If someone came up to you and said they had a video of every single bad thought you've ever had and every bad action you've ever done and they were going to show it to your friends & family, how would that make you feel? Nervous? Anxious? Nauseous? But what if I told you that when they played the video, it was absolutely blank and there was nothing on it? Well that is EXACTLY the case for everyone who trusts in Jesus to forgive their sins. Jesus has the power and ability to completely erase EVERY bad thing you have ever done and ever WILL do. You see, when we repent and trust in Jesus, we are essentially saying, "Jesus, I know I am wicked and can do nothing to become righteous. I believe You took my punishment and you can cover me in YOUR righteousness." And when you believe in Jesus for salvation, God says to you, "My child, I do not find any fault in you nor condemn you. I see My Son's perfect life. Go and live in this freedom and become more like Me." THAT is the unbelievable message of Romans chapter

For many reasons, Abraham Lincoln is regarded as one of the most influential individuals of all time - primarily for his successful efforts to give slaves their freedom and independence in the United States. But as amazing as Lincoln was, there is One who has made a way for EVERY human being to experience true freedom: Jesus Christ. Each one of us is born into a sin-cursed world and because of that, we have a sin-nature: it's in our DNA as a result of the Fall. We seek to be set free from this; however, the things we run to can never liberate us. In God's laws and commandments, we cannot find freedom because it only convicts us of our crimes and shines the spotlight on our faults. In our own "good works," they can't give us freedom because no matter how much good we do, we are still found to be guilty of breaking His Law. No, the ONLY way we can find freedom is by trusting in Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection on our behalf. He died to purchase us and set us free from our slave masters (sin, death, the works of the Law, the Devil, etc.) - will you believe & follow Him today?

What would you do if you were walking down the street and someone came out of nowhere with a weapon and tried to attack you with it? No doubt we would all do one of the following: run away, call for help, step out of the way, or try to fight the attacker. The one thing that NO ONE would do is just stand there and do nothing. The situation just described actually takes place every day in our lives and we may not even realize it. The Bible says that the Devil is a “roaring lion” and goes around looking to devour us. Spiritual warfare is very real and it is critical that we learn how to fight and defend ourselves against the attacks of the Enemy and his demons. But at the forefront of our minds must ALWAYS be this: no matter what, the war is already won and our King Jesus IS victorious!

 If you are a disciple of Jesus, why do you think Jesus saved you? Was it JUST so you wouldn't be punished for your sins? Was it so you can become a "better" person, go to church, and live a moral life? Some of those things are important but ultimately, if that is ALL we think Jesus saved us for, then we have DRASTICALLY missed the big picture. The reason Jesus saved us is for us to KNOW Him, become more LIKE Him, and to lead others TO Him! Praise GOD He saved us from Hell the MOMENT we trusted in Him! But that wasn’t the end of the story - that was only the BEGINNING! Jesus has so many amazing adventures planned for us and all of them involve us falling more in love with God and pointing others to His saving power. THAT is why we are still on this Earth. Are you living out that mission?

 A common definition of insanity is: "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Sometimes life can feel that way - we try and overcome something but fall back into the same habits, the same hard times, or the same way of thinking every time. The trials we face can seem impossible to overcome and like we will never win. If we’re not careful, we will begin to believe Satan’s lie that all hope is gone and things will never change. The glorious truth is that for those whose lives have been transformed by God’s redeeming power, we have ALREADY won! Because of Jesus' resurrection, He proved His absolute dominance and sovereignty over the Devil, sin, and death. The Bible is full of individuals who faced extreme suffering and yet God not only helped them through those dark times, but they came out on the other side stronger and better than before. Whatever it is you are going through, your victory is on the horizon. All we have to do is keep trusting that God will bring it in HIS timing and that no matter what happens, He is ALWAYS good, ALWAYS faithful, and ALWAYS worthy of our worship.

Have you ever wondered what the significance is of "Palm Sunday"? Or why is it even called that in the first place? Well today we will take a deep-dive look into the meaning behind this wonderful day! It's worth mentioning that each writer of the four Gospels placed great attention, detail, and emphasis on describing the final years of Jesus' life, especially the final week leading up to His death and resurrection. How miraculous and amazing is it that our King Jesus not only made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem thousands of years ago but He CONTINUES to make His entry into lives & hearts today on a DAILY basis!

Have you ever ordered something in the mail that you were SUPER excited for and you got a message that it was "running late"? That can be a very frustrating and disappointing feeling. On a more serious note, isn’t it SO reassuring to know that our God is NEVER late? He is ALWAYS on time. The greatest example and evidence of this can be seen in the cross of Jesus Christ. The Bible says "at the right time" Jesus died for the "ungodly." Who are the "ungodly"? It is me, you, and the entire world. And within this miraculous salvation, there are SO many more blessings and benefits that God wants us to discover and delight in!

Have you ever ordered something in the mail that you were SUPER excited for and you got a message that it was "running late"? That can be a very frustrating and disappointing feeling. On a more serious note, isn’t it SO reassuring to know that our God is NEVER late? He is ALWAYS on time. The greatest example and evidence of this can be seen in the cross of Jesus Christ. The Bible says "at the right time" Jesus died for the "ungodly." Who are the "ungodly"? It is me, you, and the entire world. And within this miraculous salvation, there are SO many more blessings and benefits that God wants us to discover and delight in!

