Shows
Waterbrooke Church“Owe Nothing But to Love.” by Pastor Kevin Dibbley | Series Summer of LOVEHappy Independence Day weekend, church family! The fourth of July weekend is all about celebrating freedom. As citizens, we celebrate our freedom from tyranny and oppression. One of the most famous lines that I am sure many of you know is this one: “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” This has been attributed to Thomas Jefferson, but it was originally stated by John Philpott Curran in 1790.
Think about that: The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. As Christians, we have been granted incredible freedom in Christ. We have been granted freedom from guilt and from cond...2025-07-0747 minWaterbrooke Church"Let Your Love Be Genuine", Romans 12:9-13 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley | Summer of LoveOver the past several weeks, we have been studying the Biblical teaching on love in our summer series entitled “Summer of Love.” What our hope in doing this series has been is to reorient our hearts and our minds around a truly biblical view of love that without a doubt is in direct contradiction to the messages about love that we see in the world around us. This Sunday, our sermon is called Let Your Love Be Genuine. It is taken from Romans 12:9-13.
A friend of mine was giving a lecture this week at a church in Souther...2025-06-2940 minWaterbrooke ChurchLove Like Your Father, Matthew 5:43-48 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley | Summer of LoveWhile I was away this week speaking at a men’s event up in Canada, I got the news of the horrible shooting of two politicians and their spouses here in the Twin Cities. I looked up the news and a couple of things immediately struck me. First, before I had read anything, I thought to myself: ‘I’ve met that guy.” I don’t know when or where or if I really did but that was my first reaction. Then when I read the article, I read the awful wicked reality that this man professed to be an evangelica...2025-06-2237 minWaterbrooke Church"How The Trinity Fuels Our Love" by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday, we are going to continue our series called Summer of Love. One of the great encouragements in the call to love one another as God has loved us is that the source of our love is the eternal and immutable Triune God. Agape love is extremely challenging. Loving others as Christ has loved us is not something that we can merely “will” into existence. Loving those who have wronged us or neglected us can seem impossible. It is impossible if it’s left to us.
Here’s the good news: Agape love is actually the overflow of...2025-06-0840 minWaterbrooke Church"Love is Heart Work" 1 Peter 1:22-25 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThe second message in our series, Summer of Love is based on the Scripture passage 1 Peter 1:22-25 and it is called “Love is Heart Work”.
So often, we are reactionary rather than proactive in our most important relationships. We ponder in our minds how we can continue to love people that we find hard to love or how we should respond in the multiplicity of perplexing relational scenarios we find ourselves. We regularly think “What should we do?” instead of “What should we be?”
It is interesting that the Scriptures do not give us a great deal of s...2025-06-0142 minWaterbrooke Church“Summer of Love: How God’s Love Compels Us to Love Others.” Sermon Series | Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis summer, we will begin our summer sermon series called “Summer of Love: How God’s Love Compels Us to Love Others.” Waterbrooke’s mission statement reads:
“Waterbrooke seeks to be a gospel-centered, multi-ethnic community that is captivated by Christ, compelled to love others, and called to make disciples to the glory of God.”
How do we as Waterbrooke Church grow in God’s love and grace such that it is our
Holy Spirit-given impulse to reach out to love others not because of anything in them, but because of Christ in us? Jesus clearly...2025-05-2540 min
Waterbrooke Church"Our Unshakable God" Acts 12:1-25View & Download NOTES
This Sunday, May 11th, was Mother’s Day. Interestingly, the background to our study in Acts 12 is that a prayer meeting is being held at the home of a mother - John Mark’s mother. It reminds us that so often in life, somewhere in the background a mom has been praying, and women have been faithfully praying not only for their families but for the family of God.
Acts 12 is a time of great persecution against the Christians in Jerusalem. One of the apostles, James, is executed by Herod Agrippa. Peter, the apostle...2025-05-1129 minWaterbrooke Church"The Lord Who Goes Before Us" Acts 11:1-30This Sunday, studied Acts 11. This is a crucial chapter in the progress of King Jesus’ mission to advance His kingdom to the ends of the earth. The mission of the gospel takes a decisively new direction for mission: the Gentile world. The center for missionary activity shifts from Jerusalem to Antioch. Adjustments to expectations need to happen everywhere.
If there is anything that is true about the mission of God and the Christian life, it is this: Expect the Unexpected. Most of us don’t like an unpredictable life. We resist adaptation and change, but when God is on the mo...2025-05-0441 minWaterbrooke Church"Becoming All Things" Acts 10:1-48One of the great missionaries in church history was Hudson Taylor, the founder of China Inland Mission (1832-1905). Taylor was famous for his impact on global missions. One of the things that stood out about Hudson Taylor was his commitment to what is called “Indigeneity.” He wanted the gospel to go to the Chinese people and make them Christians in the truest sense. He didn’t want cultural adaptation but true gospel transformation. He said wanted: “Christian Chinese—true Christians, but Chinese in every sense of the word.” If you ever saw pictures of Hudson Taylor, you will know that he went out of hi...2025-04-2746 min
Waterbrooke ChurchWhat the Resurrection Changes! EASTER | Acts 9:32-43Here at Waterbrooke, we have been studying the New Testament book of Acts. This Sunday, we are in Acts 9:32-43 as we celebrate Easter Sunday and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The entire book of Acts is both a demonstration and a defense of the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Dr. Brandon Crowe from Westminster Theological Seminary writes: “The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the key emphases of Acts, and this helps us appreciate the theological unity of the entire book.” I would say that the resurrection is THE key emphasis of the book of Ac...2025-04-2133 min
Waterbrooke Church"What Can Man Do to Me?" PSALM 56 by Kevin CampbellWhen we come across “what can man do to me” in our Bible reading, it sounds a little flippant doesn’t it? Men and women do an awful lot of terrible things to other men and women. There is plenty to fear in this fallen world. But this phrase came from David while people were actively chasing him with the intent to kill him. How can he say such a thing? Stop running for a second and you will see what man can do to you!
One of the wonderful things about the Psalms is how honest they are...2025-03-2339 minWaterbrooke Church"Two Blind Men" Acts 9:1-18Our sermon this Sunday was called “Two Blind Men”. In Acts 9:1-18, we will see the radical conversion of a Christ-hating Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus. The conversion is so stunning that Ananias, a relatively anonymous Christ-loving disciple at Damascus, has trouble getting his head around it. Yet, Christ chose Ananias to be the very instrument he wanted to bring Saul to Christ and to commission Saul for the mission of the gospel.
