When we see people in the news that are far from God, it is easy to think they are too far for God to reach. Maybe it is their background they come from or the past life they lived that causes us to write them off and see that as too far from God's amazing grace. As we continue our way in Mark, we meet a woman who looks like she is too far from God because of her background. She ends up being the first one in the gospel to recognize Jesus for who he is and because of her great faith, Jesus casts a demon out of her daughter. What matters is not the background we come from but that they humbly seek God's mercy through Jesus, like this woman.

Mark 7:24-30 - Great Faith In Jesus Leads To Great Mercy From Jesus - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - AAC
Mark 7:24-30 - Great Faith In Jesus Leads To Great Mercy From Jesus - Manuscript - PDF
Mark 7:24-30 - Great Faith In Jesus Leads To Great Mercy From Jesus - Sermon Handout - PDF
Mark 7:24-30 - Great Faith In Jesus Leads To Great Mercy From Jesus - Sermon Handout with blanks - PDF
Mark 7:24-30 - Great Faith In Jesus Leads To Great Mercy From Jesus - Leader's Guide - PDF
Mark 7:24-30 - Great Faith In Jesus Leads To Great Mercy From Jesus - Editable Sermon Notes - DOCX

Tags: Mercy, Grace, healing

As President Obama spends his final days in office the news pundits are discussing the legacy he will leave behind. All of us will leave a legacy for our children and the generations that follow. In Genesis 49, as Jacob prepares to die, he blesses his sons and tells them of the legacy they will leave. As we study this chapter we learn the importance of repentance and humility to leave behind a legacy worth following.


Genesis 49 - How To Leave A Good Legacy - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Genesis 49 - How To Leave A Good Legacy - Manuscript - PDF
Genesis 49 - How To Leave A Good Legacy - Sermon Handout - PDF
Genesis 49 - How To Leave A Good Legacy - Editable Sermon Notes - DOCX
Genesis 49 - How To Leave A Good Legacy - Digging Deeper Sermon Study - PDF

Tags: Legacy, Children, Grace, Choices, Repentance, humility

Guilt is an awkward feeling. People do some strange things to make it go away. As we continue the story of Joseph, we see guilt is a tool God uses in our lives to lead us to repentance in our sin against God and others.


Genesis 42 - The Grace of Guilt - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Genesis 42 - The Grace of Guilt - Manuscript - PDF
Genesis 42 - The Grace of Guilt - Sermon Handout - PDF
Genesis 42 - The Grace of Guilt - Editable Sermon Notes - DOCX
Genesis 42 - The Grace of Guilt - Digging Deeper Sermon Study - PDF

Tags: Grace, Guilt, Repentance

After the Supreme Court's ruling to legalize gay marriage, Nathan Collier of Montana applied for a marriage license for his second wife. He noted Chief Justice John Roberts dissenting vote on the legalization of gay marriage which pointed out polygamous relationships can make the same argument for their legalization as homosexual relationships. Are polygamous marriages a man's dream? Do they result in more happiness or greater frustration? In this study we follow the marriage of Jacob to four women and see God's grace to one of the Bible's most dysfunctional families.


Genesis 29:31-30:24 - Desperate Housewives - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Genesis 29:31-30:24 - Desperate Housewives - Manuscript - PDF
Genesis 29:31-30:24 - Desperate Housewives - Sermon Handout - PDF
Genesis 29:31-30:24 - Desperate Housewives - Editable Sermon Notes - DOCX
Genesis 29:31-30:24 - Desperate Housewives - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

Tags: Polygamy, Grace

In 1971 Led Zeppelin released the song Stairway to Heaven. It rocked to success and is still ranked as one of the 500 greatest songs of all-time. VH1 considers it the third greatest song of all-time. Stairway to Heaven is a song about a constant search for meaning in a world of ambiguity. It is a message of no universal truth. Ironically, the Bible tells us there is a real stairway to heaven. God revealed it to Jacob in Genesis 28. It is not a man-made path up where we climb to God. It is a God-made path where God he reaches down to us. As Jesus says in John 1:51, I am the stairway to heaven.


