May 10, 2026

Recognize Your Reality

Sermon Text: Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Introduction: "In a world where everything feels like too much, let’s discover how to lighten our load and find peace in the chaos."

Psalms 38:4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. (NIV)

Explanation: Acknowledging our struggles is essential. Many feel overwhelmed by societal pressures and constant connectivity. Recognizing our reality is the first step to healing.

Practical Steps:

• Practice Journaling: Encourage the congregation to start a journaling habit to express feelings.
• Practice Biblical Meditation: Introduce meditation on scripture as a way to focus the mind.

Psalms 1:1-2
1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. (NIV)

• Practice Vulnerability: Encourage sharing struggles with trusted friends.

Galatians 6:2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (NIV)

Conclusion: "The first step in overcoming overload is to recognize your reality and then invite Jesus into that reality."

May 3, 2026

The Secret to Persistent Prayer

Luke 11:5-10 (NIV)
5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (NIV)
1 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you,and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

James 4:1-3 (NIV)
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

1) God wants you to ask.

2) God wants you to ask big.

"Bold prayers honor God and God honors bold prayers." - Mark Batterson

3) God wants you to ask again.

4) God wants us to ask now.

You have not because you ask not.

April 26, 2026

Series: Family Ties

Sermon: Covenant Love: Strengthen the Marriage Bond

Scripture: Matthew 19:4-6 NIV

““Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV

INTRODUCTION: EQUATION: Half Hearted Effort + Half Hearted Commitment = Whole Hearted Disappointment.

Lie #3: Marriage is a contract...

"Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

-Matthew 19:6b

What is a contract?

A contract is a legal agreement that outlines the conditions and terms between two parties. If the terms are not fulfilled the contract can be broken.

What is a covenant marriage?

A coventant marriage is a sacred agreement between a man, woman, and God. It's not conditional on the actions of the other but is a lifelong commitment.

Lie #4: There is no hope for my marriage...

With God all things are possible.

-Matthew 19:26

“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What is hope?

Biblical hope is a profound confident expectation rooted in faith and trust in God's character and promises, transcending ordinary circumstances.

CONCLUSION: Jesus is our hope!