Here is something that we perpetually need to get our heads and hearts around: Unlikely people are used by Christ to save unlikely people a...2025-03-1652 minWaterbrooke Church"The God of the Outcast" Acts 8:26-40 | No Other NameIn the book of Acts, Luke is reinforcing for us what he repeatedly emphasized in the gospel of Luke: Our God has come to rescue and to restore the outcast and the sinner. It is one of the most beautiful truths of the Christian faith that God loved us while we were yet sinners. God seeks to restore those who have rebelled against him and those who have been really far from Him. God saves the least likely.
Over the next few Sundays, we are going to see in the book of Acts how God saves individuals who...2025-03-0943 minWaterbrooke Church"Mighty to Save"This Sunday, we studied Acts 8:1-25. After the stoning of Stephen, absolute mayhem breaks out. Acts 8:3 reads, “But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.” Isn’t that awful and yet wonderful at the same time? What is happening is traumatic to those believers yanked out of their homes and thrown into prison. But… what is clear is that God is up to something. He has plans for that persecutor of the church, Saul of Tarsus. Saul is in God’s sights.
There is a simple p...2025-03-0247 minWaterbrooke Church"Improving Our Responsiveness to Jesus" Acts 7:17-43 | Pastor Kevin DibbleyOne of the things that we regularly see in the customer service industry is articles on how to improve customer response times. For example, in one study, it was revealed that 70% of the people who evaluated customer service said that the quicker a business responded and resolved customer issues dictated whether they were viewed as having good quality customer service. Your response times indicated how valuable your customers were to you.
This Sunday, our message was from Acts 7:17-43, we are not going to talk about improving customer response times. We are going to look at i...2025-02-1648 minWaterbrooke Church"The Teachable Disciple" Acts 7:9-16 | Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday’s sermon was called “The Teachable Disciple”. We will be studying Acts 7:9-16. As Stephen preaches his sermon to the hostile crowd of religious leaders and Greek-speaking Jews, he begins with these words, “Brothers and fathers, hear me.” My good friend Bill likes to say “Listen to me now. Hear me later.” Hearing means more than listening. It is leaning in with a teachable and humble heart. It is a willingness to learn and to be taught the word of God, the will of God, the ways of God. Discipleship by its very definition is living a life of perpetual...2025-02-0944 minWaterbrooke Church" The God of Glory Appeared" | Acts 7:1-8 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThere is a huge difference between religion and discipleship. Religion often looks for symbols, traditions, rules, buildings, and physical locations to get one’s sense of identity and religious security. Discipleship is living out one’s already existent identity and security in Christ in the adventure of faith and obedience.
In the book of Acts, the disciples are perpetually under pressure and on the move. They often look like they are the ones being threatened but they are actually living in the freedom and the security of Christ. As we will see this weekend, one of the gr...2025-02-0231 minWaterbrooke Church"Full of Grace and Power" | Acts 6: 8-15 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday, we will continued our study of the Book of Acts in Acts 6:8-15. Our sermon is called “Full of Grace and Power.” The gospel of the kingdom of God is now about to advance into the Gentile (non-Jewish) world. Monumental advances in the mission of the kingdom of Christ are about to happen. What we will see here is that the mission of God rarely advances in the book of Acts without significant resistance. Or better said, God often uses resistance to direct the advancement of His Kingdom and reveal His glory not only to those who are wi...2025-01-2638 minWaterbrooke Church"God's Providence in Our Problems" | Acts 6: 1-7 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley
This Sunday’s message was from Acts 6:1-7, is called God’s Providence in Our Problems. One of the foundational convictions of the apostles in the early church is that Jesus is both Lord and Savior of the church. That means, Jesus is not just the subject of the mission. He is the Director of the mission. He isn’t just the Savior of His people. He is the Sovereign over all things. He is large and in charge.
In last Sunday’s passage, Acts 5:30-31, Peter speaks to the religious leaders in Jerusalem and he says “The God...2025-01-1939 minWaterbrooke Church"All for the Name of Jesus" | Acts 5:17-42 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday, we continued our study of the book of Acts. As it is the beginning of a New Year, there are several things from this passage that I think will be super helpful as we consider how to approach discipleship in 2025. It is clear that the mission of the early church happened in a less than friendly environment. The apostles were repeatedly threatened and often imprisoned and yet, they are not only able to persevere, they thrive! It’s clear that the twists and turns and the disappointments and failures of ministry as broken people in a broken world...2025-01-1247 min
Waterbrooke Church"The Word Became Flesh" John 1:14-18 | Life in HimChristmas can be one of those profoundly lonely seasons for people. Grief, abandonment, job changes, personal moral failure, political and global turmoil can leave a person feeling deeply alone and acutely isolated even in the hustle and bustle of the season. In John’s gospel, we encounter several people who feel long forgotten. For example, in John 5, the apostle John describes a man who was paralyzed. He was lying beside a pool that was supposed to provide healing waters. John writes, “One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew...2024-12-1536 minWaterbrooke ChurchIn the Beginning John 1:1-5 | "Life In Him" by Pastor Kevin Dibbley“In the beginning was the Word…”
Jesus is the One that gives everything its meaning, its purpose, its life. He is the Source,
Center, the Goal, the Gift.
Jesus isn’t merely the “Reason for the season.”
Jesus is the Reason for everything.
“God knows how much we need the creation-to-destiny themes of the biblical narrative in
order to make sense of our lives, so he lovingly gives those dominant themes right up front…
Since God created us to be meaning-makers, he immediately presents us with the wonderful
and awful re...2024-12-0141 minWaterbrooke Church"A Necessary Dose of Holy Fear" Acts 5:1-16 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday, our message is taken from Acts 5:1-16. The title of the sermon is “A Necessary Dose of Holy Fear.” We often lose sight of the holiness of God. In our busy lives, we can simply begin to take God for granted and forget that the God we serve is the God who is real. He is “holy, holy, holy”. He is not a good luck charm or an add-on to our list of priorities. He is not the genie in the bottle of our earthly ambitions. He is the One who calls all the nations to bow their knee and...2024-11-2443 minWaterbrooke Church"Unintimidated" Acts 4:32-37 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday’s sermon was called “Unintimidated”. In Acts 4:32-37, we see the fruit of the collective praying of the early church disciples. The number of the disciples had been growing rapidly. There were now at least 5000 of them (Acts 4:4). With that growth, there came an increased opposition from the temple leaders. The chief priests, the Sadducees, and the temple guard arrested Peter and John and threatened them. Their goal was to stomp out this fast-spreading fire quickly. They hoped to do what they had done earlier. Fill the disciples with fear and watch them scatter. Instead, the opposite happened. ...2024-11-1734 minWaterbrooke Church"Praying Together for Courage" Acts 4:23-31This Sunday, we examined the subject of praying for courage as we seek to share the hope of Jesus with others.
In Acts 4, Peter and John are remarkably bold in speaking about Christ to the religious leaders who are threatening them. These are the very same religious leaders who had recently arranged and successfully carried out the crucifixion of Jesus.
