Crossbridge Community Church of Ocean County

 Ever since God announced in Genesis 3 and then through the prophets, the world and Satan continue to do their best to try to silence God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit regarding the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Revelation 11's message is clear: The gospel, the very heart of our faith, cannot be silenced! It will always have the last word, a word of love and redemption. [audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/12/2024_12_01.mp3"][/audio] Let's delve into this passage before we come to the Lord's table.

[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/11/2024_11_27.mp3"][/audio] Thank God for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ! We have much to be grateful for.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/11/2024_11_24.mp3"][/audio] Jesus gives John this marvelous prophecy of the end times for the benefit of all people now and in the future. God is still willing to show grace and mercy to the people left on earth during the Tribulation so that they can come and put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is crucial to remember that Jesus' love for us is holy, a love that necessitates dealing with sin on God's terms. This second interlude of the tribulation will be introduced by another mighty angel. It is through this angel that God will pause ?he Tribulation between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpets, offering a glimmer of hope and reassurance amid the trials.

ngWhat lessons can we learn from the Trumpet Judgments? How deep is our burden for people who don't have a personal relationship by faith in Christ? [audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/11/2024_11_10.mp3"][/audio]

Now, we have a brief but important interlude between breaking the sixth and seventh seals. Jesus gives us information about the 144,000 saved Jews in heaven and then focuses on the multitudes of Gentiles who come to Christ by faith during the Tribulation. This passage is a great assurance and reminder that God always does what He promises [audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/11/2024_11_03.mp3"][/audio]

[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/10/2024_10_20.mp3"][/audio] The Apostle John is given a prophetic look into the end times and records it for us in Revelation 6:1-21. Before we investigate Revelation 6, we need to check our attitudes and motivations for our study. Wrong attitudes: Just wait. God is going to give you what you deserve. God is going to get you! Right attitudes: God is a holy and just God who loves us but doesn't overlook sin. Sin must be judged because God is holy God's judgment is always fair, holy, and just. God desires that no one perish, but all should repent and trust Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. These end-times prophecies should inspire and urgently ignite a growing passion in the church to share the gospel with unbelievers so that they will not have to endure God's just judgment for rejecting Jesus Christ. So, now we can come to this difficult chapter and learn more about God's holy love and justice that will climax with the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/10/2024_10_13.mp3"][/audio] Introduction: When we gather on Sundays to worship, we are partaking in something truly unique and special. These two chapters in Revelation give us a rare glimpse into the thrown-room worship service. The more we understand and embrace thrown-room worship, the less we view worship as dull and routine. Let's cherish this unique aspect of Sunday worship and learn how precious it can be. Worship Needs to Be Christ-centered. Worship Needs to Trinitarian. Worship Is Cosmic.  

[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/10/2024_10_06.mp3"][/audio] What if today was Crossbridge Community Church's report card day? Jesus is the One who gives us our grades and then tells us how to correct and improve our deficiencies. The main question is whether we will hear and obey what Jesus tells us. The church in Ephesus receives a bad report card from Christ. Let's review it together, try to read it as the Ephesians would have read it, and then see if this report card applies to us today.

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[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/09/2024_09_22.mp3"][/audio] Many believers avoid the Book of Revelation because it is difficult to understand. However, grasping its significance can bring a profound sense of enlightenment and knowledge. It is often misunderstood and/or misinterpreted because apocalyptic literature has different rules of interpretation than the gospels or epistles. So, allow me to give you a brief introduction to the Book of Revelation. The author is the Apostle John when he was about 90. John was sentenced to a life sentence at the prison island of Patmos because of being convicted of preaching the gospel of Christ. Originally sentenced to be boiled alive in a vat of oil, John was untouched and thereby sentenced to life on Patmos. The reason for the letter was to encourage Christians during a severe time of persecution. Christ will return physically, usher in His kingdom, and set up the eternal state. He will right all the wrongs and hold sinners accountable. Christ addressed seven existing churches of John's time and gave each church a report card to correct its doctrine and practice. Jesus gave John a vision of heaven and end-times prophecy to encourage believers to persevere, This is why the men's study of the theology of heaven was so important. The saints of old and the present-day saints all lived each day looking forward to future victory and glory. The promised blessing of reading, hearing, and obeying the teaching of Revelation. Prophetic and apocryphal books in the Bible are necessary to develop a biblical worldview.

