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Freed From Freed For

Contentment over Coveting (Phillips)

August 8, 2021 • Pastor Tim Phillips

The last two commandments about coveting are an important reminder that it’s not just our actions that God governs, but even our very http://thoughts...and this can be a really tough subject for us! Who hasn’t looked at a friend’s car and thought to themselves “I wish I had a car like that!” Who hasn’t seen a friend’s house and said “I wish we had the money for a home like that!” We do this all the time...coveting all sorts of http://things...and it can get us into trouble. We begin to covet our friend’s money. We move further into coveting their husband or their wife. We can even begin to covet their very life and everything about it. And God reminds us today that “covet” isn’t the word for us...instead, the word for us is “contentment”. Jesus calls us to be thankful for what He has given us and by the power of His Holy Spirit, to choose “Contentment Over Coveting” every single day.

Contentment over Coveting (Meyer)

August 8, 2021 • Pastor Joe Meyer

The last two commandments about coveting are an important reminder that it’s not just our actions that God governs, but even our very http://thoughts...and this can be a really tough subject for us! Who hasn’t looked at a friend’s car and thought to themselves “I wish I had a car like that!” Who hasn’t seen a friend’s house and said “I wish we had the money for a home like that!” We do this all the time...coveting all sorts of http://things...and it can get us into trouble. We begin to covet our friend’s money. We move further into coveting their husband or their wife. We can even begin to covet their very life and everything about it. And God reminds us today that “covet” isn’t the word for us...instead, the word for us is “contentment”. Jesus calls us to be thankful for what He has given us and by the power of His Holy Spirit, to choose “Contentment Over Coveting” every single day.

Honesty is the Best Policy (Johnson)

August 1, 2021 • Pastor Ben Johnson

For the most part, your normal, average person would agree that stealing is out of bounds for anyone, but especially for a Christian. So, if you told your Christian friends that you had broken into your neighbor’s house and taken your neighbor’s possessions, they’d never invite you over again and wonder if you were saved. If you told your Christian friends that you had no problem stealing cars, they’d keep a tight reign on their keys and never let you near their http://vehicles...and again, wonder if you are saved. But if you told them you leave work an hour and a half early twice a week and yet clock in for the full amount of hours, they wouldn’t think anything of it. If you told them that you cheated on your taxes so that you got a refund instead of paying more tax, they’d wouldn’t blink an eye. But I think you http://know...for the Christian...stealing big or stealing http://small...it’s still stealing, and as such, is contrary to God’s will for our lives. We’ll remember today then that “Honesty is the Best Policy” because in fact, honesty is God’s policy!

Honesty is the Best Policy (Meyer)

August 1, 2021 • Pastor Joe Meyer

For the most part, your normal, average person would agree that stealing is out of bounds for anyone, but especially for a Christian. So, if you told your Christian friends that you had broken into your neighbor’s house and taken your neighbor’s possessions, they’d never invite you over again and wonder if you were saved. If you told your Christian friends that you had no problem stealing cars, they’d keep a tight reign on their keys and never let you near their http://vehicles...and again, wonder if you are saved. But if you told them you leave work an hour and a half early twice a week and yet clock in for the full amount of hours, they wouldn’t think anything of it. If you told them that you cheated on your taxes so that you got a refund instead of paying more tax, they’d wouldn’t blink an eye. But I think you http://know...for the Christian...stealing big or stealing http://small...it’s still stealing, and as such, is contrary to God’s will for our lives. We’ll remember today then that “Honesty is the Best Policy” because in fact, honesty is God’s policy!

Kind Speech (Johnson)

July 25, 2021 • Pastor Ben Johnson

We live in a world where vitriolic rhetoric is the norm, not the exception. It’s disturbingly sad the way so many in our world speak hatefully about other people. Often, even worse, what they are saying is at the very least a half-truth if not an outright lie. Unfortunately, this isn’t some benign thing that happens between people half a world away, it also happens between people who are so-called friends. Furthermore, and far more troubling, it sometimes comes from the mouths and the pens and the keyboards of Christians. Gossip abounds. Bad-mouthing is rampant. Ugly hateful-speech is spewed. But God calls us to higher living, better living, kinder http://living...even towards our “enemies” by the way. God calls us to support and uplift and speak http://well...to speak kindly of everyone around us but especially our fellow Christians. Luther wrote “explain everything in the kindest way” and that’s exactly what the Lord Jesus calls us to do. In a world that is prone to trash-talking-bad-mouths, we will be reminded today that we are always called to deliver “Kind Speech”.

Kind Speech (Haney)

July 25, 2021 • Pastor Keith Haney

We live in a world where vitriolic rhetoric is the norm, not the exception. It’s disturbingly sad the way so many in our world speak hatefully about other people. Often, even worse, what they are saying is at the very least a half-truth if not an outright lie. Unfortunately, this isn’t some benign thing that happens between people half a world away, it also happens between people who are so-called friends. Furthermore, and far more troubling, it sometimes comes from the mouths and the pens and the keyboards of Christians. Gossip abounds. Bad-mouthing is rampant. Ugly hateful-speech is spewed. But God calls us to higher living, better living, kinder http://living...even towards our “enemies” by the way. God calls us to support and uplift and speak http://well...to speak kindly of everyone around us but especially our fellow Christians. Luther wrote “explain everything in the kindest way” and that’s exactly what the Lord Jesus calls us to do. In a world that is prone to trash-talking-bad-mouths, we will be reminded today that we are always called to deliver “Kind Speech”.

