Good News Of Great Joy

Good News Greetings!

We talk about the very first Christmas greeting card sent from Heaven! Hallmark has nothing to compare! We consider each aspect of the fantastic, wonderful, incredible, best possible good news we have ever received. Open your Bibles to Luke 2:8-15 and prepare your heart to receive good news from God!

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Why Christians Should Not Worry

Don’t Worry Be Happy! Another word for happy is blessed. It’s hard to experience real Christmas blessings when suffering from Christmas stress and worry. Jesus gave us 8 really good reasons not to worry in Luke 12:22-34. Prepare to hear a “worry-free” sermon!

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How To Be Rich Towards God

Would you like to know about the best wealth you can have? A wealth that you literally can keep for eternity? We continue our studies in Luke by considering 12:12-21. Along the way we discover six axioms of wealth God’s way! Open up your Bibles along with your heavenly bank accounts!

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The Public Christian

In all of our lives, there come moments of truth for our Christianity. Times when it does not appear advantageous for us to stand up and be counted as a Christ-follower. When those moments come, will our faith wither away in fear and timidity? Or will we acknowledge Christ at all times and in all situations? Jesus had much to say about these tests of courage in Luke 12:1-12.

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What Really Ticks Jesus Off

When you are working for a wage, it’s helpful to know what to avoid with your boss. We name Jesus our Lord, which is another way of saying we submit to His authority and leadership. It sure would be helpful to know “what really ticks Jesus off!” We come to the section of Luke known as the “woes” passage in Luke 11:37-53. If a woe applies to us, then we’d better say “woah” to what we’re doing!

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Headlights For Your Life

When it’s dusk in Richland County, we drive with our headlamps on “bright” watching out for deer! In the same way we need to keep the headlamps of our souls on and bright according to Jesus in Luke 11:33-36. Let’s learn all we can about being a bright light to everyone we know and love.

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A Christian Vision For The World

When we look at today’s news headlines, do we see doomsday right around the corner? How do we hold on to hope in the midst of calamity? Todd Pierce contrasts the differences between the doomsday perspective and the Lord’s Day perspective.

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A Christian View Of The World

When we look at the world around us, do we put on our Christian spectacles first? We welcome Todd Pierce as our guest preacher. He teaches us 3 ways Jesus helps us with our Biblical worldview. Along the way Todd also shares 3 strategies to view our world in the right way. So let's polish those Biblical corrective lens by focusing our attention on Titus 2:11-15.

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Proof Positive

Are you a spiritual seeker or a shopper? If you’re a  shopper, you’ll ask for a sign from God that fits into your reality, preferences and lifestyle. If you’re a seeker, you’ll ask to fit into God's reality, to know His preferences, and to change your lifestyle. We consider Luke 11:29-32 and discover Jesus’ pique when asked for a sign. We’ll also recall 3 truths about proving the reality of Christ in our own lives.

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The Binary Choice

We each have a choice. We can choose to be on the side of Jesus. Or we can choose against him. There is no neutral, middle ground. This truth was given by Jesus himself in Luke 11:14-28. We learn the implications of this choice for our lives and the spiritual battle we face every day no matter which choice we make.

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Two Gifts Of Prayer

How you imagine God impacts how you pray. Is God far from you or near? Powerful or passive? Disgusted with you or in love with you? Does God care? Can God help? We turn to Jesus’ words in Luke 11:11-13 to discover our two greatest gifts of prayer.

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The Audacity Of Prayer

Have you ever heard someone say that you should pray with boldness? What does that mean? How did Jesus describe the way we should enter into God’s throne room? We also talk about our famous instruction to Ask, Seek and Knock. Is there more to prayer than just a conversation with God? We answer all these questions as we study Luke 11:5-10.

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The Model Prayer

Is there a “right way” to pray? Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them how to pray. He responded with The Lord’s Prayer. Was Jesus telling them and us that we should pray with these specific words? Or was he giving them a model of prayer to follow? In this sermon we consider 6 parts to Jesus’ model prayer.

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One Needed Thing

In this sermon we consider that there is more to being a Christ follower than the famous Nike slogan, “Just do it.” We study the famous story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42 and learn that distraction, worry and being upset can keep us from enjoying the Presence of Jesus in our lives.

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A Neighbor's Love

Who is my neighbor, really? You don’t want to ask that question when Jesus is around! In this sermon we talk about what it means to love God and love other people the way God intends. We are reminded that this is mission critical for us here at Church Requel.

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Shaking The Champagne

No one has more reason to celebrate than Christ-followers. Think about it. You’ve been declared children of the Most High God. You’ve received eternal life from the Eternal Giver of Life. You have the opportunity to help restore creation from the Redeemer in Chief. Relationship. Eternity. Purpose. On top of everything else we know how the story ends - complete victory!

