Shows
Ambassador PresbyterianCreated with Dignity: Race in the Image of GodPassage: Genesis 11:1-9; Ephesians 2:11-22
We live in an increasingly multi-ethnic and multicultural society. Many of us have neighbors, coworkers, classmates, friends and some even family members of different ethnicities. Such diversity brings with it many blessings and opportunities to reflect the image of God and his redemptive purposes. But it also exposes the brokenness of our pride and sin as we face the various racial tensions and division in our hearts as well as in our communities. Racial division and strife has existed since the fall, and all of man's attempts to remedy it have failed...
2024-10-2737 minAmbassador PresbyterianCreated Male and Female: Marriage and Sexuality in the Image of GodPassage: Genesis 2:18-25
Last week we saw that God created man in his image both male and female, alike in value and dignity as his image bearers, yet distinct and different as man and woman, a difference reflected in engendered bodies and minds that are essential to who God designed us to be individually and his good purposes for us corporately as humans. This week we will look at how that good purpose is carried forth in God's design for and gift of marriage, and the significance that has not just in our current day where there...
2024-10-2741 minAmbassador PresbyterianCreated Male and Female: Gender in the Image of GodPassage: Genesis 2:5-24
One of the most beautiful and significant truths in the Bible is that God “created man in his own image.” (Genesis 1:27) As we saw last week in the introduction to our series Created in the Image of God, mankind was made to reflect, relate and rule with his Creator. And essential to that truth are the next words in that verse which say “in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.” God created humanity as two distinct sexes and genders made perfectly and purposefully both physically and spiritually to refle...
2024-10-2746 minAmbassador PresbyterianCreated in God's ImagePassage: Genesis 1:1-31
I think it is safe to say that we currently live in a world, and in particular a culture that is suffering from extreme identity crisis. There seems to be a desperate search for the answer to the age old philosophical question, “Who am I?” However, most of the answers that are being given by the world do not give clarity, but actually contribute more to the confusion and controversy we find swirling around us. God's answer to that big question of identity is found in the opening pages of his Word: we are crea...
2024-10-2742 min
Ambassador PresbyterianWhat's On Your List?Passage: Psalm 103
Pastor Eddie Brown
Do you ever make a list? I'm pretty sure we all do and we make all kinds of lists. We make lists because its not a good idea to simply rely on our memories. Otherwise we'll be standing in an aisle at the grocery store asking ourselves the question: What do I need to buy for that recipe?
In Psalm 103 David makes a list of all of God's benefits, blessing, he has received. It's not a complete list, how could it be? Who can number the blessings we...
2024-10-2728 minAmbassador PresbyterianWisdom for the Elect in an Election YearPassage: Titus 3:1-11
As we come to the final months before the elections in our nation, the pressure increases to enter into the fray of political debate and echo the heated rhetoric of pundits on social media or in our social gatherings. As the days wind down on the calendar towards election day, the temperature cranks up on the campaign trail. There is nothing wrong, indeed it is right as believers, to participate in the privilege and process we have to elect our leaders. However, we must be careful that winning arguments or elections does not supercede...
2024-10-2734 minAmbassador PresbyterianSubmitting to God and Governing AuthoritiesPassage: Romans 13:1-7
As we head into another presidential election season, there is no shortage of rhetoric and appeals to Christians as to how we should think and engage (and vote) in political affairs, a privilege and responsibility we share with all our fellow citizens of the USA. Yet much of that rhetoric and appeal tends to foster tensions and divisions among believers, and threatens to undermine the common unity and hope we share under the authority of our true King, Jesus. Over the next two weeks, we'll look at the reality of living for our King...
2024-10-2737 min
Ambassador PresbyterianA Question of Preparation: Remember Moses, Look for Elijah, Meet JesusPassage: Malachi 4:4-6
The final words of the Old Testament given by God through the prophet Malachi are words of preparation. God has been calling his people to return to him in faith and obedience, and he has promised the day of his coming to refine and purify a people for himself and to bring judgment on all the wicked and evil. His final words give instruction in how they are to live in preparation for that day. He calls them to look back on his covenant commands given to Moses, and to look forward to the...