Purity in an Impure World (Johnson)

July 18, 2021 • Pastor Ben Johnson

One of the greatest gifts God has given us is found in the most intimate of emotional and physical connection given to a husband and wife. Because it’s one of God’s greatest gifts to us, it becomes one of satan’s sharpest weapons against us. The old evil foe uses our God-given desire for one another in the worst of ways and destroys marriages, families and lives in the process. When it comes to our sexuality then, how do we defeat satan, push this world away, and live for Jesus with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength? Let’s get at that today as we discuss “Purity in an Impure World”.

Purity in an Impure World (Phillips)

July 18, 2021 • Pastor Tim Phillips

One of the greatest gifts God has given us is found in the most intimate of emotional and physical connection given to a husband and wife. Because it’s one of God’s greatest gifts to us, it becomes one of satan’s sharpest weapons against us. The old evil foe uses our God-given desire for one another in the worst of ways and destroys marriages, families and lives in the process. When it comes to our sexuality then, how do we defeat satan, push this world away, and live for Jesus with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength? Let’s get at that today as we discuss “Purity in an Impure World”.

He Owns Us (Johnson)

July 11, 2021 • Pastor Ben Johnson

When we are small, we are prone to grab at control in our lives by saying that word “Mine” and doing so forcefully. As we get http://older...we may not say http://it...but the sentiment is still in our heart...“Mine!” Today, as we look at the very important Fifth Commandment, we’re reminded that actually nothing is “Mine!” but everything, including my very life, belongs to God. To be sure, it has been given to http://us...more like loaned to http://us...but it nonetheless belongs to the God who “knit us together in our mother’s womb”. Therefore, if all life comes from and therefore belongs to http://god...and it http://does...it’s then not ours to take, ever. We cannot take our own http://life...nor anyone else’s. Today we’ll remember that life is precious to be sure, but we’ll remember that this is true because “He Owns Us”.

He Owns Us (Phillips)

July 11, 2021 • Pastor Tim Phillips

When we are small, we are prone to grab at control in our lives by saying that word “Mine” and doing so forcefully. As we get http://older...we may not say http://it...but the sentiment is still in our heart...“Mine!” Today, as we look at the very important Fifth Commandment, we’re reminded that actually nothing is “Mine!” but everything, including my very life, belongs to God. To be sure, it has been given to http://us...more like loaned to http://us...but it nonetheless belongs to the God who “knit us together in our mother’s womb”. Therefore, if all life comes from and therefore belongs to http://god...and it http://does...it’s then not ours to take, ever. We cannot take our own http://life...nor anyone else’s. Today we’ll remember that life is precious to be sure, but we’ll remember that this is true because “He Owns Us”.

Showing Honor (Johnson)

July 4, 2021 • Pastor Ben Johnson

What a privilege we have been given as Christians to show our world the way of Jesus and what it means to be His follower. There are so many aspects to show people, so many aspects to this “Christ-life” that we lead, but perhaps none more important for our times than that of showing honor. Showing honor is in many ways forgotten by our modern world and yet the Lord calls us to that duty, in all our relationships, and particularly when it comes to the people He has set over us in our lives from the http://beginning...our parents. As we consider our faith-lives today, let’s remember that “Showing Honor” is the call of every Christian and may we seek ways to do so to His glory and our good!

Showing Honor (Phillips)

July 4, 2021 • Pastor Tim Phillips

What a privilege we have been given as Christians to show our world the way of Jesus and what it means to be His follower. There are so many aspects to show people, so many aspects to this “Christ-life” that we lead, but perhaps none more important for our times than that of showing honor. Showing honor is in many ways forgotten by our modern world and yet the Lord calls us to that duty, in all our relationships, and particularly when it comes to the people He has set over us in our lives from the http://beginning...our parents. As we consider our faith-lives today, let’s remember that “Showing Honor” is the call of every Christian and may we seek ways to do so to His glory and our good!

Habit of Worship (Meyer)

June 27, 2021 • Pastor Joe Meyer

Last week we were reminded that we are always “Working from Rest” as we use our “Sabbath”, which is Sunday, for that very purpose. Today we will be reminded that we’re called to make this “Sabbath Day”...“Holy”. Our “Sabbath Day” is not just rest for our bodies, it’s also and far more importantly rest for our souls. We start our week resting back on the Heavenly Father and watching as He builds us up, nurtures our faith, and strengthens our walk for the week ahead. We are fueled by Him and His Word and Sacraments as we intentionally take up “The Habit of Worship”.

Habit of Worship (Phillips)

June 27, 2021 • Pastor Tim Phillips

Last week we were reminded that we are always “Working from Rest” as we use our “Sabbath”, which is Sunday, for that very purpose. Today we will be reminded that we’re called to make this “Sabbath Day”...“Holy”. Our “Sabbath Day” is not just rest for our bodies, it’s also and far more importantly rest for our souls. We start our week resting back on the Heavenly Father and watching as He builds us up, nurtures our faith, and strengthens our walk for the week ahead. We are fueled by Him and His Word and Sacraments as we intentionally take up “The Habit of Worship”.

Working From Rest (Meyer)

June 20, 2021 • Pastor Joe Meyer

We have be led to believe that if you’re not working, working, working, you’re somehow falling, falling, falling behind. What used to be a 9-5 day, forty-hour week, has now morphed into a 7-7 day and a 65 hour week! Even retirees will say “I’m working now more than ever!” That kind of non-stop work was never God’s plan for us. Work hard? Yes! Work diligently? Absolutely! But work yourself into the ground? Never. God calls us to http://sabbath...god calls us to rest. And for the Christian, we work from our rest, we don’t rest from work. We start our week with rest, on Sunday, our “first day of the week”. We rest in order to be more effective. We rest in order to be our best. We are therefore always “Working from Rest”.

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