We wear busyness like a badge of honor. Life pulls us in so many different directions that church oftentimes is not a priority. Many seemingly inconsequential demands on our time cumulatively make our pace unsustainable. There’s so much on our plate that something has to fall off. And oftentimes what falls off is the church. Life pulls us in so many different directions that church oftentimes is not a priority.

But what this text from the book of Acts shows us this morning is that the church grows deep and wide through our devotion to the Word, community, prayer, and generosity.

Acts 2:41-47

Though we live in a sharing culture, society tells us to keep our religion to ourselves. And often, in fear, we obey. To love someone means to share your life with them and the gospel. And to do anything less is not love.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

We all naturally fear confrontation. We worry about what people will say about us. What they’ll think about us. They won’t like what we have to say, or how we say it. But the fact is, that if we are followers of Jesus, we are called to fear God and his truth more than people and confrontation. And with the world watching and the kingdom of God on the line, followers of Jesus must confront one another when the gospel is at stake.

Galatians 2:11-14

Welcome to 2024! Now is the time when most Americans are setting their sights on all they want to be and do in the new year. How should followers of Jesus engage this time? Is it wise to set resolutions knowing the vast majority will fail miserably within the first couple of months?

Philippians 3:7-11

We are all spiritual prostitutes. We know He loves us, and cares for us yet we run to other things. We are stubborn, ungrateful, or indifferent and we pursue other pleasures that only temporarily satisfy. But what the story of Hosea shows us is that God is faithful to the unfaithful. God pursues more than we abandon. God loves us with a love that will never let go.

Hosea 3:1-5

Life can leave you bitter and destitute. But the good news is the bitter and destitute find refuge and redemption under Yahweh’s wings.

Ruth

We all fear abandonment, that we'll be left by the people we care about the most. God lovingly meets these fears of our by adopting us into his eternal family. He will never leave or forsake us.

Exodus 4:22-23; Romans 9:4

It’s exhausting trying to make up for the wrongs you’ve done, but our shame and guilt makes it feel necessary. It's as though we think we have to earn others' forgiveness. But the good news this morning is that in Jesus, God has provided all of the sacrifice your sins require.

Genesis 22:1-18

The currency of the world leaves us spiritually bankrupt. But in humility, we can exchange the bankruptcy of the world for the riches of the kingdom.

2 Kings 5:1-15

Too often, we let our insecurities define us. We reduce our identities to our persistent struggles or the worst things we've done.

But there is good news this morning for people who struggle to look beyond their own failures and insecurities: when we allow them to, God's promises and presence define us!

Judges 6:11-27

Most of us love going up, but not going down. We love the "come-up" when it comes but not seasons of barely getting by and meager beginnings. But what the gospel teaches us, and especially in the story of Esther is that the way up is down.

Esther 4:1-17

Tim Keller said, "Most of our desires for success are actually our efforts to be for ourselves what only Jesus can really be for us." He speaks to a longing in all of our hearts, which is to be the hero of our story. But what the story of David and Goliath will show us this morning is that you are not meant to be the hero of your story; Jesus is.

1 Samuel 17

We all think we want to see the big picture. And how our story and our circumstances fit into the big picture. We ask questions like, Why me? Why today? Why this street? Why this building? Why this friend? Why now?

What we'll see today is that we rarely get the answers to those questions. And what God's Word has to teach us is that true wisdom is trusting God with the big picture.

Psalm 111:10

Oftentimes we have a scarcity mentality when it comes to grace. We behave as though he's not still as gracious toward us as when we first believed. But what we must see is that God’s posture toward humanity is abundant grace. It always has been, and it always will be.

John 1:16-17

When we don't get what we think we deserve, we will leverage all our resources to make it right. But we are rarely burdened to do justice for others. Thank God that he is always…is just, loves justice, does justice, and commands justice.

Have you ever wondered what would motivate God to send Jesus to rescue humanity when we are described as "adulterous people" and "children of disobedience"?

The answer is mercy. Mercy moves God to save.

We tend to think of wrath as a bad thing. Anger is called a negative emotion. But are hate, wrath, and anger really all that bad?

What we'll see this morning, as we look at God's wrath is that God hates evil, and that's a good thing!