Living Faith Christian Church Sermons

God has graciously given His people everything needed for life and godliness, but the journey to His kingdom is not passive. In 2 Peter 1, believers are called to make every effort, to intentionally grow in faith, character, perseverance, and love. As we practice these things with diligence, God keeps us from losing our way and promises to abundantly supply our entrance into His kingdom.

Jesus calls us not only to seek God, but to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Through Scripture’s picture of the coming kingdom as a great wedding feast, we see both the generosity of God’s invitation and the seriousness of our response. The invitation is freely given to all, but it is meant to be received with intention, preparation, and reverence, not casual indifference. This message challenges us to examine what we value most and whether we are truly seeking first, or simply assuming we can come to the King on our own terms.

What we give our attention to shapes our hearts, and our hearts determine the direction of our lives. In a world full of distractions and constant anxiety, Jesus calls His followers to examine what truly comes first in their lives. Rather than being consumed by worldly worry, Jesus invites us to seek first God’s kingdom and trust Him as a loving Father who knows our needs. To seek is not a casual glance but a focused, determined pursuit driven by deep desire, one that refuses to be distracted or deterred. And first means exactly that: not added on or squeezed in, but given the highest priority in our time, attention, and affection.

Hear how God has been working in and through His people this last year. A closing word of encouragement from Galatians 6:8-10.

Christmas reminds us of all we receive through Christ - hope, peace, joy, and love. But have we considered what we can give the one who's birth we are actually celebrating? What does Jesus want for his birthday? Like the Magi, whose true gift wasn’t simply gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but their worship and devotion, Jesus desires our hearts. More than anything we can do or give, he wants us.

At the core of every longing is a hunger for love that no relationship, experience, achievement, or pleasure can sustain. Isaiah 55 invites us to stop chasing what cannot satisfy and to come to the God who freely gives what our hearts most need - His faithful, life-giving love. And this great love can be yours because of and through Jesus Christ.

In a moment when words feel insufficient to heal real pain, this message reminds us that Jesus remains unchanged - faithful yesterday, today, and forever. Joy is not shallow happiness or denial of suffering, but as a deep, sustaining gift that flows from hope in God. While grief, anxiety, and confusion are real, joy rooted in Christ can endure even through darkness because it is anchored in who God is, not in how life feels. As we fix our eyes on Jesus and seek God's kingdom first, we are invited to live “all in,” preparing our hearts and lives, not only for his first coming, but for His promised return.

Psalm 23 shows us that true peace is found in the LORD and shepherd he has sent, Jesus the Christ. This shepherd knows us, leads us, and remains with us. For the Christian, Jesus brings peace to the lonely by being our personal shepherd, peace to the tired by restoring our souls, and peace to the lost by guiding us in the right path. He brings peace to the afflicted with his presence in the darkest valleys and peace to the needy through his faithful provision. And ultimately, he offers eternal peace in God's presence forever. In every season of life, the shepherd of peace is the one who cares for us, leads us, and gives rest to our souls.

God answers Moses’ cry to “show me Your glory” not with a vision but with His character. Exodus 34 reveals the Lord as compassionate, gracious, patient, abounding in steadfast love, faithful, forgiving, and just—the most repeated description of God in the Bible. True hope is rooted not in circumstances or feelings, but in this God and His unchanging nature. This is the God Israel waited for, and the God we place our hope in today.

After the golden calf, God tells Israel He will still give them the Promised Land—but He will not go with them. What sounds like mercy becomes “a disastrous word,” because the people finally realize that the true gift was never the land or the blessings, but God’s presence. As Israel mourns and Moses intercedes, the question rises with clarity: Do we want God’s gifts, or do we want God Himself? Moses models a heart that cries, “If Your presence will not go with us, do not bring us up from here,” calling us to examine what we truly desire—the promise, or the Presence.

The golden calf isn’t just a moment of foolishness - it’s spiritual betrayal. Israel still wanted the promised land, still wanted God’s blessings, but not God Himself. In contrast, Moses responds with a heart radically centered on God - interceding not for his own sake but for God’s name, God’s reputation, and God’s glory among the nations. This passage confronts us with deeper questions beneath every choice we make: Do we truly care about God? What will bring Him glory?

When Moses didn’t come down from the mountain as quickly as the people expected, Israel grew restless—and in their waiting, they turned to something they could see. What began as delay led to distortion, compromise, and idolatry. In this passage, we’re reminded that waiting seasons test our faith, reveal our hearts, and invite us to trust that God’s timing is still good—even when the delay feels long.

God gave His people detailed instructions for building a place where His presence would dwell—because worship matters to Him. Every detail pointed to relationship, reverence, and obedience. These instructions weren’t meant to overwhelm but to remind them that God’s presence was worth preparing for. In the same way, God calls us to prepare our hearts as His dwelling place, allowing His Spirit to shape us into a people where He delights to live.

In Exodus 24, God establishes His covenant with Israel—sealed in blood, confirmed by sacrifice, and celebrated with a shared meal in His presence. Though His people later broke that covenant, God’s mercy endured. In Jesus Christ, the true Mediator, God formed a new and better covenant, sealed with Christ's own blood and inviting us into lasting relationship, redemption, and fellowship with God.

God didn’t just redeem His people to obey Him—He redeemed them to walk with Him. In Exodus 23, we see that God leads, protects, and provides through His presence, sending His angel to guard and guide His people on the journey. Along the way, He calls them to trust His process, remembering that His blessings often come through obedience and that His work unfolds not all at once, but through steady growth—little by little.

We tend to make life all about us. Even when we seek the LORD, our pursuit of Him is often so we can get what we want or to make our lives better. The people who do not know God have no choice but to live for themselves, why would we follow that example? It is time for us to reject being consumed by the things of this world, and resolve to live to the greater glory of God.Sunday morning teaching from our 2025 Family Weekend.

God’s people are called to live differently—to reflect His heart and character in a world that needs to know Him. We’ve been set apart by His grace and invited to show His love, truth, and compassion through the way we live and love others. As the church, we are His special people with a sacred calling: to represent God well and make His goodness visible in everyday life. The way we do this is simple: Love God. Love People.

God calls His people to remember who He is and who they are meant to be before Him. Drawing from Deuteronomy 6 and Jesus’ words in Matthew 22, this message reminds us that everything God has spoken—from the Law to the prophets—rests on one command: to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength. When we remember His faithfulness, obey His voice, serve generously, and celebrate joyfully, we realign our hearts with the greatest command—to love God above all.

Israel’s encounter with God at Sinai reminds us that the same God who rescues with grace is also the God who reigns in glory. Their fear before the mountain was right and pleasing to Him—a holy awe that He still desires from His people today.

God doesn’t start with demands; He starts with deliverance. At Sinai, Israel learned—and we must remember—that obedience grows out of God’s saving work already done. Yahweh is not like the gods of Egypt, demanding sacrifice to earn his attention. Before He tells us what to do, He tells us what He's done.