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9 Principles Of Ministry

Did you know that if you are a Christ-follower then you are a minister? You’ve been given the work of ministry! In Luke 10:1-16 we find out what Jesus had to say to his disciples as he sent them out on a missions trip. Along the way we discover 9 guiding principles of ministry.

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Four Lessons From Frustration

If you find yourself frustrated, we have good news for you. Even Jesus was frustrated sometimes. Our take home message is that you don’t have to remain frustrated. We learn 4 lessons from Jesus’ frustrations in Luke 9:38-56. Then we discover 5 simple steps for handling our frustrations.

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The Glory Of The Mountaintop

We need mountaintop experiences in our Christian lives. Life is filled with the mundane, dipping often into disappointment. Every now and again we rise above ourselves and our circumstances to see the Kingdom of God and recognize our good fortune to be God’s children. In this Church Requel sermon we talk about our mountaintop experiences and why we need them.

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Cost Counting - Part 2

Last Sunday we began a discussion about the costs of following Jesus. We know our salvation is offered freely to us by God’s grace. There is nothing we can do to earn it or deserve it. Yet Jesus also tells us that there will be costs to us if we follow Him. We consider 3 more costs to follow Jesus found in Luke 9:57-62.

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Cost Counting - Part 1

We address a challenging teaching from Jesus. We know our salvation is offered freely to us by God’s grace. There is nothing we can do to earn it or deserve it. Yet Jesus also tells us that there will be costs to us if we follow Him. What are those costs? Today we consider 4 costs from Luke 9:18-27. Next week we’ll turn our attention to 3 more costs found in Luke 9:57-62.

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Talking About Jesus

We celebrate our nation’s freedoms on this 4th of July weekend. Two of our most important liberties are found in the first amendment to our Constitution - our freedom of religion and our freedom of speech. Jesus told us how we should handle these freedoms for His kingdom in the beginning of Luke 9 and Luke 10. We learn 4 lessons and 4 applied truths when we talk about Jesus.

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Master Over Hunger

Jesus fed 5,000 men (plus women and children) with just 2 fish and 5 loaves. What do we learn about miracles from this example? Are miracles still possible today? How should we respond as a church? We answer these questions and learn 5 lessons from the feeding of the 5,000 in Luke 9:10-17.

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Master Over Illness

On this Father’s Day we follow the story of a first century dad named Jairus, who sought out Jesus to heal his daughter. Along the way back to his home another woman stopped Jesus and him with her own surprise healing. The example of Jairus teaches us 5 things that great dads do every day for their kids.

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Master Over The Voices

We are reminded that storms are a fact of life, even for the Christ-follower. Or maybe even more so for the Christian! How do we remain calm and keep faithful? As we examine Luke 8:22-25 we’ll welcome 3 encouragements for a weather-worn faith.

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Master Over The Storms

We are reminded that storms are a fact of life, even for the Christ-follower. Or maybe even more so for the Christian! How do we remain calm and keep faithful? As we examine Luke 8:22-25, we’ll welcome 3 encouragements for a weather-worn faith.

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Light My World

What is the purpose of the gospel in my life? Is it just that I know it? Is it just for my salvation?  How should I share the gospel?  Does how I live my life before others matter? Lots of questions! Let’s discover a few answers together from Luke 8:16-21.

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How The W.O.R.D. Will G.R.O.W. In Me

If you are a Christ-follower, then God’s Word should grow in you. How exactly does that happen? We consider one of Jesus’ most famous parables, “The Sower And The Seed” in Luke 8:4-15. We discover how God's W.O.R.D. will G.R.O.W.

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Women In Church 1.0

What was Jesus’ view of women and their role in the Christian ministry? We learn much by observing how he allowed women to interact with him as well as the stories he told. In this sermon we consider just 3 verses, Luke 8:1-3. We’ll discover that our gifts and blessings are much more important to ministry than is our gender.

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Authentic Worship

How would you respond if you hosted a dinner party for a celebrated religion teacher and a prostitute showed up… and the prostitute washed the teacher’s feet with her tears… and then broke a bottle of perfume over his feet… AND THE TEACHER LET IT HAPPEN? That’s the shocking story we study today from Luke 7:36-50. Along the way we gain six insights into authentic worship.

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Fickle Friends

Have you ever experienced the disloyalty of someone you thought to be a friend? Have you ever been falsely accused? The subject of gossip? Were your friends fickle in their defense of you? We continue our consideration of John the Baptist in jail and see what Jesus had to say. Along the way we’ll discover what makes for a good friend.