Our  guest speaker, Angel Madera, brings a compelling message on God's magnificent grace, love, and holiness from 1 Timothy 1:12-17. Prior to Angel's message. the congregation praised Christ through song, prayer, and Scripture reading. Listen and be blessed! [audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/09/2024_09_15.mp3"][/audio]  

[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/09/2024_09_08.mp3"][/audio] Intro: There are two types of gossip: Sinful gossip. Holy gossip. Explain the difference. Paul wrote about some of the wonderful truths of God's grace in Christ's Person and work and the importance of the Great Commission in the lives of professing born-again Christians. I suggest that the American evangelical church has ignored the Great Commission given to every believer, which has resulted in a sinful silence of the gospel in our country. Let's examine a few key issues that Paul reveals in this passage concerning our worldview and the authority of the Great Commission.

[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/09/2024_09_01.mp3"][/audio] Let's delve into a thought-provoking question this morning. Why does the concept of grace often pose a challenge to our beliefs? Reasons: There is no such thing as getting something for nothing. What do you mean I am a sinner and a rebel against God? I have never cheated or lied or committed adultery, I never murdered anyone, etc. I am not as bad as that person. God has to take that into account. I am a church member, teach Bible study, work with youth, and am a leader in the church. Indeed, God weighs our works on His scale and will accept me. I observe all the religious laws of the church or synagogue; God must be pleased with me. These are just some examples of bad rational and bad theology that is common to both Jews and Gentiles alike.

[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/08/2024_08_25.mp3"][/audio] Even on our best days, our concept of fairness is still tainted by self-interest because we still battle our sinful nature. Our culture has dismissed God and His Word. However, God's Word is not just a book; it's a guide that reveals to us that He sets the standard for fairness. Without God's Word as our guide and final authority, we cannot measure our fairness to others. This even taints how we view God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Let's look at just two examples. The first is in Matthew 20:1-16, The Parable of the Vineyard Workers. The second is found in Luke 23:39-43. Sometimes, God's sovereignty and grace don't seem fair to our finite, sinful human minds. Do you mean to say that if a horrible criminal in prison or on death row genuinely repents and trusts Christ as their Lord and Savior, they would be saved? The answer is a resounding yes.  Is that fair? Absolutely! In this passage, Paul wanted his readers to know that God is fair in all He does in His sovereignty.

[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/08/2024_08_18.mp3"][/audio] In this passage, Paul is so burdened about the salvation of the Jews and the welfare of Israel that he feels it necessary to remind the believers about God's sovereignty. Paul addresses two concerns: the Word of God and God's sovereignty.

[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/08/2024_08_11.mp3"][/audio] Every day, born-again Christians are in an intense spiritual battle. We all know there will be good times and times of profound loss, trials, suffering, disappointment, and confusion in this life. In today's passage, Paul tells born-again believers that we are more than conquerors in Christ as we live in hope and the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul raises several key questions and answers them. Let's work through these questions and discover why it is possible for a believer to live in hope no matter what the circumstances.

[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/08/2024_08_04.mp3"][/audio] In this passage, Paul speaks of our sure hope in Christ in this life and the next.

[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/07/2024_07_28.mp3"][/audio] In this section of Romans 8, Paul introduced a transformative concept to illustrate our unique relationship with God when we trust Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. He used powerful illustrations of adaption and sonship. Paul revealed that a born-again believer enters into the family of God through the transformative act of adoption, made possible by the Person and work of Jesus Christ. When born-again believers grasp this reality, it profoundly impacts their hearts, minds, and wills. Let's explore this passage together.

[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/07/2024_07_21.mp3"][/audio] Intro: Last week, Paul taught us that the only way you and I can live in obedience to Christ is to submit to the Holy Spirit under the authority of God's Word. At the end of chapter 7, Paul acknowledges the battle between the old sinful nature and the new nature we received by faith in Christ. He said, "What a wretched man am I! Who can rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24-25) In response to the question and the answer, Paul breaks out in a time of worship and praise, celebrating our freedom in Christ and living life in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let's examine the treasurers in this passage and apply the principles to our lives so we can live life in the power of the Holy Spirit.

[audio mp3="https://www.crossbridgeofocean.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2024/07/2024_07_14.mp3"][/audio] Intro: This morning, I would like to examine some of what happened at the cross of Christ 2,000 years ago. Paul established that at the cross, Christ died in our place, the death that we deserve as a penalty for our sins. That includes enduring the full wrath of God, which we deserve. So, it is rightly said that Christ died for our sins. Three days later, on a Sunday morning, Christ was resurrected in the power of the Holy Spirit to new life. In Romans 6, Paul used baptism to illustrate what ought to happen in the life of a believer the moment we repent and trust Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. We identify with Christ in His death and resurrection in that He died for our sins, and we die to our sin. Then, we are raised in the new life of Christ, free to obey Him lovingly. Paul wants to explain the relationship of a born-again Christian to the law now that they have been born again. Likewise, he intends to describe the relationship of a new believer to Christ.