The boldness of the disciples was not natural.
It was supernatural. The timid Galilean disciples had recently fled in fear. Now, they faced the threats of the religious leaders with amazing courage (Acts 4:13). So much...2024-11-1041 minWaterbrooke Church"Uncommon Courage" Acts 4 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday’s sermon is entitled "Uncommon Courage." If there is any chapter that indicates a radical shift in the lives of Jesus’ disciples, it's Acts 4. Luke writes in Acts 4:13, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” The religious leaders were astonished at the change in Peter and John! They had gone from fearful cowards to openly courageous evangelists.
This Sunday, we will looked at how the Holy Spirit transforms God’s people so that we can’t hel...2024-11-0647 minWaterbrooke Church"Repentance & Restoration" Acts 3 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday's sermon was taken from Acts 3. Luke recounts the story of the first healing miracle in the Book of Acts. Peter and John encounter a lame man who is begging for alms at a place in the temple called “The Beautiful Gate.”
Here’s the great news: Jesus is the Beautiful Gate opening to a glorious new creation. That lame man represents all of us spiritually. More than just us, the lame man represents a lame world.
Sin has broken us.
It has deeply shattered the world.
But with the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, everything is about to change. Sin has be...2024-10-2744 minWaterbrooke Church“The Fellowship of the Spirit.” By Pastor Kevin DibbleyWhen Christ takes hold of our hearts, the Holy Spirit doesn’t produce a reluctantly obedient group of people who are dutifully carrying out a list of religious behaviors. The Holy Spirit creates a new community with a shared passion for Christ and the kingdom of God. Life in the Spirit flows out into life in community with God’s people. It is supernaturally “natural” for Christ followers to want to do life together.
This explains why genuine Christians often struggle. The busyness and noise of life often work in counter purposes to what our new covenant hearts d...2024-10-2039 minWaterbrooke Church"Pentecost: When God Came to Stay" Acts 2 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday we studied one of the most exciting passages and important passages in the New Testament. Acts 2 records the crucial event of Pentecost. God Himself shows up big time and the trajectory of human history is now and forever changed. God is here. God is on the move. God will extend his reign to the ends of the earth. Pentecost is the biggest game-changer for the church and its mission after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. God’s blatant determination to usher in an age of global advancement of His kingdom has now been placed directly upon His o...2024-10-1338 minWaterbrooke Church"Waiting on God Together" Acts 1:12-26 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday’s message is called “Waiting on God Together.” Jesus gave his disciples clear directions when He ascended to the throne of heaven. His charge to them was that they were to go to Jerusalem and wait for God to send the promised Holy Spirit. So, 120 disciples gathered together in an upper room and waited together.
We often are placed by God in seasons of waiting. Some of those seasons are longer than others. For those of us who aren’t good at waiting patiently (which is most of us), it can feel like we have been put in...2024-10-0639 minWaterbrooke Church"The Ascended King" Acts 1:1-11 - NEW SERIES! By Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday, we BEGAN a new series in the book of Acts. The book of Acts is a careful recording of the advancement of the kingdom of God into the Gentile world despite hostility and hardship. We constantly need to be encouraged and reminded that the mission of God happens through the unlikeliest of people (ie., Saul of Tarsus) in some of the most hostile environments. This happens precisely because our God reigns. Where are some of the hardest places that we least expect the gospel to advance? Who are you least hopeful would respond to the message of Ch...2024-09-2935 min
Waterbrooke Church"Our King Forever" Psalm 146 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday, we spent some time considering a glorious psalm of praise - Psalm 146. That psalm begins: “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, o my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live and sing praises to my God while I have my being.” One commentator writes “The believer’s life should be continuous praise.” “Should be” are the operative words. We often find ourselves in a wide array of challenging circumstances. Sometimes, beyond challenging! I was talking to a fellow Christian this week who said that “despair has been afflicting me today.” Has despair been afflicting you lately...2024-09-1539 minWaterbrooke Church"The Unfailing Love of the King" Psalm 103 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday, we studied Psalm 103. We are meant to hear in this Psalm Jesus’ voice calling to us to rejoice in Yahweh, the Lord! Why? Because He loves us unconditionally in Christ.
We live in a world where love is hard to find and it is especially hard to keep. People are fickle. Friends are often fickle. What makes it especially challenging is that we are sinners and so, there are often good reasons for why people struggle with us. Psalm 103 is glorious for the simple reason – God is glorious. He is unlike anyone else. Psalm 103:10 reads, “He does not d...2024-09-0840 minWaterbrooke Church"The King at Rest" Psalm 132 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyWaterbrooke Family,
This Sunday's sermon was taken from Psalm 132 and is a glorious picture of Jesus’ love for us, His bride, the church. The message is called “The King at Rest.” It’s a picture of the King and his Bride finally living together in unity and love and peace for all eternity.
This past week was our nephew and niece’s 13th wedding anniversary. They shared a picture of the wedding ceremony which was outdoors in Michigan. In the middle of the wedding, a huge rain shower broke out. The pictures are classic because they show not...2024-08-1845 minWaterbrooke Church"Jesus: The Priest King" Psalm 110 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyWaterbrooke Family,
This Sunday, we discussed persevering as a believer in a broken and a hostile world. Jesus says these words in Matthew’s gospel: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13). He says this is in the context of teaching his disciples that the mission of God will happen in an increasingly hostile world: “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testim...2024-08-1138 minWaterbrooke Church"The Praying King" Psalm 72 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyWaterbrooke Family,
In Psalm 72, we have a song written by Solomon. It is the last psalm in a collection (Books 1 and 2 of the Psalms) that is considered to be largely psalms written by David. Psalm 72:20 reads, “The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.”
What’s beautiful about this psalm is that we get the heartbeat of the son of David for the kingdom. Solomon prays for God’s blessing on his kingdom but he does so because of a deep heart of compassion for the people and the nations. We are clearly meant to se...2024-08-0432 minWaterbrooke Church"The King of Love" Psalm 45Waterbrooke Family,
This Sunday, we studied Psalm 45, which is a “love song”. This is one of the greatest and most joyful psalms in the Bible. It was written to celebrate the marriage between the King and his Bride. The words contain effusive praise for the King and what He is like as it invites the bride to embrace the abounding joy of her impending marriage. Often, in fairy tales, the handsome prince finds a fair maiden languishing in poverty and abuse in some far-away corner of his kingdom. He discovers her and seeing her true hidden beauty (that oth...2024-07-2837 minWaterbrooke Church"The King's Treasure" Psalm 19 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley
This Sunday, we studied another great Psalm – Psalm 19.
C.S. Lewis wrote: “I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world” (Reflections, 73). What makes this Psalm so beautiful is that it opens up to us God’s glory not just in creation but in His Word.
