The New Life of Grace

January 22, 2023 • Jon Morales • Romans 6:1–7

In 1911, Julia H. Johnston penned the lyrics to the hymn, Grace Greater Than Our Sin. The chorus is quite simple:

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin.

That last line causes so many Christians to wobble in their faith. The operative word is “all.” Do you believe that God’s grace exceeds ALL your sin?

To see us move from merely newish to genuinely made new, Pastor Jon challenges us this weekend to match up two critical facets of the Christian life.

The Law Can't Deliver

February 19, 2023 • Jon Morales • Romans 7:7–25

War is an awful thing, but never more so than when it is a civil war. The internal forces that should work in harmony to bring about good instead turn on each other. The result is not life but death. Civil conflict can tear apart nations, companies, and even churches. But the war the apostle Paul addresses is a personal struggle – we are the battleground! Before entering into the beauty and hope of Romans 8 next week, we must first traverse this last thorny section of Romans 7 as we reach the end of our series, “New or New-ish?”

A Fruitful Marriage

February 12, 2023 • Jon Morales • Romans 7:1–6

Is there a tool or appliance in your home that doesn’t really perform? Maybe it takes your vacuum six passes to pick up a piece of popcorn. Yet, instead of replacing it with a new model, you hang on to it because it still kinda-sorta works. How can you be released from such a dysfunctional machine? It would probably have to die completely. This week in our New or New-ish? series, we continue exploring our union with Christ and what must die to give us the freedom to move into a life-giving relationship with Jesus.

The Freest Slave

February 5, 2023 • Charlie Koopman • Romans 6:15–23

“Hey buddy…wanna buy a watch?” Have you ever been on the receiving end of a bait and switch? You’re enticed to purchase an apparent bargain (say, a Rolex from a street vendor) but receive a vastly inferior product (it tarnishes quickly and doesn’t keep time). Sin is constantly making us such offers regarding our freedom. It promises greater liberties, but we end up more entangled. This week in our series, New or New-ish, the Apostle Paul encourages us to make an exchange that will bring true and lasting freedom.