2024-10-2735 minAmbassador PresbyterianA Question of the Future: The Rising Sun of RighteousnessPassage: Malachi 4:1-3
As the book of Malachi comes to a close, God focuses the attention of his people forward towards the day of the Lord's coming. It is a day that will bring cataclysmic judgement for those who do evil. But for God's people, those who fear and trust him, it will be a like a new day dawning, bringing healing, joy and freedom. God closes the Old Testament with a promised sunrise in the future, that begins to show on the horizon in the coming of the Messiah, God's own Son Jesus. Join us Sunday...
2024-10-2741 minAmbassador PresbyterianA Question of Service: Burden or BelongingPassage: Malachi 3:13-18
How do you view your service to the Lord? How do you respond to the call and commands of God to worship him and walk in his ways? For many in the days of the prophet Malachi, that call and command had become burdensome, resulting in words of grumbling and complaining, and wondering if such service is really worth it. But for some, their service flowed out of a sense of belonging, a recognition of God's sovereignty and covenant love for them, that resulted in a heart that esteems his name and encourages one...
2024-10-2737 minAmbassador PresbyterianThe Ministry of EncouragementPassage: Acts 11:19-26
We welcome Rev. Josh Grimm to the pulpit this Sunday. Josh is Campus Pastor for RUF at Queens University in Charlotte, and one or our supported ministers/missionaries at APC.
In our relationships with others it can be tempting to either put ourselves down in withdrawal, or to seek the status of what we think is power or self-importance. Instead, in how God used Barnabas we see a different way of relating to others rooted in the good news of Jesus.
2024-10-2723 minAmbassador PresbyterianThe Beatitudes of Psalm 84Passage: Psalm 84:5-9
Mr. Chris Ellzey, Director of Ministry at Christ Covenant ARP in Greensboro and student of theology at RTS, under care of Grace Presbytery. The last time we heard God’s Word from Psalm 84 we looked at the first beatitude which described the blessedness of dwelling in the presence of God. This week the Psalmist directs our attention to the second beatitude by focusing our attention on the importance of finding our strength in the Lord. What good news it is to be reminded that as we journey towards our heavenly home, we do not op...
2024-10-2731 minAmbassador PresbyterianA Question of Generosity: Returning or RobbingPassage: Malachi 3:6-12
Billy Graham once said, "Your checkbook (we might say today, your credit card statement) is a theological document." It is an indicator of who or what you worship. Jesus put it like this, "where your treasure is, there your heart is will be also." (Matt. 6:21). How we view and relate to money and possessions says a great deal about how we view and relate to God. Indeed, as God confronts his people through the prophet Malachi and calls them to return to him in faith and obedience, the indication he gives of their wandering...
2024-08-1145 minAmbassador PresbyterianA Question of Justice: Refined or ConsumedPassage: Malachi 2:17-3:6
One of the ongoing struggles that those who know and believe God have to deal with is how can there be so much evil, so much injustice in the world; so much prospering of the wicked and suffering of the righteous? And it's a struggle that can quickly turn from genuine concern to guarded cynicism in which we begin to question God's goodness and justice. And as we see in Malachi's day, such a response can be "wearying" to the Lord, trying his patience. But thankfully God does not lose patience, but reminds his...
2024-08-1136 minAmbassador PresbyterianA Question of Relationships: Covenant FaithfulnessPassage: Malachi 2:10-16
This week we return to our study of the book of Malachi. God’s people, having returned from decades of exile in Babylon, resettled in Jerusalem and restored worship in the temple, have nevertheless grown cold in their love for God. Despite his covenant love for them, expressed so clearly in chapter 1 verse 2, worship has become a half-hearted ritual, the leaders have turned aside from God’s word and ways, and the people have stumbled and begun to conform to the ways of the world around them. And one area where God’s people were c...
2024-08-1139 minAmbassador PresbyterianA Question of Worship: Faithful to God's WordPassage: Malachi 2:1-9
The failure of leaders almost always has negative impact on those whom they lead, and nowhere is that more true than in the church. We live in a day where the failure of Christian leaders often on a large and public scale, has caused damage to the life and faith of large numbers of followers of Christ. So when God confronts the decline in honor and devotion and the rise in careless worship among his people through the prophet Malachi, it is no wonder he calls to account the priests whose calling was to...