Here’s the challenge that we all face: We live in a world of both glory and catastrophe. We behold the majesty of billions of stars in a northern night sky. We feel the warmth of the summer sun as it car...2024-07-1442 minWaterbrooke Church"The Exultant King” Psalm 18 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyWaterbrooke Family,
This Sunday’s message is from Psalm 18 and is called “The Exultant King.” Psalm 18 is written by King David when God has finally established his kingdom and defeated all his enemies. It is recorded near the end of David’s life in 2 Samuel 22.
There is no doubt that David is blown away by the abundant goodness and unfailing love of God towards him throughout his life. There were numerous dark and difficult times. Times of brokenness and betrayal. Yet, it feels so good to rest and to look back at the amazing love of God in his l...2024-07-0737 minWaterbrooke Church"The Desperately Happy King" Psalm 16 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyWell, this has been the summer of rain! I actually love how green everything is but it has been recently providing challenges for farmers and folks in our area. There are little lakes in fields where there normally isn’t water and there shouldn’t be. I get updates from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and some of the portages between lakes have been closed due to erosion caused by rain.
Water can quickly wear away at the foundations of buildings and land. It reminds us of how living in a world of sin and a world of plea...2024-06-2341 minWaterbrooke Church"The Shepherd King" Psalm 23 by Pastor Kevin Dibbley - Sing to the King Summer Series in Psalms
This Sunday was Father’s Day. For our message this week, we spent a little time together meditating upon Psalm 23. The twenty-third psalm is without a doubt the most well-known and, I would suggest, well-loved of all 150 psalms. And I think rightly so.
This psalm brings the assurance that from beginning to end the Lord, Yahweh, shepherds his people through all the storms of life and brings us safely into our eternal home with Himself forever. It is a psalm of enormous comfort. It is a psalm of rock-solid hope and peace. What we often don’t recogni...2024-06-1637 minWaterbrooke Church"Yahweh's Chosen King" Psalm 2 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyNew Series this Summer - “Sing to the King.” It is a study of the psalms with a focus on God’s provision of a righteous, redeeming King for His people. That King is Jesus. Thank God that He is the King that we all need but could never find. In a world where leaders are perpetually flawed and fallen, there is One who can be trusted.
This Sunday, in our series called “Sing to the King”, we considered Psalm 2. Psalm 2 is one of the two “gateway” psalms (along with Psalm 1) that are designed to be the lenses thro...2024-06-0939 minWaterbrooke Church"Pursuing Godliness" 1 Timothy 6:6-19This Sunday, our sermon was entitled “Pursuing Godliness.” Often, in the western world, we think of our spiritual lives as a private or personal matter between us and God. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the New Testament, our personal godliness is a crucial part of the church’s mission to proclaim and to protect the truth of the gospel in a world in desperate need of Christ. This Sunday’s message will be taken from 1 Timothy 6:6-19 and it is a postscript to our study on the letter of Ephesians. 1 Timothy was written by the apostle Paul to encour...2024-05-2642 min
Waterbrooke Church"The Ministry of Encouragement" Ephesians 6:21-24God’s people continually need encouragement. You do. I do. Our missionaries do. In the mission of God, it is easy for Christians to forget that God has designed the church to build one another up and to encourage each other in the faith. This side of heaven, the Christian life is fraught with perils. We are in a spiritual battle. It is often discouraging and tiring. Yet, we are not alone in this.
We have been studying this letter to the Ephesians because it contains the call of our Waterbrooke Church mission to be “compelled to love one...2024-05-1936 minWaterbrooke Church"Fostering a Passion for Prayer" Ephesians 6:18-20This week, our sermon, from Ephesians 6:18-20, was called Fostering a Passion for Prayer. As the apostle Paul comes to the end of this letter to the church, he calls for an all-out commitment to prayer. Paul knows that human effort and ingenuity cannot advance the kingdom of Christ. Unlike Muslims who respond to an external call to prayer 5 times a day, Paul wants believers to respond to an internal call to prayer continuously.
Prayer is Paul’s passionate conviction. It is Paul’s confidence in his life and ministry. Paul prayed earlier in Ephesians 3:20 declaring that God “is able...2024-05-1233 minWaterbrooke Church"Kingdom Vigilance" Ephesians 6:10-20As Paul wraps up his letter to the church at Ephesus, he gives what some theologians call a “peroratio”. A peroration is a passionate conclusion to a speech or a letter which is meant to inspire passion and enthusiasm.
Paul has been teaching us that King Jesus is on the throne and that his kingdom advances in the lives of everyday people like you and I who learn to live out the grace and forgiveness of the gospel in our marriages, in our families, in our workplaces, and as His church. Paul calls us to be passionate for the...2024-04-2843 minWaterbrooke Church"Working for King Jesus" Ephesians 6:5-9This Sunday, our message, from Ephesians 6:5-9, was called “Working for King Jesus.” Ever since the garden of Eden, work has been difficult. Adam’s sin led to a broken world and a broken creation. The penalty for his sin fell upon our work. Genesis 3:19 reads “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground…” As the Ray LaMontagne song, Trouble, goes: “Trouble, Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble. Trouble been doggin' my soul since the day I was born. Worry, Worry, worry, worry, worry. Worry just will not seem to leave my mind alone.”
...2024-04-2138 min
Waterbrooke Church"A Heart for Missions" Matthew 9:35-38 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyAs we go into Missions Week, I want to start out by challenging us to pray that we might see the call to missions as the greatest and most beautiful reality and hope that this world could ever imagine. The news constantly bombards us with story after story of heartache, evil, violence, and war. The hopelessness of the world around us can only be countered by the truest and greatest news in the world – The King has returned to reclaim his world.
Yet, here is an interesting thought that we ought to consider on Missions Week: Maybe, it isn...2024-04-0735 min
Waterbrooke ChurchEaster 2024 "In His Name" by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday, on Easter Sunday, we celebrated and talked about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In particular, we looked at Jesus’ encounter with Thomas, at least a week and a half after the crucifixion. Thomas is struggling. When the disciples tell Thomas that they have seen Jesus, Thomas’ response is very strong. He says, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe!”