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Dealing With Doubt

Doubt is a very real response, even for the most faithful of Christians, when we face disappointment and discouragement. In this sermon we consider the story of John the Baptist in Luke 7:18-23, when he was facing his most difficult days. We learn how Jesus provided the fuel for John’s faith, and today for our faith as well.

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Five Great Powers Of Life

What powers do you - as a Christ-follower - have available to you every single day? Today we examine the story of when the funeral procession meets Jesus in Luke 7:11-17. Not only do we recall a great miracle of Jesus, but we also discover 5 great powers available to us.

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Amazing Faith

Often the crowds around Jesus were amazed. Forty-three times in the New Testament we find some one or some group amazed at something. But only once do we find Jesus “amazed.” In this study we learn that Jesus was amazed at the centurion’s faith. Would you like to have amazing faith too? We learn how our faith can be amazing too.

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Foundation

We come to the end of Jesus’ great sermon and He concludes with this challenge - will you build your life on what I have taught you? We talk about that foundation - what it is, why it matters, how it starts and how it continues. We learn that Jesus is the Architect who has great plans for us, but we have to be ready for Demo Day - getting rid of anything that keeps us from living the Christian life.

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Resurrection Reality

On Easter we celebrate the greatest day on our calendar - the day Jesus conquered death - for Himself and for all of His followers. Was the resurrection real? Is there any real evidence that would stand up to today’s skeptic? In this sermon we talk about 3 of the most often used challenges to Jesus’ resurrection. Then we pivot to the 4 ways that the reality of resurrection should change us.

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Storing Up The Good

Jesus taught “Judge not lest ye be judged.” Yet only a few verses later we discover Jesus teaching us the correct way to judge someone else (as well as ourselves!) In this sermon we study Luke 6:43-45 and along the way will review 4 ways to store up good within our hearts.

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Mirrored Measurements

What goes around comes around! Jesus teaches this is especially true with judging and condemning others (on the negative side), but equally true on the forgiving and giving to others (on the positive side). So how do you become more merciful and giving? By looking closely in the mirror! When you check the speck, yank the plank!

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Loving The Unlovable

Jesus tells us to love everyone, even our enemies. What exactly did he mean by that? Are there any escape clauses? How do we go about loving the unlovable? I challenged us with Jesus’ teachings from Luke 6:27-36. We learn what godly love is not, what it is, and how to live it out.

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Blessings & Woes

How should we understand Jesus’ beatitudes about the poor, the hungry, the grief-stricken or the persecuted? Are these descriptions intended to be desirable for the Christ-follower? How do we enjoy a "blessings" attitude when living with a "woes" reality? Join me as we study Luke 6:12-26.

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Sabbath Satire

Is keeping the Sabbath a matter of keeping a bunch of rules? Is it a matter of doing nothing? Doing good? How does today's Christ-follower find the right balance? We consider the case of the grain snacks and the withered hand from Luke 6:1-11 to discover how to keep the Sabbath Day holy.

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Sinner Celebration

 

What gets you into party mode? A birthday? An anniversary? A promotion or pay raise? Your favorite team winning the big game? How about this - you are a sinner… saved by grace! In this sermon we consider three responses when the tax collector, Levi, became a Christ-follower. Along the way we will discover if we also have good reason to celebrate.

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Faith, Forgiveness & Fear

What is it about forgiveness that so freaks us out sometimes? Fear of forgiveness is nothing new. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were more willing to accept a healer of the body than a man who forgave sin. We examine Luke 5:17-26 and discover 4 results of authentic faith in Jesus. Real Christianity has a lot to do with real forgiveness.

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Cleansed Corruption

What is God’s intended good in your life that has become corrupted? Just like a computer file can become corrupted and thus unusable, our corruptions keep us from being used by God as He originally intended. In this week's sermon we study Luke 5:12-16 and see Jesus heal a man covered with leprosy. We learn 5 lessons when struggling with whatever would corrupt us.

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Good Vs. God

What is your goal - good or God? In this week's sermon, we discover a progress of relationship and trust with Jesus through the life of Peter. What is the connection between risk, faith and priority when following Christ?

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Jesus Performance

What Would Jesus Do? WWJD presumes we would know the answer. But many of those in his hometown were both amazed and surprised at what Jesus had to say. Pastor Mark considers the story from Luke 4 and asks how we might respond if Jesus told us what we did not want to hear.

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Temptation Tests

In this first sermon of 2016 I examine Luke 4 and Jesus’ 3 temptations. Along the way we’ll learn 3 reasons for our temptations, the 3 times we are most tempted, and the 3 types of temptations we’ll face over and over again.

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