September 30, 2018 How Much Is Your Life Worth?
How Much Is My Life Worth?
As I prepare for this Sunday's sermon, I am reminded of how easy it is to wander away from life's fundamental truths as taught by Jesus. Take the teachings of Jesus concerning the worship of stuff. You know... stuff. The things that seem so important when we first purchase them but now lie buried in the basement with little hope of resurrection. The job that was a dream until it turned into a nightmare. The money we set aside for those rainy days that never came. The investments and savings that are created more out of our fears and insecurities than reality.
Stuff. We convince ourselves that the more we have, the happier we'll be. We convince ourselves that with the black magic of plastic cards we can afford every impulse of our hearts. We travel to places that will fill the emptiness of our lives. We escape from the boredom of reality in the dim light of a movie theater. We buy boats and cars and houses seeking that fleeting sense of satisfaction that we're just a little bit more successful than our neighbors.
Even entire churches can get caught up in obsessing over buildings and financial security and "one-upping" the churches around them!
Jesus had a lot to say about stuff and the ways in which we trade the gift of life for meaningless pursuits. He asked "What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world but lose his own soul (Mark 8:36)?" Every second of labor, every moment of leisure, every day spent in pointless endeavors - Jesus sees as a deadly danger to our souls.
How much is your life worth? Is your soul worth the price of the pursuits you've chosen? We'll dive into these questions this Sunday morning.
Grace and peace, Pastor Bob
Matthew 19:16-30
- Sep 30, 2018How Much Is Your Life Worth?
How Much Is Your Life Worth?
September 30, 2018 How Much Is Your Life Worth?
How Much Is My Life Worth?
As I prepare for this Sunday's sermon, I am reminded of how easy it is to wander away from life's fundamental truths as taught by Jesus. Take the teachings of Jesus concerning the worship of stuff. You know... stuff. The things that seem so important when we first purchase them but now lie buried in the basement with little hope of resurrection. The job that was a dream until it turned into a nightmare. The money we set aside for those rainy days that never came. The investments and savings that are created more out of our fears and insecurities than reality.
Stuff. We convince ourselves that the more we have, the happier we'll be. We convince ourselves that with the black magic of plastic cards we can afford every impulse of our hearts. We travel to places that will fill the emptiness of our lives. We escape from the boredom of reality in the dim light of a movie theater. We buy boats and cars and houses seeking that fleeting sense of satisfaction that we're just a little bit more successful than our neighbors.
Even entire churches can get caught up in obsessing over buildings and financial security and "one-upping" the churches around them!
Jesus had a lot to say about stuff and the ways in which we trade the gift of life for meaningless pursuits. He asked "What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world but lose his own soul (Mark 8:36)?" Every second of labor, every moment of leisure, every day spent in pointless endeavors - Jesus sees as a deadly danger to our souls.
How much is your life worth? Is your soul worth the price of the pursuits you've chosen? We'll dive into these questions this Sunday morning.
Grace and peace, Pastor Bob
Matthew 19:16-30
- Sep 23, 2018Forgiveness the Jesus Way
Forgiveness the Jesus Way
September 23, 2018 Forgiveness the Jesus Way – Rodney Bussard
The Spirit Within Us
Have you ever thought about the type of spirit that lives within you? Is it a spirit that builds up or tears down? Is it a spirit that is holy in love for others or a spirit of jealousy and spitefulness?
It is so easy to cultivate a judgmental spirit. We assume the worst about others (but not necessarily about ourselves) and we make sure the people around us hear our complaints!
Jesus had an encouraging spirit—just read the Gospel of John and his words of life and hope even as he faces the crucible of judgment and death.
He was frequently targeted by "the destructive spirit of this world” that unfairly judges and condemns the innocent and righteous. Frequently we find in the Gospel accounts that:
If Jesus associated with sinners,
he was condemned as unclean, a glutton, and a drunkard.
If Jesus forgave sins,
he was condemned as a usurper of God’s authority to forgive sins.
If Jesus mercifully healed on the Sabbath,
he was condemned as a lawbreaker.
In I Thessalonians 5:11 we are told to "encourage one another and build each other up.” The next time you are tempted to speak ill of another, consider whether it is the encouraging Spirit of Jesus or the destructive spirit of this world that is controlling your words.
Grace and peace, Pastor Bob
Matthew 18:21-25
- Sep 16, 2018Love Is
Love Is
September 16, 2018 Building on God’s Love – Youth Sunday 2018
Our youth will bless the church this Sunday as we celebrate "Youth Sunday" at the 8:30 and 11:00 services. Music will be led by our youth band and the message from I Corinthians 13 will be shared by Paige Sailor. Other youth will lead us in prayers and Scripture readings.
I'm always amazed at how God uses our youth under the leadership of Bill and Carolyn Harlow and the help of other adults who regularly accompany the youth group on mission trips. Over the years our youth have served others from Mexico to the Dominican Republic to sites throughout the United States. Please come on Sunday and be blessed by this remarkable group of disciples of Jesus!
