This Sunday, Blaze McEntee unpacks the life of one of the Bible’s most villainous characters, Judas Iscariot. We take a look at a few scenes in scripture that shed light onto who he was, and what might have been going on in his heart. It’s a tragic end to a wasted opportunity, but even so, we find that God uses the situation for His glory, and for the salvation of many. What is happening behind the scenes in the spiritual realm with Judas? What is the role of Satan in this betrayal? Find out as we navigate God’s word in some eventful passages in this message entitled, “The Betrayer.”
The account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness is a fantastic story of Jesus standing strong against the cunning lies of the enemy. Immediately after Jesus’ baptism He heads into the wilderness where he fasts for 40 days. This is the same amount of time that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness. This is also the same amount of time for completion in Hebrew culture. The enemy comes to Jesus when He is spiritually strong but physically hungry. The devil comes in to tempt Jesus to sin and break His plan with God. Someone once said that in this account Jesus conquered the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Listen in as Pastor Neal shares more of this account.
In his groundbreaking writing of The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis brings to life a fictional story of a demon trying to condemn a man to hell. The story is captivating and eye opening. It seems tough to grasp, but if you read Job chapters 1-2 we can see Satan trying to destroy the life of a man named Job. The picture in the first three verses of Job is of a godly, wealthy, fulfilled man. Job had a family who enjoyed the favor of God in his time. The book of Job is a reminder that Satan will do anything to destroy our faith. And, if he was given the opportunity, he would try to kill us. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches on Job 1-2.
The epic battle found in 1st Samuel 17 between David and Goliath helps set the tone for the war bound leadership reign David would have as he stabilized the nation of
Israel. The story is of Hollywood portion, but tucked into the details of the battle are principles that are helpful to everybody in the family of God. The great giant of mankind has been slayed through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Yet as we wait for the full promise of heaven, the enemy is consistently at work to steal, kill and destroy. Listen in as our guest speaker, Pastor Chase Feindel teaches us how in order to have the promised life to the full, we will need the principles for the battles that lay ahead of us as we fight for the faith.
The events in Genesis 3 disrupt the calm of Eden and are central to the story of what happens to mankind. The book of Genesis was most likely written by Moses to God’s people (the Israelites). In Genesis 3, we read what many people refer to as “The fall of mankind” and you will see why. Our passage has four voices: God, the devil, Adam, and Eve. Adam and Eve are in the garden when the serpent approaches them to plant a seed of doubt in their mind. The devil plays a role of deception against Eve that leads her and Adam to sin. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches on Genesis 3 and how the deceiver will cause us to doubt the goodness of God.
Many of us have had an unwanted spiritual encounter that felt dark. Typically, when people share these stories, they tend to happen at nighttime. In Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Ephesus about the unseen spiritual battle. He taught them about salvation by grace, Christian living, life transformation, and house-hold relationships. This thought might be the most important part of the letter because it applies to every aspect of what he’s written. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches from Ephesians 6:10-20 on how to stand strong in Christ, because you're in a battle against a cunning and merciless enemy.
In Hebrews 13, we are left with a number of concluding thoughts from the author. At first reading it almost appears as a number of short “tweets” that he is leaving us with. But upon further examination we see more cohesion. The author wants us have encouraging actions, figure out how to bless our leaders, live a lifestyle of worship, and live an equipped life. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches the conclusion to our sermon series on Hebrews.
The author of the book of Hebrews longs for the early church to thrive in their faith. In Hebrews 12:14-29 we see his passion for that. Listen in as Doug Meye shares three drumbeats that every Christ follower needs to regularly hear.
Discipline isn’t a word that most of us like to hear. In fact, we would rather lay in our warm bed than be disciplined to get up in the morning. When we think about discipline and the letter to the Hebrews we are reminded that the primary purpose of this letter was to encourage the early church. Some of the early believers were considering walking away from their faith and the author is encouraging them to stay strong in the Lord. In Hebrews 12:4-13, the author will encourage them to stay strong in their faith in three ways. He encourages them to be in God’s word, to endure discipline, and to persevere during our discipline. The author knows the peace that waits for them on the other side of their current discipline. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches on how following the Lord’s disciple leads to peace in my life.
Most of us have been distracted at one point in our life. We forgot our training, the power of those who’ve gone before us, and what we’ve learned. As we move into Hebrews 12:1-3, the author teaches us to remember those who’ve gone before us. He helps to draw our attention back to what is most important. He also exhorts us to throw off the sin that entangles us. Finally we are encouraged to keep our eyes on Jesus. So often we are distracted and fail to think of the great things in God. Listen in as Pastor Neal talks about keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus in a world full of distractions.