The book of Jude is an urgent message to Christians to stand strong in their faith in the midst of the dangers of this world–in particular, there are warnings against false teachers who will try to make you fall away from the faith. As he nears the end of his letter, Jude encourages believers to build themselves up and keep themselves in the love of God. The Gospel lesson contains strong exhortations from Jesus to be on guard and stay awake in the midst of danger. This is scary stuff, especially on this Last Sunday of the Church Year when we consider the Last Day! But in verse 24, Jude says “now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.” It is such good news that Jude is not asking “are you able to do this?” Instead, he is leading us in a closing doxology of praise to Jesus, who is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us blameless before the Father on the Last Day. This sermon will have us rejoice that our hope is not in our ability, but in the ability of Christ to save us.

On this Last Sunday of the church year, we hear strong warnings from both Jesus and Jude about dangers to our faith.

Most of Jude’s letter is filled with scary stuff. What can we learn from Jude?

False teachers are real and active.

Satan is real and active.

The stakes are very high as the Last Day approaches.

Jude’s encouragement/challenge to us: But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. (Jude 20-21)

“Now to him who is able…” Who is Jude talking about here? Are you able? 

“Now to Jesus who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24-25)

On this All Saints’ Day, Pastor Smith reflects upon the picture of the heavenly multitude of saints praising God into eternity. We remember those who have died in the past year and are now with the Lord, and we long for the day when our voices will be joined with theirs to glorify God forever and ever. In this sermon, Pastor Smith leads us to realize that even though there are many connections we might find in this life, that there is only one connection that is the deepest and strongest and most meaningful. That connection is the one we have by faith in Christ. We will see how truly our most powerful connections are with people in our church, the Church on earth, and even the Church Triumphant in heaven. We will also rejoice in the amazing diversity and amazing uniformity found among God’s saints.

We go through life trying to connect with people who are like us.

There are good ways to connect. There are bad ways to connect. And then there is the very best way to connect.

There is no greater connection than the faith we share with fellow Christians.

There is an amazing diversity, as well as an amazing uniformity, among God’s saints.

The connection God gives to us by faith is not only for this life, but will also be an eternal connection.

Today we consider part 2 of this conversation involving the rich young man, Jesus, and His disciples. Last week we left off right as the rich man was leaving Jesus. Jesus now turns to His disciples to finish the teaching, and He uses an exaggerated example about a camel squeezing through the eye of a needle to make His point. With man, it is absolutely impossible to enter the kingdom of God. There are many things, riches or otherwise, that would prevent us. It takes Jesus Himself squeezing through, bleeding and suffering, to save us. Of course, He also needs to squeeze us through in the process of dying to self and being sanctified. Join Pastor Smith as he walks through this challenging text and finds the good news that nothing is impossible with God.

The rich young man has just walked away sorrowful, and Jesus continues to teach His disciples…

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

BETWEEN THESE TWO QUOTES TALK ABOUT HOW THIS CAMEL THING IS BROADLY APPLICABLE, NOT JUST TO RICH. TALK ABOUT ALL THE IDOLS AND OBSTACLES THAT STAND IN OUR WAY FROM ENTERING THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

“With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Jesus Himself gets squeezed through the eye of the needle to save us.

Jesus also squeezes us through the eye of the needle, straining away all sinful idols and obstacles.

Today we look at a very short, raw, and candid prayer that a father prays to Jesus as he is seeking healing for his son. “I believe! Help my unbelief.” It sounds rather confusing at first glance…how can you both believe and disbelieve at the same time? This is most likely an inner struggle we have experienced, but maybe we haven’t put it quite into these words. We will explore the difference between unbelief and doubt. Is the father judging his doubt too harshly and calling it unbelief? Does he believe? What happens in our prayer life when we don’t have faith as strong as we would like, and we are prone to doubt? We will wrestle with these questions and ultimately we will take confidence and comfort in Jesus. After all, prayer is less about ourselves and what we lack and more about Jesus and what He has. 

The father senses how serious this situation is and he panics. If the outcome rests upon the strength of his faith, then he is in big trouble!

What’s the difference between unbelief and doubt?

Do you believe in yourself, or do you believe in Jesus? 

We get into trouble when we focus more on the strength of our own faith, rather than on the One in whom we put our faith.

“Nothing so furthers our prayer life as the feeling of our own helplessness.”

Discussion Guide

What do you think is the difference between unbelief and doubt?

How do you know how strong your faith is? Can you think of times in your life when your faith felt very strong? Very weak? What factors affected this for you?

Why is it that so often we focus more on ourselves and our strength and abilities, rather than focusing more on Jesus?

What is one thing you’ve learned from this story that will help you going forward in your prayer life?