Grace and peace, Pastor Bob
1 Corinithans 13:4-8a
- Sep 9, 2018Be Holy the Jesus Way
Be Holy the Jesus Way
September 9, 2018 Be Holy the Jesus Way
This Sunday's sermon "Be Holy the Jesus Way" is the second in our new sermon series on living "The Jesus Way":
All your life you've probably heard that Jesus was perfect. More than likely you assumed his perfection was akin to bowling a perfect 300, the result of some arbitrary exam administered by Satan in which he "knocked all the pins down"?
Or was his perfection far deeper than that - a quality of Spirit that cannot be measured or comprehended by the human mind or soul?
What did Jesus mean when he said that we must be perfect like our Father in Heaven? How does this perfection relate to our salvation?
If you've ever struggled with the guilt of sin and the call to be holy, I hope you'll join us at VUMC this Sunday as we dig into God's Holy Word and the call of Jesus to seek the holiness of God's Kingdom.
Grace and peace, Pastor Bob
Matthew 5:38-48
- Sep 2, 2018Love the Jesus Way
Love the Jesus Way
September 2, 2018 Love the Jesus Way
This Sunday's sermon "Love the Jesus Way" is the first in our new six-week sermon series:I absolutely believe that only Jesus can show us how to love - really love. Love is perhaps the most misused, abused, and overused word in the English language. Too often, as a fallen human being, I love things and I love people only because they serve my unmet needs; make me feel good about myself; help me fill the empty spots in my life.
In other words, my love is almost always a narcissistic self-love.
Jesus, however, taught and demonstrated a love that was selfless. Can I really love as Jesus loved? Come this Sunday morning as we unwrap the keys to loving the Jesus way.
Grace and peace, Pastor Bob
John 15:9-17
- Aug 26, 2018A Fight to the Finish
A Fight to the Finish
August 26, 2018 A Fight To The Finish
Sunday's sermon will be the last in our series on Ephesians - Ephesians 6:10-20 is a favorite of many preachers and Sunday School teachers. The images of the parts of a soldier's battle uniform forming a protective cloak against evil for a Christian are burned into many of our imaginations.
What daily spiritual disciplines do you employ to ensure that you are faithfully following Jesus Christ each and every day? Come this Sunday for a message from Ephesians on how you can best fortify your soul for the spiritual warfare encountered by every child of God.
Grace and peace, Pastor Bob
- Aug 19, 2018Honoring Our Relationships
Honoring Our Relationships
August 19, 2018 Honoring Our Relationships
Our sermon scripture text for this Sunday - Ephesians 5:21-6:9 - contains some of the most argued-over passages of Scripture in all the Bible.
Paul addresses the nature of human relationships that too often turn into battlegrounds - relationships between husbands and wives, parents and their children, even slaves and their masters. Where many people approach these relationships from a perspective of personal power, Paul presents a different perspective - a perspective that begins and ends with the life, sacrifice, and reign of Jesus Christ.
How do we honor the relationships in our lives? Come Sunday for a message on doing just that from Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
Grace and peace, Pastor Bob
Ephesians 5:21-6:9
- Aug 12, 2018Get On With It
Get On With It
August 12, 2018 Get On With It
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16)
"Making the most of every opportunity,...." Take a moment and think of the preciousness of every moment. Of every opportunity to do good. Of every door opened by God.
I heard a discussion on the radio yesterday on the subject of "free time" and how we all need more of it. For the Christian, however, there is no such thing as "free time." All time is owned by God, redeemed by the blood of Christ, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. To live in Christ is to surrender our will to His and to offer up our minutes and moments as a holy sacrifice.
This doesn't mean we cannot spend time resting or relaxing or enjoying the beauty of God's creation all around us. It does mean that we should be wise in how we invest our time, seeking the leading of God's Spirit rather than the spirit of a world that often seems to be spinning out of control.
How are you taking advantage of every opportunity for the sake of the Gospel and a world that so desperately needs the light of Jesus Christ?
Grace and peace, Pastor Bob
Ephesians 5:3-20
- Aug 5, 2018Made New/Where’s the Beef
Made New/Where’s the Beef
August 5, 2018 Made New / Where’s the Beef?
Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other, just as in Christ
God forgave you. [Ephesians 4:32]
This Sunday's message from Ephesians (see text below) will challenge us to live up to the holy standard of God's Word in a spirit of love, all to the glory of God.
Grace and peace, Pastor Bob
Ephesians 4:17-5:2
- Jul 29, 2018Time to Grow Up & Get Busy!
Time to Grow Up & Get Busy!
July 29, 2018 Time to Grow Up & Get Busy!
This Sunday's message from Ephesians 4 will challenge us to look at our lives in Christ with the question: "How mature am I in my faith and what am I doing with the gifts God has given me?"
Ephesians 4:1-16