2024-08-1140 minAmbassador PresbyterianThe Gospel in Four WordsPassage: Psalm 23
Pastor Eddie Brown
Psalm 23 might be called The Gospel According to David or The Gospel in Four Words. If Yahweh, the ever-existent, self-sufficient God is our Shepherd, we truly have all we need. He makes and will make all the dark valleys, even that of death, light and life for us. This and all He has for us is indeed gospel, good news.
2024-08-1136 minAmbassador PresbyterianA Question of LovePassage: Malachi 1:1-5
Have you ever questioned God’s love? Have you ever given God half-hearted worship or found yourself apathetic towards his word and will? Has your heart waned in its passion for God such that you’ve settled into a lazy, lethargic, lukewarm attitude in your faith? Those feelings describe the people of God following their return from exile in Babylon and the reestablishment of the temple and rebuilding of Jerusalem, where they settled down and settled into a life that quickly became spiritually disillusioned and apathetic, and it describes many in the church today who...
2024-08-1131 min
Ambassador PresbyterianGod of Peace and GracePassage: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28; 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 The letters of Paul and the other apostles in the New Testament often open and close with a blessing of grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus. As he closes his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul's benediction broadens that appeal to include God's work of sanctification in the life of the church. Indeed, our sanctification is a work of God's grace that results in God's peace. As we conclude our series in Thessalonians, it is fitting that Paul gives one last prayer of assurance and gospel-hope in the midst of...
2024-08-1136 minAmbassador PresbyterianThe Disciplined LifePassage: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15
In the military code of justice, a soldier can be disciplined for disorderly conduct for actions that disturb the peace and brings disrepute on the armed service. In Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians, he makes a similar charge on those believers who are unwilling to work for a living, but rather are burdening and disrupting the peace of the rest of the Christian community. Paul notes that this disorderly conduct is unbecoming of a Christian, not in line with the commands of Scripture and subject to discipline. Rather, the call to...
2024-08-1132 minAmbassador PresbyterianWhat Must Happen Before Christ Appears?Passage: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-16
When it comes to big changes or significant life events, most of us don't like surprises. We like to have a heads up, some kind of sign or indication that something is on the horizon. The Bible tells us the most significant event still to come in history, in fact the final culmination of all of history, the second coming of Jesus, could come at any moment. And while in that sense it will be surprising, it need not catch us by surprise as God has given us a heads up as to how...
2024-05-1233 minAmbassador PresbyterianThe Righteous Judgment of GodPassage: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
When we think of judgment, the first image that often comes to mind is negative. We think of being judged wrongly or with the idea of penalty often connected with judgment. Even as believers we'd sometimes would rather not think about God's judgement. But judgment actually has a very positive element as well when it involves clearing the innocent and exercising rightousness and justice. On the Day of judgment at Christ's second coming, both will be true. It will a righteous judgment that vindicates and releases believers from all suffering to glory, and that...
2024-05-1233 minAmbassador PresbyterianKingdom Living in the Fallen WorldPassage: Matthew 5:1-12
Paul's message to the Thessalonians tells us that these new, mostly non-Jewish believers, had experienced transformed lives. Paul is also clear that his instructions in how to live were grounded in what Jesus himself had revealed about kingdom living. This is why this week's excursion into the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the Beatitudes, provides a window into the characteristics Paul and the other apostles taught in terms of living lives that were to be pleasing to God. Join us this Sunday as we consider Kingdom Living in the Fallen World.
2024-05-1245 minAmbassador PresbyterianJesus is Coming! Be ReadyPassage: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:11
There have been countless books, articles and pamphlets written and predictions made on when Jesus will return. To this day, they all have missed the mark. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they don't need anything written on this, because all we know regarding that time for sure is that Jesus is coming and it will be sudden. For believers, this is not a matter of speculation or, even in some ways, surprise, but one of certainty and assurance. We've been given the light of day to see this grand event clearly and to meet...
