What Comes Naturally

What comes naturally is often not a good idea for us if we are Christ followers. Jesus gives us a couple of natural examples in Luke 14:7-14. We talk about responding in God’s Spirit rather than reacting in our own nature.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

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.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

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.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Sin Battle

Every Christ-follower will face a sin battle in his or her life. This past Sunday I reached back 1600 years to St. Augustine to explain the history and future of our struggle with sin. Then we considered 4 questions to ask ourselves, when (not if) temptation comes our way.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blanks  sermon outline.

Counterfeit Cravings

In the audio version of “Counterfeit Cravings” I warn us to be careful about what we love. I explain 3 reasons why loving the wrong things takes us away from the good things God has in store for us. I also describe 3 counterfeit loves that can leave us wanting, wanting, wanting. Along the way I share humorous insights into Oreo cookies and the Pierce family story time, as well as quotes from the singing group, Plumb, the Narnia author, C.S. Lewis, and my brother, Todd.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Light Walking

Light walking is the practice of every Christ-follower. What does it mean to walk in the light? What are the benefits? How do we keep ourselves walking in the light each day? In this audio version of Sunday's sermon, I talk about light walking as we study 1 John 1:5-10.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

Adulterous Act

Like the John 8 woman caught in adultery, we stand before Jesus alone and accused. Jesus does not condemn the woman and, if we stand with Jesus, he will not condemn us either.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

The New Self

Christians are to put on a new self and take off the old self. Desiring to change from the old me to the new me is called repentance. In this October 5th Church Requel talk, Jeff Barnes shares 5 things we should know and do about repentance.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download this PDF fill-in-the-blanks sermon outline.

#087: An Amazing Encounter

Mark talks about this past week at home and Church Requel: taking Gene to Cleveland Clinic, celebrating with Jillian, getting ready for Christmas, making a movie with the kiddos at CR. We listen to the Barnes family sing "Jesus What A Wonderful Child."

We also listen to this weekend's sermon, the 2nd in the Christmas series. Christmas happened because of a world of mistakes. We are all mistake ridden. That's exactly why Jesus came as a baby in a manger. In this message from Pastor Mark Pierce, we learn 4 things Jesus wants us to know about our mistakes and how it affects our relationship with Him.

#020: Temptation

In this episode I talk about Temptation, what it is and how we should handle it.  We consider temptation from a Biblical spiritual perspective as well as physical and psychological.

Here's what I have lined up for you this week: 

[00:25] Intro and Personal - Catch up with me on this past week. The good news about working a month ahead. Going to the museum with Grayden. Celebrating my sister's 49th birthday. Intro to rest of podcast.

[14:41] 5 Steps of Temptation - Here are the basics of temptation, what we might call Temptation 101.  Lessons from Satan's temptation of Eve in Genesis.  The devil uses the same strategies against us today.  Many thanks to Dr. Clay Hallmark for his 2004 sermon, "Dealing With Temptation."

[26:53] Don't Resist, Refocus! - This comes from Pastor Rick Warren's July 9th tweet on Twitter: "You defeat temptation by refocusing, not resisting. What you resist, persists. Instead just turn your attention elsewhere."

[31:21] Use Your Mind To Change Your Brain - If we've learned nothing else, we know this: resisting temptation can be extremely challenging. None of us is a stranger to temptation, but nothing makes it clearer how powerful craving and desire can be than when you watch a person's life begin to unravel because he/she gave in. Dr. Rebecca Gladding provides tips on the Psychology Today website about resisting temptation.  Read about her 4 steps to change your brain... and cravings.

[45:54] 3 Temptations That Can Destroy Your Marriage - Denver clinical psychologist and marriage therapist Dr. Susan Heitler writes about the 3 "A's" - three main temptations that destroy marriages.

[59:45] CR Sermon "Playing With Seduction" - This is the talk from Sunday evening at Church Requel.  Our text is from Judges 16, the story of Samson and Delilah.  We learn about 4 sin danger zones to avoid. You can follow the sermon notes at YouVersion.com.

[1:35:00] Wrap Up - I wrap up the podcast with a short review of the Church Requel service Sunday night.  It was an emotional evening.  I talk about how I have struggled in the past recovering from such emotional involvement with a sermon.  You can watch the video, "Free" by Journey Box Media at YouTube.  You can download it for a fee at WorshipHouse Media.

Music for this week's podcast comes from "Temptation" by Diana Krall on her Temptation album.

I Am Not Condemned

Romans 8:1 tells us that if we are Christ-followers, we are not condemned! What does this mean? How can we know this? Pastor Mark talks about the 4 Rs of our freedom in Christ.

Don't Fumble The Ball

Just like football players never want to fumble the ball, Christ-followers don't want to fumble their faith. Join Pastor Mark of Church Requel as we talk about how to handle temptation. 1 Corinthians 10:11-13

Garbage: Lust

Lust - our own evil desires - is a garbage area that isolates us from God and from one another. In this talk from Pastor Mark we learn 6 first facts about lust, 3 reasons why lust is so dangerous, as well as practical advice for how to handle lust.

GARBAGE: Out of Control

How do we become the masterpiece that God intends us to be? We learn we cannot do it without God, but that He will not do it without us. Join Pastor Mark as we learn 2 ways to cooperate with God in our growth as Christians.

Changing Life's Regrets

Sometimes past regrets can keep us from the future character that God desires How do we forget past regrets and live for God today so we can become the man or woman God wants us to be? Join Pastor Mark Pierce of Church Requel as we study John 21:9-19.

Connections: Spirit in Me

Because of the Holy Spirit in each Christ-follower, we experience a new relationship, a new leadership and a new freedom. Join Pastor Mark Pierce of Church Requel as we study Romans 8:1-17.

Connections: Holy Spirit In Us

Jesus told his followers that it was to their advantage for him to leave so the Holy Spirit could come. How does the Holy Spirit connect us to God? Join Pastor Mark Pierce of Church Requel as we consider the Holy Spirit In Us and study John 15 and 16.