this word is used in the Bible.

Don’t be afraid. You have found favor with God

- Luke 1:30

- The message Gabriel shares with Mary is not one that most people would have associated with favor.

- Unplanned pregnancy

A natural, reasonable, very human reaction

- Luke 1:34

- Compare to Zechariah’s reasonable reaction in Luke 1:18

A supernatural, outlandish, very divine answer!

- Luke 1:35

I am the Lord’s servant

- Luke 1:38

- The Lord’s slave

- May it be done as you have said

- Blessed assurance.

- Trusting, believing, submitting to God’s way.

- Even when it seems far fetched.

Your Prayer Has Been Heard

We had audio issues for the first portion of this service. The audio came back in right near the beginning of the message. We have trimmed off most of the affected portion.

Your Prayer Has Been Heard

Dave Riddle - 12/10/2023

Key Passage: Luke 1:5-17

Zechariah and Elizabeth

- Luke 1:5-7

- Their faith was great, but there is a disconnect between the way they lived and the life they were experiencing.

A Great Honor Turns to Great Fear

- Luke 1:8-12

- Do not be afraid

- Do not be troubled

- Do not be seized or gripped by fear

Don’t Be Afraid. Your Prayer Has Been Heard

- Luke 1:13

- God has heard your prayer

I’m going to need a sign

- Luke 1:18

- How do I know this is true?

- Despite this amazing visit from an angel, and despite his knowledge as a priest, Zechariah had a hard time trusting without reservation.

- Luke 1:20

- Zechariah gets his sign.

God’s Message Is Always Good News

- Luke 1:19

John The Baptizer

- Matthew 3:1-6