2024-04-1737 minAmbassador PresbyterianResurrection HopePassage: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
We often associate advent with the season of Christmas and the anticipated, awaited hope of the birth of the Jesus. But because of Easter, we live in an ongoing season of advent hope, awaiting the coming of Christ again, at which time all those in Christ will be raised with him in glory to eternal life in his presence. And yet this second advent period is not without its grief, as we still face the trials of sin, the loss of loved one and the specter of death ourselves. Paul reminds us that when...
2024-04-1736 minAmbassador PresbyterianA Quiet Life of LovePassage: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
As Jesus entered Jerusalem on what has become known as Palm Sunday, he did so knowing that the week ahead held forth incredible suffering and ultimately a painful death by crucifixion. The power by which he was able to enter into and endure such trials was that of love. Love for his Father and love for those whom his death would redeem. He taught and demonstrated this love to his disciples on the night before his death, and he commanded them, "as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." (John 13:34...
2024-04-1739 min2024-04-1736 minAmbassador PresbyterianTrue Gospel ConnectionPassage: 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13
We’ve all had the experience on the phone when the voice on the other end begins to sound garbled and fades in and out, and we have to ask, “Are you still there?” A connection problem on the phone can easily hamper communication, cause misunderstandings, or literally leave us feeling cut off from the person on the other side. One of the more common concerns I hear from people about the church and about their own lives is that there is a connection problem. They just don’t feel connected to others in the body...
2024-04-1740 minAmbassador PresbyterianThe Word of God at WorkPassage: 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 As Christians and members of the body of Christ, we pray that God would be at work in our lives and in the life of his church. We pray for God to do his saving, sanctifying and strengthening work in us and through us. And yet, we can easily neglect or even forget the primary way he does that work: through the hearing and receiving of his Word. We are right to place a high priority in the church on the preaching and teaching of God's Word, but do we place as much emphasis on how...
2024-04-1743 minAmbassador PresbyterianThe Marks of Faithful Gospel MinistryPassage: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
We are all quick to defend ourselves from criticism and attack, especially when it is rooted in falsehoods and malice. But often our goal is to defend our reputation, our rightness, our record. Paul finding himself and his ministry under attack after leaving Thessalonica, writes back to defend himself. But he doesn't do so to prove his greatness as an apostle, but to show them Jesus and the power of the gospel at work in and through his ministry in the lives of the Thessalonians. In doing so, he helps us to see the...
2024-04-1732 minAmbassador PresbyterianGospel InfluencersPassage: 1 Thessalonians 1:5b-10 \
In today's world, those with enough followers on social media are often labeled as "influencers" and paid to steer their followers towards a certain product or point of view by virtue of their endorsement. Jesus is the greatest influencer in all of history, and those who follow him become gospel influencers themselves by virtue of the powerful change and testimony of their lives. But that influence is not towards products or perspectives that promise a better life, but towards a person, indeed the Person, who promises life itself: the true and living God. In...
2024-04-1741 min2024-04-1741 min
Ambassador PresbyterianWhy the Sacraments of the Church?Passage: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
In marriage, a husband and wife mark the promises they make to one another with visible symbols. The ring signifies their union to one another and identifies that union to others. Each year, they may remember, celebrate and reaffirm that union with an anniversary date or meal. God gave his church two important outward symbols of his covenant of grace to redeem his people through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus. The sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper signify Christ and the benefits of his grace, mark our interest in and...
2024-04-1635 minAmbassador PresbyterianWhy Join the Church?Passage: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
We live in a low commitment culture where people are generally hesitant to officially join or commit to anything. Sometimes this is out of a growing distrust of institutions or authority, but often it is out of a fear that we might miss out on something better. We like to keep our options open. The same can be true in the church. Why should we be members of a particular church? Isn't the church bigger and more diverse than just one particular group? Isn't "membership" in the universal body of Christ what counts? Does...
2024-04-1637 minAmbassador PresbyterianWhy Gather as the Church?Passage: Acts 2:42-47
If you've ever been to a large athletic event, a rally for some cause, or just seen a large crowd gathering and wondered "what's up," you know that gathering in person with others is much different than just watching something on a screen or reading about something in an article. The effect of being physically present changes all kinds of things. Covid only magnified that. God created his church to be a gathered people, and the nature and function of the church as his body necessitates that we come together as members of one...