Thomas’ reaction is not purely intellectual. It is highly emotional...2024-03-3134 minWaterbrooke Church"Walking in Wisdom as Spirit-Filled Worshipers" by Pastor Gabe ZepedaGod created us in his image to resemble him and center our lives around him. But when we rebelled against God, we decentered our lives from him and marred God’s image with our disobedience. As a result, we all are children of wrath and without hope in and of ourselves (Eph 2:1–3). But Jesus came to reverse our spiritual predicament. As the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creation (Col 1:15), Jesus is the new and better Adam we desperately need. He came to recreate us after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph...2024-03-1049 minWaterbrooke Church"Walk in Love" Ephesians 5:1-14 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday’s sermon is called “Walk In Love.” In the city of Ephesus, the idea of love had been severely distorted by the worship that was happening at the Temple of Artemis. The temple was considered to be one of the seven great wonders of the world. It was twice the size of the Parthenon in Athens. Emperors and travelers came to behold this incredible architectural masterpiece. As Acts 19 revealed, the worship of Artemis was the major economic engine for the city of Ephesus. Artemis was the goddess of fertility so sexual idolatry and promiscuity was promoted and celebrated...2024-03-0644 minWaterbrooke Church"Learning Jesus" Ephesians 4:17-24This Sunday’s message was called “Learning Jesus.” It is taken from Ephesians 4:17-24 where the apostle Paul is encouraging the Christians at Ephesus to “no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.” The Ephesian Christians were once Gentiles walking in “the futility of their minds.”
Futility really describes that downward spiral that the unbelieving world is in towards spiritual and moral catastrophe. The individual believes that he or she is completely fine and in control. They think that they know the way to life, to joy, to peace. In aviation, there is an error called a ...2024-02-1834 minWaterbrooke ChurchHow to Pray for Waterbrooke - By Pastor Kevin DibbleyDear Waterbrooke Friends,
This week, we studied Ephesians 4:1-16. Our sermon is called How to Pray for Waterbrooke. In Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul “urges” the church at Ephesus to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” We will see that in this letter, this exhortation can be summed up in two ways: unity (4:1-16) and purity (4:17-5:20).
In Christ, we have been made a special people. Our calling is to be a distinct community of very different people deeply devoted to Christ, to each other, and to the mission of takin...2024-02-1132 minWaterbrooke ChurchKingdom Clarity, One in Christ a study of Ephesians by Pastor Kevin DibbleyAs we enter a New Year, 2024, it is helpful for our church family to spend a few weeks refocusing ourselves on our mission and calling as a local church. Ephesians 3 is super helpful to this end because the apostle Paul interrupts his letter to give clarity to the Ephesian Christians regarding his calling and theirs. Over the next two Sundays, we will study Ephesians chapter three and examine two questions: What should we be pursuing in 2024 and how should we be praying?
This Sunday’s message is from Ephesians 3:1-13 where Paul speaks with Kingdom Clarity. That’s the title...2024-01-2139 minWaterbrooke Church"The Vision and Mission of the Majestic King" Isaiah 6:1-13 by Pastor Gabe ZepedaWhat is the mission of the church? According to the Bible, the mission of the church is to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19a) until “the earth [is] filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Hab 2:14). That is the high calling upon each of our lives as followers of Jesus. But if I’m honest, sometimes I lose sight of the mission. In other words, I need fresh vision from God to engage in the mission of God.
As Christians and as a church, it is possible to d...2024-01-1448 min
Waterbrooke Church"Conversations Worth Having" by Andy KeppelAndy will continue his series on Colossians with a sermon from Colossians 3:22-46, called "Conversations Worth Having".
Do you need prayer? Go to www.waterbrooke.church
2024-01-0744 min
Waterbrooke Church“The Glory of Immanuel” by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday’s message was called, “The Glory of Immanuel”. In Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew succinctly describes the staggering event where the God of the universe took on our humanity. The God of glory became a living and breathing human baby. Omnipotence took on human weakness.
Theologians call this stunning event, the Incarnation. C.S. Lewis called it “The Grand Miracle”. He wrote: “The Central Miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation… Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this… The fitness, and therefore credibility, of the particular miracles depends on their relation to the Grand Miracle...2023-12-1037 minWaterbrooke Church”The Infinite Potential in the Church” Ephesians 1:15-23 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyHey Church,
This Sunday’s message was called “The Infinite Potential in the Church”. We will be studying Ephesians 1:15-23 where the apostle Paul gives thanks in prayer for the Ephesian church. They might be struggling. They may need to work out issues. However, Paul rejoices knowing that what lies unseen in the church is the power of the risen and reigning Christ.
Ministry in a fallen world is challenging. However, greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. Let’s begin to pray that we might see the church with...2023-11-0545 minWaterbrooke Church“Heirs Together” by Pastor Kevin DibbleyOne of the great comforts to Christians down through the ages has been the promise of heaven. Even the apostle Paul says that the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). Having a rock-solid confidence that your future is secure in the hands of God changes everything. Even more so, having a deep assurance that you yourself will persevere to the end is a great comfort when we are shaken not simply by the world’s uncertainty but by our own instability. Life rattles us. We ar...2023-10-2946 min
Waterbrooke ChurchGuest Speaker Justin Lakemacher: With Confidence Draw Near Hebrews 4:14-16The author of Hebrews tells us that we can go confidently into God’s presence. This would have been shocking to the original readers. No high priest would tell people to walk confidently into the Holy of Holies. Yet this is exactly what God commands his people to do. And he does so because of the work of Christ. Jesus, the Great High Priest, has passed through the heavens and offered to God the once-and-for-all sacrifice: himself. The Priest is also the Lamb. And that sacrifice has given us the necessary righteousness needed to approach God’s throne.
What...2023-10-2238 minWaterbrooke ChurchRedemption – Freedom and Forgiveness by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday, we talked about the doctrine of redemption. Our sermon is taken from Ephesians 1:7-10. Redemption is staggering because it is the great truth that God has come to rescue his enemies from captivity at the price of His own Son. At the greatest personal cost to Himself, God has come to set us free from our captivity to sin and to make us His own people. This is the message of the gospel and it is the message of Ephesians: God is making His enemies, not just His friends, but His family through Jesus Christ.
Howe...2023-10-1550 min
Waterbrooke Church”Jesus Over Everything” - Looking to Glory by Andy KeppelThank you for joining us today as Andy Keppel continues his series in Colossians with this sermon titled Jesus Over Everything - Colossians 3:18 - 21
To watch this sermon or reach out for prayer, go to www.waterbrooke.church
2023-10-0839 minWaterbrooke Church”Safe in the Father’s Love” Ephesians 1:5-6 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyOne of the great sources of anxiety that we all face is the feeling that our lives seem to be spinning out of control. Whether we feel like our destiny is being determined by unpredictable forces of nature, inherited DNA, unjust political or military powers, technological advances like AI, spiraling health and housing costs, or worse, demonic and evil forces, Paul reminds the church at Ephesus that their lives and destinies are safe in the hands of sovereign love.
This week’s sermon was called “Safe in the Father’s Love.” In Ephesians 1:5-6, the Word of God remind...2023-10-0143 minWaterbrooke ChurchSeptember 24, 2023 ”Every Spiritual Blessing” In Ephesians 1:3-14 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday’s message was called Every Spiritual Blessing. In Ephesians 1:3-14, the apostle Paul writes one
long run-on sentence about the incredible riches of God’s grace in the gospel. One commentator called
this section of Scripture “a snowball tumbling down a hill, and picking up volume as it descends.” (Sorry
to bring up snow in September!)
