Romans 8:33-34

We have a hard time saying "no" to ourselves, even though we know our lives would be so much better if we did. Think of the difference self control would make in our speech, our eating habits, our humor, our spending, our use of time, the time on our phone, binge watching, anger expressed etc. This message is about the road the self-control and how Jesus' death provides for living a self controlled life.

Is God on your side? Most people assume that He is, but Scripture corrects that notion by revealing that God is against those who live apart from Christ. But once we are united to Christ by faith, we enjoy the wonder, confidence, and assurance of knowing that God is indeed for us. Listen as Pastor Josh attempts to explain the wonders of this reality.

In this sermon, Pastor Josh continues guiding us through the "golden chain of salvation" found in these two verses. These verses re-tell our testimonies from God's perspective and remind us that all of salvation -- beginning, middle, and end -- is completely and totally from God.

What does it mean to be "foreknown" and "predestined" by God? Does it mean that God knew who would believe, or does it mean that God determined who would believe? Listen as Pastor Josh teaches through this difficult but important theological question and explains the difference that it makes to how we understand God and talk about our story of salvation.

Romans 8:28 is one of the most well-known and beloved verses in all of Scripture. It provides a powerful means of comfort to those who suffer. But when verses enter the evangelical mainstream, they tend to lose their biblical meaning. In this sermon, Pastor Josh identifies five problematic ways of understanding and applying this verse. If we understand what it doesn't mean, we will better understand what it does mean and receive its God-intended effect in our lives.

What do we do when we have no words to pray? It may be because we are weak in prayer. It may be because we have prayed as much as we could but have nothing else to say. It may be because we are uncertain about what to pray for because we are uncertain about God's will. The Bible's answer to this is that we trust that the Spirit Himself is interceding for us, and He will help us in our weakness. Listen as Pastor Josh teaches on these two comforting verses about the Spirit's intercession.

In our fallen nature, we all struggle with desire to control—our lives, our righteousness, even our destiny. Like King Saul, we attempt to wrestle control from God through partial obedience and denial of responsibility, but if left unconfessed, sin takes control of us. Our only hope is not in more control but in surrender to our Saviour King, Jesus Christ.