2024-04-1642 minAmbassador PresbyterianWhat is the Church?Passage: Ephesians 2:11-22
According to recent research, we are currently experiencing in America a huge shift away from church involvement, a “great dechurching” across the spectrum of Christianity. Most of us know or have family or friends who for some reason or other have left the church. We live in an age and a culture that increasingly questions the significance and relevance of the church, and the events of recent years, along with advances in technology, have even led some believers to question basic assumptions about the church. Over the next several weeks we will seek to addr...
2024-04-1637 min
Ambassador PresbyterianSuffering Reversed, Fortunes RestoredIn some ways it is fitting that we transition into the season of Advent with our final message from the book of Job. Chapter 42 of Job not only gives us a happy ending where Job's suffering is reversed and his fortune restored, but it gives us a glorious picture of the gospel and the reconciliation and restoration that Jesus came to earth to bring through his own suffering, death and resurrection. The conclusion of Job gives us a living parable of the hope that is to be found in Jesus, who perfectly satisfies God's justice and secures God's mercy fo...
2024-01-1439 min
2024-01-0910 minAmbassador PresbyterianA Savior is BornPassage: Luke 2:1-21
Luke's account of Jesus' birth contrasts the extraordinary power and providence of God to bring about the rather ordinary and humble arrival of his own Son. God moves in the heart and reign of the most powerful earthly king to properly prepare the time and place for the birth of the King of kings. And he appears to a most distrusted and despised group of shepherds, to be the first to greet the arrival of the Good Shepherd and to proclaim the good news of great joy. Join us this Sunday as we continue...
2024-01-0930 minAmbassador PresbyterianA Servant is BlessedPassage: Luke 1:26-45
It makes sense that when God breaks his silence of 400 years, he would do so to a priest in the temple at Jerusalem. But the angel Gabriel's next visit is a bit surprising. He appears to a young, engaged virgin, in a small town called Nazareth, and announces that she will give birth to the Son of God. This news which from a human perspective would be distressing, from a divine perspective is truly a blessing, not only for Mary who believes God's promise and submits to his will, but for all who do...
2024-01-0928 minAmbassador PresbyterianA Silence is BrokenPassage: Luke 1:5-25; 57-66
After over 400 years of waiting without any word from the Lord through his prophets to his people, the silence is broken in an angel's appearance to an elderly priest named Zechariah. The news the angel brings is a shocking surprise that is first received with unbelief, but is later revealed with great joy and blessing as God prepares the way for an even greater revelation and Word to his people.
2024-01-0932 minAmbassador PresbyterianWisdom from a Young ManPassage: Job 32-37
Having given the closing arguments in his claim of unjust suffering, we now wait to see how God will respond to Job. But first, seemingly out of nowhere a young man named Elihu appears to give his opinion on the matter. Biblical scholars are widely split on Elihu's contribution to this story, but one thing is certain, he has a lot to say, and if we listen carefully, we will find that there is wisdom in his words, wisdom that paves the way to hearing from the One who is true Wisdom and Righteousness...
2024-01-0938 minAmbassador PresbyterianClosing ArgumentsPassage: Job 29-31
In a trial, the closing arguments are the final summation of all that's been presented in the case, and is given to persuade the jury and the judge of the guilt or innocence of the defendant. Job having received and refuted the accusations of his friends, now takes up his final defense and gives his closing arguments against his unjust suffering and pain. His summation ends with a plea that God would hear and answer his claim to righteousness and justice. In his closing arguments, we see a foreshadowing of the case that is...
2023-11-2642 minAmbassador PresbyterianWhat Not to Let Go OfPassage: Job 22-28
As the debate between Job and his friends continues, we see the friends fall silent in their growing frustration, while Job speaks more boldly out of his growing faith. Though he still cannot understand God's seeming absence and silence in his suffering, and he knows that God is sovereign and just in all things, Job remains steadfast in his faithfulness to God's word and refuses to give in to his accusers that say he deserves this punishment. Indeed, to do so would be to confirm Satan's charge that Job only loves God for his...