Paul praises God for the mind-blowing grace that He has shown us in Jesus Christ. For Paul, it really is undeserved. It is riches to rebels. It is lavish love completely at Christ’s expense. As Paul calls...2023-09-2442 min
Waterbrooke ChurchNew Summer Series ” Longing for God” in the Psalms by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday morning, began a new summer series in the Psalms called: Longing for God. This week’s Psalm, Psalm 80, is called Longing for God’s Smile. One of the realities in our Christian experience is that we can go through times when God seems to have turned his face away from us. God feels cold and distant.
We can misinterpret this as God forsaking us or God forgetting about us. However, Psalm 80 is a psalm inspired by God, given to His people, so we would have words to pray and sing when God seems distant and we f...2023-07-0440 min
Waterbrooke Church”Hope Again” by Pastor Kevin DibbleyWe have all heard the phrase, “Seeing is believing”. This Sunday, we learned the
The opposite is true: “Believing is seeing”. In Luke 24:36-53, the resurrected Lord Jesus appears to the disciples, but their reactions are varied. They are terrified. They are troubled. They are conflicted. They don’t have categories for what they are seeing until Jesus opens up God’s Word to them. One of the biggest challenges that we all face in life is making sense out of what God is doing.
Until we can see the big story of the gospel, of the death, r...2023-06-2534 minWaterbrooke Church“The Joy of Seeing Jesus” by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday’s message was called “The Joy of Seeing Jesus". In Luke 24:13-35, a couple of disciples are walking on the road to Emmaus and they are joined by the risen Jesus. They can’t see that it is Jesus, not because of some change in Jesus, but because of something in them. The story did not unfold according to their expectations.
How has your story gone? Have you had a hard time seeing Jesus at work in the storyline of your life? That is common for many of us. We would never write the story of our lives...2023-06-1841 minWaterbrooke Church“Remembering His Promises” by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday’s Message was called “Remembering His Promises”. One of the marks of true saving faith is that it rises as it remembers the promises of God. In this week’s message from Luke 23:50-24:12, Luke records the burial and resurrection of Jesus from the perspective of three groups of people whose faith reflected what ours is often like – sometimes strong and sometimes shaken.
We all have seasons when our faith is challenged by heartaches and disappointments. However, the resurrection of Jesus when truly believed breathes new life and new hope into the most discouraged of disciples...2023-06-1137 minWaterbrooke Church”Jesus, the Freedom Giver” by Guest Speaker Bruce WashingtonThe Bible tells us as believers of Jesus, we are in a battle. It says our battle is not with flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers and spiritual forces, which includes our own sin nature. Scripture also tells us that the war has already been won.
This week's message is titled, "Jesus, the Freedom Giver". As we walk through Zechariah 3, the prophet lays out a beautiful picture of who we are, who God is and how He has set us free. We have been made righteous and can live in freedom that Jesus provides. Bring yo...2023-06-0437 minWaterbrooke Church”The King on the Cross” Luke 23:26-49This Sunday’s message was called “The King on the Cross” and we will be studying Luke 23:26-49. In this passage, we will see that everyone is a mess except Jesus. The women, the rulers, the criminals hanging beside him are all struggling in their own way. Some are weeping. Some are mocking. Some are uttering their final words. Yet, Jesus is there graciously ministering to them all.
Author Scotty Smith writes, “God’s grace is stronger than our worst sins, and his blood is deeper than our lowest days.” This is one of those passages where the proof really is i...2023-05-2836 minWaterbrooke Church”The Great Exchange” Luke 23:1-25"The Great Exchange" Luke 23:1-25
We studied the wonderful, humbling, and healing doctrine of “penal substitutionary atonement.” In Luke 23:1-25, we are going to see Herod and Pilate, hostile enemies, become friends as they examine Jesus. This strange alignment results in Jesus being sent to the cross to die as a criminal and a wicked man named Barabbas being set free. Who would have thought in this moment of grave injustice, God would be working out something that gloriously sets us free from sin and condemnation?
Our message is called “The Great Exchange” and our prayer for all of us th...2023-05-2142 minWaterbrooke Church”Jesus: Faithful Under Pressure ” Luke 22:47-71 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyOne of the common illustrations that is frequently used to describe the gospel is that of a diamond.
Jewelers will display a diamond on a piece of black velvet in order that the many facets and the clarity
and color of the diamond might stand out to the human eye. In Luke 22:47-71, we see the incomparable
beauty of the diamond who is Jesus Christ against the backdrop of evil and sin. This is now the darkest
period in Jesus’ earthly ministry.
Here he faces betrayal and abandonment by his closest friends. Here he...2023-05-1437 minWaterbrooke Church”He Will Hold Me Fast” by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday's message is called, "He Will Hold Me Fast". In Luke 22:31-46, we encounter Jesus' excruciating struggle in prayer on the Mount of Olives for both himself and for the disciples. This is one of those passages where we see not only the importance of prayer in resisting temptation but the remarkable encouragement that Christ prays for His disciples effectually when the disciples fail at prayer miserably. Prayer is hard. In multiple ways, we often struggle to pray and if we were able to pray in our own strength, we would definitely fail and fall into sin. Praise God t...2023-05-0736 minWaterbrooke Church”Humble Leadership” Luke 22:24-30 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday, we studied Luke 22:24-30. Our sermon is entitled “Humble Leadership.” Often, when things go wrong in our families, our businesses, and our churches, our temptation is to try to quickly right the ship. Many, if not all of us, are fixers. Often, the need to fix things come out of fear or out of pride. Spouses can quickly look at each other and say, “I told you!” Pride easily enters our relationships when problems arise.
For Jesus’ disciples, it appears the wheels are coming off the mission. They have just learned that Judas would betray Jesus. Jesus i...2023-05-0340 min
Waterbrooke Church”What the World Most Needs” by Duane Tweeten, Guest SpeakerWaterbrooke Family,
Our message from Acts 11:19-30, is entitled "What the World Most Needs". God is at work through the gospel of Jesus Christ to establish the church, even in a world in crisis. That is nothing new. From the beginning of the church in the book of Acts, God has used His Word to produce fruit in the lives of people who respond to the gospel with repentance and faith. As a result, the need is to strengthen churches and their leaders to continue the advance of the gospel in the world. In Acts 11:19-30, Luke tells the...2023-04-2334 minWaterbrooke Church”A New Covenant for a New Community” by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday’s message is from Luke 22:7-23. It’s called “A New Covenant for a New Community.” Jesus says to his disciples that he has “earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” What is interesting is that Jesus is very enthusiastic about having the meal with His disciples even though the Passover meal is pointing towards his death as God’s Passover Lamb. It reminds us of Hebrews 12:2 which reads “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated a...2023-04-1644 min
Waterbrooke ChurchEaster Sunday - ”The Power of the Resurrection”This past Sunday was Easter Sunday!