Genesis 28 - Stairway to Heaven - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Genesis 28 - Stairway to Heaven - Manuscript - PDF
Genesis 28 - Stairway to Heaven - Sermon Handout - PDF
Genesis 28 - Stairway to Heaven - Editable Sermon Notes - DOCX
Genesis 28 - Stairway to Heaven - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

Tags: Salvation, Works, World Religions, Grace

Jessa Duggar, the 22 year old reality star of the TLC series 19 Kids & Counting, took to social media with an unpopular post. She warned her fans about God’s judgment. She warned that many justify their lifestyle by believing in a loving God who doesn’t judge. She cautioned that God will not hold back judgment forever. The hours of our time on earth are ticking away. She especially warned those living in fornication, adultery and sexual sin that those who practice these sins are the very kind of people that will face hell. While her post was shocking and unpopular, it was true. In Genesis 19, we find a sample of God’s judgment for sexual sin plus his undeserved kindness to one man and his family in spite of their sin.


Genesis 19 - Sodom - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Genesis 19 - Sodom - Manuscript - PDF
Genesis 19 - Sodom - Sermon Handout - PDF
Genesis 19 - Sodom - Editable Sermon Notes - DOCX
Genesis 19 - Sodom - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

Tags: Sex, Fornication, Homosexuality, Grace, Mercy, Backsliding

Most children learned this story growing up. Some of us even played with the Fisher Price toy set when we were kids. It is Noah and the Ark. It was a story we learned as children but it isn't a story for children. It is a true story of the most global cataclysmic disaster to hit the planet. As a result millions of people died a gruesome death…. all because of sin. Join us as we learn the story of God's awesome judgment is not just thing of the past but each of us will face it in the future. The only way to escape that judgment is through the ark of Jesus.

Genesis 6:1-8:19 - Flood - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
Genesis 6:1-8:19 - Flood - Manuscript - PDF
Genesis 6:1-8:19 - Flood - Sermon Handout - PDF
Genesis 6:1-8:19 - Flood - Editable Sermon Notes - DOCX
Genesis 6:1-8:19 - Flood - Life Group Work Sheet - PDF

Tags: Sin, Grace, Noah, Flood, Judgment

When life falls apart, how do we make it through? As Christians, what help does God offer in hard times? In the opening verses of 1 Peter we find 10 life-changing truths to hold us together when everything else is falling apart.

1 Peter 1:3-9 - Ten Truths Every Christian Needs To Remember When Life Falls Apart - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
1 Peter 1:3-9 - Ten Truths Every Christian Needs To Remember When Life Falls Apart - Manuscript - PDF
1 Peter 1:3-9 - Ten Truths Every Christian Needs To Remember When Life Falls Apart - Sermon Handout - PDF
1 Peter 1:3-9 - Ten Truths Every Christian Needs To Remember When Life Falls Apart - Life Group Work Sheets - PDF

Tags: Trials, heaven, Rewards, Faith, Jesus, Grace, Holiness, Joy

In the Gospel of John, Christ's miracles are called signs. They don't just demonstrate Christ's identity but they teach us about God. In this first miracle, we discover where to find grace in our time of need.

John on Jesus - Finding Grace - Audio - MP3
John on Jesus - Finding Grace - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
John on Jesus - Finding Grace - Manuscript - PDF
John on Jesus - Finding Grace - Sermon Handout - PDF
John on Jesus - Finding Grace - Small Group Work Sheet - PDF

Tags: Alcoholism, Drinking, Grace

What happens when we fail God, not just once, but again and again. Is there a time when God says enough is enough? Is there a limit to the grace God is willing to extend for the continual sin in our lives? In this message, we discover the depth of God's forgiveness. The one thing that is necessary to receive it and the one thing that can stop it from flowing into our lives.

James - He Gives More Grace - Audio - MP3
James - He Gives More Grace - Quicktime and iPhone Audio - M4A
James - He Gives More Grace - Manuscript - PDF
James - He Gives More Grace - Sermon Handout - PDF
James - He Gives More Grace - Small Group Work Sheet - PDF

Tags: Grace, Sin, Pride, humility