2023-11-2637 minAmbassador PresbyterianMy Redeemer LivesPassage: Job 4-14
You know how frustrating it can be when you are utterly convinced you are right, but everyone else around you is convinced that you're wrong. As the comfort of Job's friends turns more and more into condemnation, and as Job is more convinced than ever that he has not done anything to deserve the suffering he's facing, he more and more realizes there is only one who can come to his defense, and it is the same one who he feels is bringing this suffering upon him. He doesn't understand it, but he becomes...
2023-11-2635 minAmbassador PresbyterianDarkened Counsel, Dawning HopePassage: Job 4-14
As Job's suffering and pain continue unabated and unexplained, his friends show up to offer comfort and counsel. As Job begins to voice the "why" questions that suffering bring, his three friends offer answers that while meant to shine light on his pain, actually contribute to the deepening darkness of his plight. However, as Job responds to their darkening counsel, he begins to express glimmers of a dawning hope. Join us Sunday as we continue in our study of the book of Job and when the righteous suffer.
2023-11-2638 minAmbassador PresbyterianWhen the Pain Lingers LongPassage: Job 2:11-3:26
It is not unusual in the hour of tragedy or suffering for God to give us grace to stand up under this pain, and in faith to proclaim his sovereignty even in suffering. But what happens when the hour of our trials turns into days, months or even years? How do we respond when the pain lingers long? After sitting in silence for some time, Job finally bursts forth with cries of anguish, and his words are both shocking and comforting. Join us Sunday as take a look at what we can learn from...
2023-11-2639 minAmbassador PresbyterianWhat in Heaven is Going On?Passage: Job 1:6-2:10
The book of Job opens with a series of tragic events that leave Job materially destitute, physically disabled, and emotionally isolated. It is suffering and pain almost unimaginable in its proportions, yet all to familiar in its effect of leaving us wondering what in the world is going on? We are given a glimpse of what Job could not see, but what in his heart he knew and believed. Behind these earthly trials there was a heavenly purpose which God was ultimately working, and though he could not fully understand, he still believed and...
2023-11-2637 minAmbassador PresbyterianThere Was a Man Named JobPassage: Job 1:1-12
In our series in Proverbs this summer, we saw that those who pursue and live according to God's wisdom generally experience blessings such as prosperity, peace, health, protection, guidance and long life. The overall message of Proverbs is the way of the wise or righteous leads to life and joy and the way of the foolish or wicked leads to suffering and death. But what about when the righteous suffer? What are we to make of deep pain, loss, tragedy and suffering in the lives of those who trust God and whose way is...
2023-11-2643 min
2023-10-2734 min2023-10-2730 minAmbassador PresbyterianTrue FriendshipsPassage: Proverbs 13:20; 17:9,17; 18:24; 27:5-6, 9-10, 17
How many friends do you have? How you answer that depends on what you mean by friends. If you have a Facebook page, you may have hundreds or even thousands of "friends," but it is likely that you have never even met many of them. Some of us might have a hard time coming up with many people we would consider really good friends. Of course true friendships are not formed by clicking a button, and deep friendships are often formed with a limited number of people. True friendships are something we all...
2023-10-2638 minAmbassador PresbyterianThe Wisdom of WordsProverbs 10:11-14,19-21,31; 15:1-4; 16:23-24; 18:20-21
The most powerful muscle in the body is the tongue. Not because it of its physical strength or endurance, but because of the incredible impact it can have for good or evil, to cultivate life or death. Every day from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep, we wield a powerful instrument that can either tear down or build up, inflict hurt or promote healing, bring curses or blessings. What comes out of our mouths reveals a great deal about what is going on in our...
2023-10-2639 minAmbassador PresbyterianHope for a Heavy HeartPassage: Proverbs 12:24; 13:12; 14:10,13; 15:13-15,30; 30:1-5
We all know what it is to experience a heaviness of heart, a weightiness of spirit that can profoundly affect us physically, emotionally and spiritually. The causes may be many and varied, while the impact is often unique and specific to the individual, but the reality is universal. At some point, we all experience an inner turmoil or heaviness of heart. The book of Proverbs gives us practical wisdom and guidance from the One who knows and understands the reality, reasons and remedy for a heavy heart. Join us Sunday as we continue...
