How does the law fill the church, and how is both hurting us and yet urgently important to our faith? In this sermon, Gary Wilkerson talks about how we exhaust ourselves trying to obey all of the rules in the Bible so we live a righteous life. The reaction can sometimes be to discard all of God's laws and claim only his grace, but Gary points out that the law serves an important purpose in directing us to the Lord's grace.
None of us chose to come to God, and this is actually wonderful news. In this talk for a Teen Challenge seminar, Gary Wilkerson talks about how the 'holy hound of heaven' chases each one of us down and brings us to the Father. This means that none of us were smart enough or well-behaved enough to earn our way into heaven, and this should humble us with great gladness before our majestic and gracious God. Out of this knowledge should flow abundant gratitude, worship and freedom.
Being distracted by good things when we are meant to be enticed by the best thing—learning more about God and worshipping him—will slow our spiritual growth and maturity. Often good works and service are a mask for anxiety over things that the world tells us are more important than our calling to seek the Lord's face. This week, Gary Wilkerson shares how this can happen to any Christian and how Psalm 24 illustrates the true life believers are meant to live.
Reading about the 14 blessings in this psalm may feel overwhelming because we don't see them in our lives, despite years of faithfully following Christ. In this episode, Gary Wilkerson talks about how we can overcome discouragement when we are not experiencing the goodness described in psalm 23.
Honoring Israel should be a value in the church around the world. In this sermon, Tim Dilena discusses the implications of Genesis 12:1-3 where God promises Abraham a blessed nation and forms an everlasting covenant with Israel. What we see throughout scripture is that God loves and blesses the nation of Israel. We ought to seek for what God blesses and embrace it. If that weren't enough, we see in scripture that Israel is key somehow to God's end-time plans.
This psalm is prophetic and predicted the suffering that Jesus would experience before his death; however, Gary Wilkerson points out how this psalm can be predictive but still have a great deal to teach us about how to approach suffering. In our trials, God invites us into unique honesty with him and assurance that he understands our pain.
Too often the gospel gets candy-coated in order to make it more appealing, but God’s judgment is a key part of Christianity. Gary Wilkerson reminds listeners that God gives incredible blessings and gifts to his children but that he also will bring justice to all the evils committed by those who do not submit to their Lord.
Often believers do not consider how much power they have in prayer. In this episode, Gary Wilkerson explores how God invites his followers into prayer, whether it’s dealing with medical issues, troubled relationships, trials and tribulations, or the anguish of loved ones. He discusses the answers to the question “Why does prayer often seem too good to be true?”
The power of the cross of Christ is the only place where spiritually dead people back to life. This week, Claude Houde preaches on humanity's desperate need for Christ's death and resurrection. No sincere religious pursuits, good intentions or hard work will ever be enough to reconcile us with God. The same Spirit who brought Jesus up from the grave comes to live inside each one of us. Do we truly grasp how forceful and dramatic this revelation of the gospel is?
What does ‘fear of the Lord’ mean? In this episode, Gary Wilkerson discusses how all of the natural world is designed to make us turn with awe to our creator. Actually understanding who the Lord is, however, will elevate our awe into holy fear, which is instrumental for living with zeal and righteousness.