You know, a lot of language amongst us about our generations and how we’re different, I have arrived at a conclusion of that because I’ve heard it for such a period of time now. Our age and our season in life to me feels a great deal like a darkened [...]

I had really intended to begin a new series this weekend. I had prepared to do that, but as I was doing the Bible reading, I hope you’re reading the Bible with us. On every year we read through the Bible systematically and it has become one of the [...]

If something that you look forward to is interrupted, the emotion connected to that… how does it compare to the emotion that’s interrupted if you might miss a service? «I mean, that’s not fair, pastor». I don’t know if it’s fair or not, but I think [...]

I really intended to have completed this in a previous session, but our Bible reading, right now, I hope you do the Bible reading with us. I hope you read your Bible on a regular basis. First and foremost, that’s of primary importance. I have [...]

1 Kings 19. We’re stepping right into the middle of a narrative. I’m counting a bit on your knowledge of scripture. Elijah’s just had the confrontations on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal. Fire fell from heaven. He’s not really confronting [...]

The title is «When God Intervenes». If you’ve got an outline, you know there is some Scripture coming. I tell you that because I want to begin with a bit of history. You know, throughout history, one of the ways that revolutions are often fomented [...]

There’s a piece of territory at the end of the Mediterranean Sea that God promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as a part of his covenant with them. And he could care less what the UN Security Council thinks. It’s a point of [...]

We’ve been doing a series under the theme of «God’s Plan, God’s Promises and God’s People». In this session, my intent is to bring a conclusion, at least to this segment of the study. The idea is that God has a plan for the earth. It’s not random, [...]

You know, I believe in the sinner’s prayer, and again, I don’t want to minimize or denigrate that. But it’s a doorway to serving the King. And there’s some things that go with that. Again, it’s not an inclusive list. I didn’t think you’d want to [...]

I’ve been inviting you to imagine that God has a plan for your life that extends beyond just going to heaven or that extends beyond just a plan for your eternity. And that God’s plan for you is inseparable. In fact, it will be experienced as you [...]

I don’t know if we’re gonna do this in the next session or not, but Jesus had a great deal to say with that. When God gives you gifts and abilities, the biblical phrase you probably know is, «To whom much is given, much is required». And we should [...]

I wanna continue a study we’ve been working on for two or three sessions under this general theme of «God’s Plan and God’s Promises and God’s People,» and I believe they’re very related. I believe God has a plan not only for his kingdom in the [...]

Well, I wanna do a YouTube video with you because it’ll end up on YouTube, on applying one of the promises of God, because it’s not enough to talk about them, folks. What’s it mean to choose a promise of God, to make it yours? How do you live that [...]

We’ve been doing a series on God’s promises, really, «God’s Plan, God’s Promises & God’s People». It’s important to know God has a plan for your life and that the expression of that plan is revealed in his promises. And all of those things when [...]

So if there is a statement of intent from our Lord, I would submit to you, it would be in our best interest to understand it. If he is about something, I want to help. So look with me at your notes. It’s Matthew 16. This is Jesus speaking. He said, [...]

I want to continue the theme we started over the weekend. We’ve been talking about God’s plan, God’s promises, and God’s people. They go together. God has a plan for your life beyond just being born again, converted, saved. Those are important [...]

The line I’ve often used and this bears repeating is that truth divorced from experience must always remain a theory, remain in the realm of a doubt. You have to combine truth with experience and when you do that, then your experience portfolio [...]

You know, we get some goofy notions at church sometimes. I mean, I love God’s people, I really do. But you know, like, we imagine that the only prayer that matters is the prayer we pray at the end of the service. If you’ll help me, we’ll change [...]

In the New Testament, the New Covenant, it also requires a conquest, not of physical territory but of spiritual. I can easily substantiate this for you in the scripture and we will to an extent, but bear with me just a moment because we have lived [...]

We had, as far as I’m concerned, a God event this week. The context is important, so before you respond, let’s process the context. But there was a ruling from the IRS this week that said churches could endorse political candidates without [...]

There are real expressions against what you stand for as a Christ follower that would like to remove your voice from our academic institutions and our business institutions and our governmental institutions. I mean, that’s real. It’s not an [...]

But I wanna take this session and talk a bit about Israel and a vantage point. My habit, when I’ve returned from Israel for the last few years, has been to try to give you a bit of an update or some perspectives from what we gleaned. So I’ve been [...]

If your marker is secular, if your priorities are defined without a respect or a reverence for God, you have leaned your ladder against the wrong wall. «Well, Pastor, I’m in church on a Saturday night. What do you want? I mean, could you get off my [...]

I think most of you know Kathy and I were supposed to be coming home from Israel along with a couple a hundred people on Friday. And when my schedule’s like that, I have to think about those sermons a little bit ahead of time, they’ll land the plane [...]

How do you explain thousands of years and hatred towards a specific group of people who didn’t even occupy a nation, they didn’t occupy a space? I don’t believe you can understand it apart from spiritual explanations. I believe it’s a spiritual [...]