2023-10-2634 minAmbassador PresbyterianRebel Hearts, Righteous Hearts, and the Reign of King JesusPassage: Proverbs 16:1-33
Once upon a time, and not so long ago, the idea of pride had mostly a negative slant. We routinely chided youngsters and people in the public sphere for boasting and displaying a prideful spirit. Society took a dim view of self-promotional displays as something unbecoming to society’s good order and decorum. Instead we valued honest humility and saw it as a virtue highly prized, and as the proper opposite and antidote to pride. Yet now our culture demotes humility and celebrates pride, which tells us how distant our culture is from biblical wi...
2023-10-2550 minAmbassador PresbyterianThe Joy of JusticePassage: Proverbs 21:1-15
As we celebrated July 4th this past week, I was reminded of the ending of the Pledge of Allegiance which states we are "one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all." Long before our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, God called all individuals created in his image and institutions ordained by his will to pursue justice for all. One of the fundamental principles of living by God's wisdom is the pursuit and practice of true justice, which as we hear again and again in Proverbs, leads to joy and...
2023-10-2538 minAmbassador PresbyterianTwo FeastsPassage: Proverbs 9
Every one of us has been invited to two very different banquets, and each of us decides daily to feast at primarily one or the other of these banquets. You can tell where you've been eating by the way you're living or the way you're dying.
2023-10-2539 minAmbassador PresbyterianFatherly WisdomProverbs 4:1-11 Wisdom is not something that we're born with, but something that we gain and possess as we listen and learn from those who are wise. God designed the family to be a place where children grow in wisdom through the training and instruction of fathers and mothers. The early chapters of Proverbs reflect this design as they come in the form of a father's wisdom given to his son's. But a father (or mother) cannot pass on wisdom that they themselves do not possess. That is why God gives wisdom for parents in how to guide and...
2023-10-1932 minAmbassador PresbyterianSure Footing on Wisdom’s PathPassage: Proverbs 3:1-18 When hiking across a river or on a steep, slippery trail it helps to find those places of firm, sure footing to keep you from slipping or losing your balance and potentially hurting yourself. On the journey of life, Proverbs 3 gives us some key principles that are like stepping stones providing a solid foundation and sure footing to help us walk wisely along life's difficult pathways. Join us Sunday as we continue our summer in the school of wisdom, seeking sure footing along wisdom's path.
2023-10-1940 minAmbassador PresbyterianThe Treasure of True WisdomPassage: Proverbs 1:1-7; 8:12-31
New Series: Summer in the School of Wisdom - Proverbs
What would you do if you were given a map or directions that promised to lead you to a hidden treasure greater than you could ever imagine? Would you shake your head in disbelief and toss it in the trash? Would you set it aside or give it to someone else who might have more time to seek it out? Or would you start immediately studying and seeking to figure out the way to finding and obtaining this treasure as your...
2023-10-1936 min
Ambassador PresbyterianChrist’S Ambassadors: Leading to Our KingPassage: 2 Corinthians 5:18-6:1-13
In a world of geo-political conflict and persecution, we have become accustomed to mass movements of people seeking asylum and refuge in foreign countries, and we see both the intense heartache this brings for hurting people and the heated debate it brings for political bodies. In the kingdom of God, the immigration policy is simple and clear. God provides reconciliation and refuge through King Jesus' and he offers his redeeming grace in the gospel to any and all who will come in faith. Those who have received that refuge and been welcomed into his kingdom, Jesus now sends...
2023-07-0738 minAmbassador PresbyterianChrist’s Ambassadors: Loving Like Our KingPassage: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; 1 John 3:11-24
As Christ's ambassadors, the gospel brings us into union with Jesus our King such that our lives are now centered on his glory. We live for our King. The surest indication that we are abiding in and living for our King is that we are loving others in the same way as our King. Jesus' love is both the power and picture of how we are to purposefully and practically love others.