Have you ever bought a product that you thought was genuine and then later you found out it was fake or a counterfeit? That feeling never sits well in our stomachs because no one likes to be deceived or tricked when it comes to authenticity. The same goes for our walks with Christ - God wants us to be sincere and completely devoted to Him and to produce fruits that display His glory. When talking about authentic conversion, there are certain unmistakable characteristics and attributes that we should pursue and rejoice in.

Over the past few weeks, we have seen how all of humanity is exceedingly wicked and yet God remains exceedingly merciful. We've seen what Jesus did to rescue us (dying and rising again) and now we will look at HOW we can be justified before a holy God. All throughout history, God's MEANS of salvation has always been faith - beginning with Abraham. In the Old Testament, the OBJECT of that faith was God Himself. The people trusted God that the sacrifices they made would cover their sins (although only temporary). But now that God has instituted a New Covenant (or “Testament”), the object of faith is Jesus Christ. And now anyone who trusts in Him can have their sins FOREVER covered and erased. It is by faith in Him ALONE that can redeem and justify.

When observing a diamond, it is customary for a jeweler to place it on a black felt surface for the customer to see all of its beauty and intricacies. That is exactly what Paul does in the first three chapters of Romans. Chapters 1 & 2 are very grim and dark - everyone has sinned, the world is progressively evil, and our situation is seemingly incurable. But then in chapter 3 he places a "diamond" called "the Gospel" on that black backdrop and we see a blinding light of hope and future. Jesus steps into the courtroom and offers to take our place and punishment before the Judge of the Universe. We see now that the only thing we can do to be saved is simply trust that Jesus' sacrifice is enough to forgive our sins.

 "Well at least I've never done THAT before." Statements like these can often be heard when someone is thinking about how "good" or "bad" they are. Many times we base our "righteousness" off of comparing ourselves with how bad others are around us. However, the problem with that is when it comes to "good" and "evil," "holiness" and "sinfulness," the scales for righteousness are not "man's" standard - they are God's standard. And God's standard says to enter Heaven you must be perfect - in other words, you've never done anything wrong ever. Last time I checked, no one is perfect. We all mess up. The Bible says "there is none who does good, not even one" (Psalm 14:3). So if that's the case, who then can be saved? The better question is can we even be saved in the first place? And if so, how? THAT is the situation mankind finds itself in. What's worse is all our sins and crimes have a punishment coming: God's wrath. Despite how bad this situation seems, the good news is Jesus is the way out - HE can provide an escape from the impending doom and can save us from our sins.

God has many different attributes and characteristics. Some of them we tend to focus on more than others. For example, we love talking about His love, grace, mercy, peace, and joy. But God is also a God of justice, holiness, wrath, and righteousness. This can make people uncomfortable because they don't like to think that God would actually punish them for the wrong things that they do. However, the Bible is clear that God has given humanity laws to obey and if we disobey, there are repercussions. Just as a criminal must face a judge for the crimes they have committed, so we all must appear before God's face someday: either guilty or forgiven. And the Gospel reveals that God's love and justice are both satisfied with Him sending His own Son to die on our behalf and rise again. Now ANYONE who decides to trust in Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection for their sins can be forgiven.

The book of Romans is one of the most theologically dense books of the entire Bible. There are so many amazing doctrines and divine truths found within its verses. There is also no clearer explanation and application of the Gospel than that which is found in its 16 chapters. Today we begin a BRAND NEW verse-by-verse study of Romans and we will find out not only just how sinful we are but also how gracious our God is.

Many people tend to look at the success of a church by how big or small it is - both physically and numerically. However, there is a lot more to the a "successful" church than just how large it is. According to the Bible, there are certain key characteristics of a local body of believers that should be present to indicate the overall health of a church. These principles must also be applied to our own personal lives, seeing as how WE ourselves make up Jesus' body.

There's a familiar saying that goes something like this: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." And there is a lot of truth to that - we can talk and say the "right" things all day long, but if our actions don't match up to our words, something is off. The Bible says our lives will produce either good "fruit" or bad "fruit." It's up to us to decide which kind we want to bear.

What we believe is extremely important - it shapes us as a person and determines how we see other people and the world around us. It is also vital to realize what we believe influences our actions and behaviors - especially in our walks with Jesus.

God has richly blessed our church and cultivated in us an obsession with Jesus and a desire to see Him glorified in everything we say and do. It is our prayer that He would continue this "flow" and with that, we would "grow" not only numerically but deeper in every area of our relationship with Him.

A new year is filled with so many possibilities and opportunities to grow in our faith and relationships. It is vital that we forget the past and fix our eyes on what lies ahead: a beautiful future filled with Jesus.

When bad things happen in this world so many people begin to ask the question, “where is God?” How could God allow this to happen? Many people that go through hardships and loss can very easily blame God because we frame Him in our minds that He is the provider of all things Good and therefore nothing bad should happen under His careful watch! So where is God?