Blessing For The Burdened

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Blessing For The Burdened

Isaiah 57:14-16

December 17, 2024 • Jeff Lyle • Isaiah 57:14–16

There are two powerful realities that we need to get deeply reacquainted with: 1) God disciplines His children when we go astray and 2) God restores His children when they humble themselves and return to Him. In one of the most encouraging and poetically beautiful sets of verses in the Book of Isaiah, God tells us about Himself and reveals a Kingdom Key to experiencing His grace, gentleness, and mercy. What makes it all the more interesting is that His statements are made when His people seemingly least deserved His kindness. He is an amazingly gentle Father to us. May we never stray from Him again, but if we do, may we remember that He will release blessing to the burdened if we turn back to Him.

The Beauty Of Brokenness

December 10, 2024 • Jeff Lyle • Matthew 5:1–6

As Jesus begins to release His sermon on the mount, He imparts to His hearers what are commonly referred to as the beatitudes. These are the core values of His heart and, therefore, the core values of His Kingdom. While our tendency is to look at these beatitudes as rules to follow, we must learn that is not the actual intention of Jesus. The beatitudes are not commands. Jesus is simply stating these things as the things He values and what He imparts to His followers. With each beatitude, there is an attached reward. These first four of the eight core values that Jesus teaches deal with the inner condition of our hearts. Clearly, as we hear Him impart what He values to us, we are quick to discern that Jesus is completely different than the world around us and its values. He invites us to join Him in this life of distinction and to live in the beauty of brokenness.

Exposing Impotent Tradition

December 3, 2024 • Jeff Lyle • Luke 11:14–26

On one occasion, Jesus cast a demon out of a man and it led to a debate about whose power Jesus was operating under. The religious crowd accused Jesus of using Satan’s power to cast out demons. Others demanded further proof beyond His casting out demons. Jesus, instead of walking away from His detractors, used this opportunity to teach about the dynamics of demonic possession and what is required to set people free from them. Demons are real and they are fully active in the present day. How can we defeat them? Does it require traditions, disciplines or counseling? Well, you may be surprised that none of those things intimidate a demon. There is only one thing to which they respond: the power and authority of Christ in us. This message highlights why Jesus says this is true.

What’s Your Exit Strategy?

November 19, 2024 • Jeff Lyle • Luke 12:13–21

It is extremely rare to meet a person who has no desire for more financial wealth. The default heart posture for nearly all humans is that we would prefer to have more money tomorrow than we have today. The entire American Dream is rooted in the unexamined presumption that more wealth = more happiness. So, most people live with a goal to have more mon ey, accumulate more material goods, and enjoy more leisure. Jesus once taught about such a man. Sadly, the Savior ended up describing this kind of person as a fool. Why? Not because money is wicked. The reason Jesus calls this type a person a fool is because he chased after money, lived for money, and structured his life around money. When it came time for the man to die, his entire life was viewed as a tragic waste. This message empowers us not to follow that same pathway, and to plan for ourselves an exit strategy that makes us rich for eternity.