Praise God we will be gathering as a Waterbrooke family to celebrate the triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ over sin and death as He rose victorious from the grave! Our sermon title is "The Power of the Resurrection". We will be studying Philippians 3:7-10 and seeing why the apostle Paul was overjoyed as he wrote this letter even while in prison for Christ.
Paul repeatedly urges the Philippian Christians in this letter to rejoice in the Lord. Why? It is because the resurrection is not just a f...2023-04-0943 minWaterbrooke ChurchSovereignty Over Subversion” Luke 22:1-6 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyIn Luke 22:1-6, there is a rapid coalescing of corrupt and evil forces that conspire to crucify Jesus. Luke wants us to remember and to rejoice that evil never triumphs over the saving purposes of God. In fact, God has ordained at this Passover festival, He would hand over his Passover Lamb for the sins of the world.
This Sunday’s message was called "Sovereignty Over Subversion". This Sunday is Palm Sunday and you and I are meant to rejoice that no one is merely taking Jesus’ life from Him. He is offering Himself up of his own free...2023-04-0246 minWaterbrooke Church”When Your World Suddenly Crumbles” by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday’s message was called “When Your World Suddenly Crumbles”. Our passage is from Luke 21:20-38. There are a handful of moments that stand out in my life as a pastor when I can picture exactly where I was when everything shifted in my or someone else’s world. This would be true for you, I am sure, as well. A phone call and then, everything stops. You move from a routine world where you are almost mindlessly running through your daily routines to a strange foggy surreal world that is disorienting, confusing, and often, deeply painful.
Amazingly, just when Jesus i...2023-03-2644 minWaterbrooke ChurchGlobal Missions: ”Building the Kingdom of God When All Other Kingdoms are Crumbling” by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis week starts Mission Week and our message is called Global Missions: Building the Kingdom of God When All Other Kingdoms are Crumbling. In Luke 21:5-19, Jesus begins to prepare his disciples for a time of kingdom turbulence. Recently, I flew on a flight that had terrible turbulence to the point that the plane was damaged on landing. We weren’t prepared for that and it was a relief to be safely on the ground in Nashville. In this passage, Jesus warns that there are rough times ahead for the nation of Israel and for Jesus’ disciples, but it is in that...2023-03-1241 minWaterbrooke ChurchThe Resurrection Changes Everything” by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday’s message was from Luke 20:27-21:4 is entitled, “The Resurrection Changes Everything.” Jesus continues to be bombarded by the religious establishment who are seeking to change public opinion against him. They recognize that He poses a threat to their place and position in Israel. That is a fact, because Jesus has come to fulfill all that the Old Covenant had promised. Jesus is the better Solomon. He is building a better temple. He is establishing a new Israel and an eternal Jerusalem. He is a better and more lasting priesthood. Those clinging to power find his words and ministr...2023-03-0548 minWaterbrooke Church”In Search of Integrity - for Better or Worse!” by guest speaker Dr. Rick ShenkLast week, Pastor John looked at the passage where Jesus’ authority was questioned (Luke 20:1-18). The question he helped us wrestle with is this: Do we want Jesus!? There is no question more important. While anyone who wants Christ can have him, we are both: distracted by the world and religion and so away from Jesus. And also, if we are honest, we too often find Jesus to be inconvenient.
Christians and Not-yet-Christians, my primary goal is to show you Jesus in his marvelous integrity, the Image of the only God! I want you to delight in Jesus, o...2023-02-2638 minWaterbrooke Church”Disruptive Authority: When Jesus Invades Religious Systems” by Pastor John HallWaterbrooke Family,
Things are heating up in the gospel of Luke! This weekend we picked up where we left off from last weekend. Our sermon text for Sunday is Luke 20:1-18 and the title of the sermon is "Disruptive Authority: When Jesus Invades Religious Systems."
This passage of scripture is both disruptive and incredibly hopeful at the same time. The religious leaders hate Jesus' authority, and Jesus isn't backing down. This begs the question that we must ask ourselves, "Are we willing for Jesus to exercise his absolute authority in our lives, even if that me...2023-02-1940 minWaterbrooke ChurchThe King of Peace and His Mission to Save” by Pastor Gabe ZepedaJesus set his face to journey toward Jerusalem. He is going to the city in order to seek and save the lost by dying at Calvary. That is the trajectory of Luke’s Gospel. Last week, we saw Jesus coming down the Mount of Olives riding on a donkey.
The people celebrate him as the King of Israel. And now, the moment has come. Jesus finally enters Jerusalem. But celebration turns into lamentation. When Jesus sees the city, he bursts into tears. The city is consumed with war and corruption. The temple is profaned by ritualism, discrimination, and idolatry. And Israel...2023-02-1257 minWaterbrooke Church”The King Who Has Come: An Unexpected Way to Victory by Pastor John HallLast weekend we continued our series in the gospel of Luke and will be walking through Luke 19:28-40. We have reached a turning point in Luke's gospel as Jesus now, at last, approaches Jerusalem. The sermon title for this weekend is "The King who has Come: An Unexpected Way to Victory".
Jesus has been set on going to Jerusalem where he will be rejected, mocked, shamed and ultimately crucified. This is the mission of God. This is God's way of gaining victory. This is how Jesus is establishing his kingdom of peace in the middle of a wo...2023-02-0541 minWaterbrooke Church”The King and His Strange Kingdom” Luke 19:11-27 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday’s sermon, from Luke 19:11-27, was called “The King and His Strange Kingdom.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote “A king who dies on the cross must be the king of a rather strange kingdom.” The kingdom of heaven is indeed a rather strange kingdom. The King reigns from a cross. His subjects rule by sacrificially serving others. The challenge that we face every day as believers is this – will we advance God’s kingdom in this world by taking the role of a servant? The only way that we can actually do this in our lives is to see that the greate...2023-01-3036 minWaterbrooke Church”The Other Rich Ruler” Luke 19:1-10 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis week’s sermon was called “The Other Rich Ruler.” In Luke 19:1-10, we see something remarkable: a rich man entering the kingdom of God. Zacchaeus is very rich. In the previous passage, Jesus said these words: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Jesus’ disciples are filled with despair in chapter 18 when the rich young ruler goes away very sad because he can’t give up his wealth. They ask, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replies “What is impossible with man is possible with...2023-01-2233 minWaterbrooke Church”Lord, Let Me Recover My Sight” Luke 18:31-43 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis week we returned to the subject of prayer in Luke 18:31-43. We have seen the prayer of the tenacious widow at the beginning of his chapter who cried for justice. We have seen the humble prayer of the tax collector who cried out “God, have mercy on me, a sinner!”. Now, we see the blind man who is pleading with Jesus for eyes to see. He pleads “Lord, let me recover my sight.” What we are going to see is that spiritual sight is different than physical sight.