Today we look at a parable Jesus tells in Luke chapter 18 about the “persistent widow.” Luke helpfully tells us that Jesus specifically told this parable so that people who hear it would keep praying and not lose heart. What is one main reason why people might lose heart when they are praying? If the one to whom they pray refuses to help or delays in answering. This is precisely what the unrighteous judge in this parable does…but even he eventually does help the poor widow! Jesus invites us to contrast this unrighteous judge with the righteous heavenly Father we have. And when we have confidence that God will give just to us speedily and answer our prayers, we are then led to always pray and to not lose heart. 

Have you ever felt like the widow in Jesus’ parable? Have you ever been close to losing heart in your prayer life?

The widow may have been close to losing heart, but it is the unrighteous judge who loses his patience first.

Jesus invites us to contrast the judge with the Father. 

It may seem like God is delaying while we are praying…

But God truly does answer every prayer. He answers our prayers justly according to His will. 

Discussion Guide

Have you ever felt like the widow in Jesus’ parable?

In what circumstances might we actually prefer praying to the unrighteous judge rather than to God?

How does Jesus’ teaching here cause you to have more confidence in praying to God?

Can you think of a time when God answered your prayer differently than how you wanted, and how He gave you His grace and strength to help in your weakness?

This week we launch a year-long emphasis on prayer under the title of “In Jesus’ Name.” Over the next six weeks we will focus on some famous Biblical examples and teachings on prayer so that we can grow in the way we utilize this precious gift from God. Too many times we have a misunderstanding of how prayer works. We have it all backward. We think that we are the ones who have to go seek out Jesus and initiate the conversation. But when we look at Revelation 3:20, we learn that it is Jesus who is knocking on our door and that prayer is simply about letting Him in…letting Him into our lives, our problems, our pains, our joys, whatever is happening. He desires to be involved so that He can bring His power and strength to help us in whatever way we need. This sermon will explore how too often we fail to make use of the gift of prayer, and it will also set the stage for how we can grow in this important area of the Christian life.

This sermon is based on Jesus’ teaching from John 6:35-51, while also connecting to the story of Elijah from 1 Kings 19:1-8. The Jews are bewildered by Jesus calling Himself the “Bread of Life/Living Bread.” They can’t fathom a better bread than the manna Moses gave them in the wilderness many generations ago. I will explore how we as humans toil and struggle after “dead bread”, which only leads to our own demise. Elijah is an example–he thought he had done all that he could. He was lying down praying for his death, when the angel of the Lord sent bread to sustain him. So we too, after a long toiling after “dead bread”, receive the Bread of Life–Jesus Himself. We will discuss why it is hard for us to accept Jesus as the bread of life, and how He truly is the only way to life.

“Dead bread” is anything that fills you up for a while but ultimately leads to despair and death.

What is the dead bread in your life?

The story of Elijah from the book of 1 Kings

In the midst of Elijah’s despair, God comes and gives him bread to sustain him.

Jesus Himself is the living bread that we need. What looks different when we receive Jesus as our bread?

We don’t hunger anymore. Jesus fills us with what we need.

Jesus will never lose us.

Even though we die, Jesus will raise us up to eternal life.

Discussion Guide

What is the “dead bread” in your life? What is it about dead bread (or about us) that makes it look so appetizing to us?

What was the struggle the Jews were having with understanding and accepting Jesus’ teaching? 

What stands out about Elijah’s story? In what way can you relate?

What have you found to be the difference in your life when you have fed on “dead bread” vs. feeding on Jesus, the living bread?

The disciples do not know Jesus when they see him walking on the water. Not only do they fail to recognize him, but they become even more afraid when they see him because they think He’s a ghost! By stark contrast, the people at Gennesaret in the second story recognize him immediately and know that he brings healing and salvation. I want to focus on how if you know Jesus, then you know who He is and what He offers. If you know him, you recognize him in any context. This sermon explores what might cause us not to recognize him. How it’s dangerous for us to be away from Him. How we need to know Him, REALLY know Him, so that He will bring us peace and confidence and salvation at all times, even if we are far away, in a storm, etc.

IYKYK = ______________________________________________

In the Gospels, it can sometimes seem like knowing Jesus is an IYKYK situation.

Let’s take a look at who knows Jesus in Mark 6:45-56…

The disciples fail to recognize Jesus. In stark contrast, the people of Gennesaret immediately recognize Him!

If you know Jesus, then in your greatest need you see Him, you take heart, and you are no longer afraid.

If you don’t know Jesus, then even in your greatest need you see Him and are afraid.

Knowing Jesus is not some kind of IYKYK exclusive, inside information situation. Anyone can know Jesus. Here’s how…

Discussion Guide

How do you feel if you find yourself on the wrong side of an IYKYK situation (Translation: how do you feel if you are on the outside looking in on an inside joke, insider information, etc)?

What is the difference between the disciples’ reaction to seeing Jesus (Mark 6:45-52) and the people’s reaction at Gennesaret (Mark 6:53-56)? Why do you think this is the case?