Genesis 12, I’ve told you on many occasions that the opening chapters of Genesis establish the big rock ideas of the Bible, the ideas that are fleshed out in the 65 books that follow that. And in Genesis 12, God is speaking to Abram, and he said, «I [...]

The topic is «Supporting Israel: How Far is Too Far»? It’s a question that’s relevant this week because Israel is still at war. They’ve been at war for over 600 days. There’s a new chapter in that initiative. The conflict with Iran has broken into a [...]

Maybe we could describe it this way. I think it’s the difference in a transaction and a transformation. The transaction is an exchange. I’m going to give you something in exchange for something I want. You know how to make a purchase. We do it that [...]

I struggled with the title for these messages. This is a continuation of what we started in a previous session and I’m not sure I ever got the titles right, but the one for this session is «Back from the Dead». I was out of town for a few days and I [...]

I wanna do a couple sessions. I struggled a bit with this title. In fact, I wanna pray because the Lord put something in my heart and I pray he will help us to… Father, I thank you for your Word. It is living and active and sharper than a two-edged [...]

The theme for this Memorial Day weekend is «Lessons in Leadership». Excuse me, leadership is not about titles or positions or org charts or labels or corner offices. Ultimately, leadership is about influence. I tell you that not to diminish those [...]

Most of us, if you, particularly if you’ve lived in the South, you’ve had enough exposure to Christianity that you’ve heard the notion of the sinner’s prayer or being born again or being… I believe in that, folks, with all of my heart. But if your [...]

The topic for session three is «Lessons in Leadership». And in this session, I want to talk about great ambition. I want to start with this notion of good and bad leaders. You know, you can be a leader and not be a good one. You can lead people [...]

I mean, there’s a lot we don’t know and we need the humility to say that. What we have to say is, «I am under the authority of the King. And I have raised my hand and I’m gonna run my race. I’m going to complete my course. I will not stop. In the [...]

I started this study a few weeks ago and it’s just continued to grow. I feel like I’ve been on a bit of a learning spree, and so I’m just inviting you to join me under this general theme of «Who’s the boss»? And we all know, I know we’re in church [...]

James, Chapter 2, verses 1 through 13, I’m talking today about the sin of elitism. Now, what is elitism? Elitism is an attitude of superiority that lifts yourself or somebody else up while demeaning people who you do not feel worthy to be [...]

We call it in theology a doxology taken from two Greek words. One is doxe, which means praise, and then logos, which means a word or an expression. So, a doxology is an expression of praise. There are many doxologies in the Bible, but there are many [...]

Revelation, written by the apostle John. In chapter 2, verse 7, we read, «He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes». In verse 11, «He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the [...]

Paul wrote 1 Timothy to Timothy. There were three classes of people, like there are today. There’s the poor, the middle class, and the upper class. There are three classes. The first class, the lowest class, was the slave class. Now, if you were a [...]

First of all, to love God with all of our heart, mind, might, strength and soul, to love God first. We’ve already seen that week after week. God wants to be in the front of the line of your life. He does not wanna be an afterthought when you’ve [...]

Today, I want to talk with you about experiencing God’s Word first. He’s given you a program, called the Bible, which is half of the equation. In 2 Timothy, Chapter 1, verse 16, «For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you [...]

A lot of folks come to class on Sunday because they wanna get the information. They wanna hear what’s preached and enjoy what’s sung, and so they come to class. Many will even take notes during the message. But we’ll call it «Audit Church» because [...]

We wanna welcome all of you this morning that are here. We’re so honored today to have a surprise. We were contacted by the Consul General of Israel, Mrs. Anat Sultan-Dadon. I hope I did justice to that name. Would you stand please? And your team. [...]

I want you to look with me in the book of Song of Solomon 3. Let’s begin reading with verse 7. «Behold, it is Solomon’s bed, with sixty valiant men around it, of the valiant of Israel. They all hold swords, being expert in war. Every man has his [...]

I’m reading this morning from the book of Psalms 92. «But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox, I have been anointed with fresh oil». Everybody say, «My horn. But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox,» I wanna preach on that this morning. And [...]

I’m preaching this morning the part two to what I started last week on how to redeem your family name. You can redeem your family name. When you think of a family, you think of a name. Instantly something is attached to that family name. And what [...]

The thing that I wanna bring your attention to as you open your Bibles with me to the book of Numbers 26. And I wanna preach today on, how to redeem your family name. I want you to look at the story with me in Numbers 26:9, «And the sons of Eliab, [...]

What a blessing to have all of you here today. We appreciate you on this special, special, special day worshipping God with us. And I think it would absolutely be in order if we took a moment and said to every father in the house, stand to your [...]

«You are great. You do miracles so great». If you need a miracle, just lift your hands and worship the Miracle Worker. He’s a mighty God this morning. Give Him honor and praise. One more time. «You are great, You do miracles, Yes you do. Oh there’s [...]

Here’s another thing an older Greg would say to a younger Greg, advice I would give to anyone, young people, but older people, as well, «Have an attitude of gratitude». Have an attitude of gratitude. Back to the verse I quoted in Philippians 4. [...]