In this passage, there is a direct contrast between thos...2023-01-1536 minWaterbrooke Church”How Good is Our God?” by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday, we looked at the story of the rich ruler in Luke 18:18-30. It is a powerful passage to study because Jesus intends to bring us to terms with our great need for His saving hand and Jesus' incredible love in coming to save us. I have called the sermon "How Good is Our God?"
What we often think is that God's goodness is shown to us by how blessed we are with success, wealth, health, power, influence, and recognition. We say to one another, "Isn't God good?" when things go well in our lives. What Jesus...2023-01-0836 minWaterbrooke Church”Entering the Kingdom Like a Child” by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday was New Year's Eve. Often the symbolic picture of the new year is a baby. The past year goes out like an old man. The new year begins like a baby. That is fitting for the text this week in Luke 18:15-17 where Jesus tells his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."
Entering the new year, it should be our ambition to make sure we enter the Kingdom of God. This passage is one of the best ways to think about...2023-01-0135 min
Waterbrooke ChurchYou Are Not Alone - Merry Christmas from Waterbrooke ChurchMerry Christmas Waterbrooke friends,
Christmas can feel acutely lonely for many of us. However, the truest truth of every Christian's life is this: God never forsakes His children.
Have a blessed day with your friends and family and know you are never alone in Jesus who loves and cares for you.
Waterbrooke Church
2022-12-2513 minWaterbrooke ChurchPray Humbly by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis week our sermon, from Luke 18:9-14, is called Pray Humbly.
Jesus recognized that we have a tendency to fall into two ditches in our spiritual lives. On the one hand, we can give into religious despair. We doubt that God actually cares about the needs of His people or He would have answered the way we expected. Jesus calls us to be bold and determined by faith in our praying. He wants us to be indefatigable prayer warriors who believe in the power and promise of God to bring His kingdom to its fulfillment at the day o...2022-12-1844 minWaterbrooke ChurchPray Tenaciously Luke 18:1-8This Sunday’s message, from Luke 18:1-8, is entitled “Pray Tenaciously”. One of the common experiences for many of us as Christians is that we lose heart. Life in a fallen world is hard and what really causes us to stumble is the unfairness of life. We suffer injustice. Evil seems to prevail. We become cynical and disillusioned. Jesus knows this and he speaks to us as His disciples and tells us “to pray and to not lose heart.” Pray tenaciously.
You would think if anyone would have lost heart in the face of persistent hostility and slander and evil...2022-12-1149 minWaterbrooke Church”Fostering a Kingdom First Focus” Luke 17:20-37 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday’s message, from Luke 17:20-37, is called “Fostering a Kingdom First Focus”. Luke 17 is a great chapter for teaching the local church about how to make disciples to the glory of God.
This week, we will hear Jesus teach his disciples how to stay on focus to advance the kingdom of God. There are so many ways that we can lose a sharp focus on why we are here as a church. What we will learn from Jesus is that just as he is focused on pressing on to Jerusalem for our sake, we are to press on...2022-12-0447 minWaterbrooke ChurchMaking Disciples to the Glory of God Luke 17:1-10 by Pastor Kevin DibbleyThis Sunday, our message is from Luke 17:1-10 and is entitled, Making Disciples to the Glory of God. Jesus calls us into His kingdom ministry of making disciples and to put it plainly, it ain’t easy. It ain’t pretty… but it is glorious.
Here’s the amazing truth of the gospel – Christ comes down into the middle of our sinful, broken world and takes upon Himself our guilt and shame in order that we might be set free! Then he sends out into a world of struggle and brokenness to announce there is a “Way” out of sin, shame, a...2022-11-2740 minWaterbrooke ChurchHard Truths for Hard Hearts by Pastor John HallThis Sunday the sermon is from Luke 16:14-31 and is entitled "Hard Truths for Hard Hearts". This passage of scripture is one of the most sobering, alarming, and graphic in all the Bible.There are only two reasons someone would speak such blunt, clear words of warning. The first is because they want to prove people wrong and show themselves to be a know-it-all. The second reason is a deep and profound love for those who are in danger. Jesus is looking at the Pharisees and going right to the heart of their sin and then warning them of...2022-11-1345 minWaterbrooke ChurchThe Elder Brother in Me, Luke 15This week’s message is called “The Elder Brother in Me". As we study Luke 15 and the famous parable about the “prodigal son”, Luke makes it clear that the main focus of Jesus’ teaching is actually the elder brother. Jesus is responding to the grumbling Pharisees and scribes who are offended that Jesus actually welcomes and dines with tax collectors and sinners. The elder brother is offended at the grace and love and approval that the Father shows towards the reckless and disreputable younger brother.
All of us have a little of both brothers in us. Some of us lean towar...2022-11-0650 minWaterbrooke ChurchRUN HOME, Luke 15: 11-32 (Part 2 of 2)This Sunday’s message is called “Run Home”. This is part of a two week series in the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. This is one of those blow you away with the grace of God passages! The two brothers in the parable are both resisting their Father’s loving appeals. One, the younger brother, is trying to save himself through “freedom” from any restraint. Sinning with reckless abandon is the goal of life for him. However, it also ends up ruining him. The other brother, the elder, is trying to save himself through religion. That is just as deadl...2022-10-3044 minWaterbrooke ChurchRUN HOME! Part 1 of 2 - LUKE 15:11-32This Sunday’s message is called “Run Home”. This is part of a two week series in the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. This is one of those blow you away with the grace of God passages! The two brothers in the parable are both resisting their Father’s loving appeals. One, the younger brother, is trying to save himself through “freedom” from any restraint. Sinning with reckless abandon is the goal of life for him. However, it also ends up ruining him. The other brother, the elder, is trying to save himself through religion. That is just as deadl...2022-10-2339 minWaterbrooke ChurchWhen Heaven Celebrates - Luke 15This week’s message is called: When Heaven Celebrates. Luke 15 is one of the all-time favorite passages of Scripture in the Bible primarily due to the parable of the “prodigal son.” We will look at that parable next week. However, this Sunday, we will see that this passage (Luke 15:1-10) draws back the curtain and reveals to us the impact that Jesus’ earthly ministry was having not merely in Israel but, more importantly, in heaven.
What on earth creates the greatest stir in heaven? The drama of redemption, of which we are all a part, unfolds before the eager e...2022-10-1643 min