What would make someone look at Jesus and be afraid?

What does it mean to “know Jesus?” How can I know Him?

This week we will cover the book of Lamentations as a whole as a way to springboard into talking about how it is good for God’s people to learn the language of lament. When bad things happen, too often we choose one of three options: to suffer in silence, to dismiss the bad things by speaking platitudes, or to rage. None of these three options are the best way to deal with trouble! The Bible shows us the way to lament–to give complaints to God, to ask Him why things are going so badly and what He’s going to do about them. Lamenting to God may be foreign to us, but when it is done in faith it is one of the best things we can do when we are feeling broken and downtrodden by the sinfulness of this life.

This week we focus on a parable Jesus tells about the kingdom of God. A man scatters seed and looks forward to the harvest, but when the seed is in the ground and growing, he doesn’t know how that process works. Jesus tells this parable to communicate a truth about His kingdom–the fact that there is a beginning and an end, but the middle can be very mysterious to humans. How long will this middle process last? What is God doing? In this sermon, Pastor Smith explores what the “mysterious middle” is like for us as we live in God’s kingdom. The good news and encouragement is that even though we don’t know exactly what God is doing, it is enough to know that He is doing His good work to bring us to the joyful end of His salvation story.

Pastor Smith's Sermon on May 26, 2024 explores the theme of confusion in faith, drawing from Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus in John 3. Pastor Smith uses the famous "Who's on First?" sketch to illustrate how confusion can escalate, much like Nicodemus' misunderstanding of Jesus' message. The sermon emphasizes the importance of being "born again" or "born from above" through the Spirit, while acknowledging the challenges in understanding the Holy Trinity. Ultimately, it reassures believers that while not everything can be fully comprehended, the essential truths of God's love and salvation are made clear through Jesus Christ.

In this sermon from Pastor Jeff Smith, Pastor Smith addresses the reality of God’s love for children, admonishing us to become like children in order to follow Him. He preaches from Matthew 18:1-20, admonishing us to love as God loves.

Pastor Jeff Smith teaches on Matthew 16:13-20, specifically as it relates tot he proclamation of the deity of Christ. Peter confesses this truth and Jesus affirms that the Gospel message will be foundational to the building of HIs Church.

Pastor Jeffery Smith teaches on “The Power of Positive Negativity” from Deuteronomy 7:6-9; Romans 8:28-39; Matthew 13:44-52, affirming the importance of God’s Word as we stand firm.

In this sermon, Pastor Jeff Smith teaches from Isaiah 55:10-13, Romans 8:12-17, and Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23, addressing the parable of the sower. Is he wasteful to throw seed on bad soil? What makes this parable so important?

When Life Gets Tough, Is Jesus Enough? Pastor Jeff Smith walks us through Jeremiah 20:7-13, Romans 6:12-23, and Matthew 10:5a, 21-33 to help us see how Christ is with us and is enough regardless of our circumstances.

The Triune nature of God is a doctrine unique to Christianity. There is nothing like it in any other religion. It is essential to Christianity for several reasons, not the least of which is that Scripture reveals that there is one God while simultaneously referring to each of the three members of the Trinity as God. Our God is a relational God, eternally existing in relationship with Himself. Pastor Smith teaches us about the Trinity in Genesis 1:1-2:4a, Acts 2:14a, 22-36, and Matthew 28:16-20. While the doctrine of the Trinity is not fully understandable to us and is thus a mystery, it is rational and true.

As we read through the book of Acts during this Easter season, we see God putting people into positions to give of their time, talents, and treasures to support the work of His kingdom. We will reflect upon people like Matthias, the newly-elected twelfth apostle, who may feel overwhelmed at the prospect of serving in a new way. How do we feel when God puts it on our hearts to give of ourselves to do His work and serve others? What stands in our way? What would help us take the first step?

As we continue our focus on how we can “join Jesus on His mission,” we reflect this week on how the mission of Jesus is to bring His kingdom into this world. But what does the kingdom look like? For those who follow Jesus already, it will look like Christian community, hearing God’s Word, the fruit of the Spirit being evident, etc. But for those who don’t follow Jesus, the kingdom of God will usually look like human need. How does Jesus respond to the needs of humans who are not in a faith relationship with Him? How can we join Jesus in what He is already doing in their lives?

Christ is risen! (He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!) On Good Friday, we considered the final words of Jesus, and what we could learn from the words Jesus chose to speak as He suffered and died on the cross. Here on Easter Sunday, we are turning to the first words of Jesus to see what else we can learn! First words are critical. They can set the tone and communicate what is most important. What can we learn from the first words Jesus uses to begin His ministry? And what can we learn from the first words Jesus speaks after His resurrection? We learn that Jesus has completed His mission, and now He invites us to join Him in the mission to make disciples by calling others to repent and believe the Gospel.