2023-07-0535 minAmbassador PresbyterianChrist’s Ambassadors:Living for the KingPassage: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21
"Ambassador Presbyterian, that's an interesting name for a church. Where did that come from?" I love being asked that question, because it gives me a chance to share our vision and calling as a church that comes directly from the Bible in 2 Corinthians 5. What does it mean to be Christ's ambassadors? As we look to God to renew and refresh that vision and calling in us, we will look to his word in this passage and Jesus' words in John 15 to unpack that vision with renewed lenses and language. Join us over the next few weeks for this s...
2023-07-0539 min
Ambassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints for Christ’s Return - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corithians 16:13-14; 21-24. As he closes his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul takes the pen from his scribe's hand and writes the last few lines of the letter himself including the prayer, "Marana' tha" which means "our Lord come." In some ways, the entire letter has been written to equip the saints at Corinth (and us today) to be prepared for and therefore to pray for Christ's return. We as believers often pray, "Come, Lord Jesus," but we ought also to ask ourselves, are we truly prepared for it? Join us as...
2023-06-0139 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints for Connection - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 16:1-20. The apostle Paul opened his letter to the church at Corinth by reminding them that they had been "called to be saints together with all those in every place who call on the name of the Lord Jesus." Having gone on to address many issues and problems confronting the believers in Corinth, he ends his letter by reminding them of the practical implications of this broader connection, or we might say communion, they have with other believers. Sometimes it is easy to be so focused on the issues we face as a...
2023-06-0139 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints for Resurrection Glory - 1 CorinthiansReverend Randy Martin preaches on 1 Corinthians 15: 35-58. How are the dead raised? It's a question the Corinthians asked Paul and indeed many even in the church still wonder about today. Paul answers that question and points us to the glory of the resurrection when our bodies will be raised in perfection and all who are in Christ will stand with him in victory over sin and death. We look forward to hearing God's word and being equipped by God's Spirit with resurrection glory.
2023-06-0140 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints With Resurrection Hope - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 15:12-34. Have you ever poured yourself wholeheartedly into something only to find out in the end that it was all in vain? Dreams are dashed, hopes are crushed, trust is destroyed. Such is the case for everything we hope and believe as Christians, if the resurrection of Jesus is not true. The bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the lynchpin of Christianity and that which holds our faith and our sure hope of forgiveness and eternal life together. Remove it and it all falls apart as a great deception and disappointment...
2023-06-0135 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints with the Gospel - 1 CorinthiansPastor Kyle O'Donnell preaches on 1 Corinthians 15: 1-11. This week, as we remember Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, Paul would have us remember the gospel he preached to us. But what is the gospel? Not just it's content; but before that: what 'is' a "evangelion"? Join with us as we answer these very questions in the hopes of not only making sense of "the gospel" but making ourselves ready to receive it.
2023-06-0140 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Worship With Care - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 14:1-40. Jesus said that God is seeking worshipers to worship him in spirit and in truth. And God equips us to do that through the various spiritual gifts he gives to each member of his body. But how do we know if God is really among us? For some in Corinth and some today, the gift of speaking in tongues was a sure sign that the Spirit had shown up. And while tongues may build up the gifted individual, it can be confusing to those who don't understand. The greater gifts are those...
2023-05-0241 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Love - 1 CorthiniansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.
1 Corinthians 13, the "love" chapter, is likely one of the more well-known, oft-quoted passages in the New Testament. Yet far being simply a celebration of marital bliss or ode to romantic sentimentality, it is given to us as a convicting and challenging description of the central characteristic and defining mark of our life together as God's people. Love, as exemplified by Christ and experienced through his Spirit undergirds, informs and outlasts all that we are called to be and do together in the body of Christ. It is the more excellent...
2023-04-0343 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints With Spiritual Gifts - 1 CorinthiansPastor Kyle O'Donnell preaches on 1 Corinthians 12:1-31. On Christmas morning, would you rather each receive an individual gift, or receive one great group gift? ... What if they're one and the same thing? ... There is a variety of spiritual gifts; yet there is only one gift: the Spirit Himself; for there is only One Giver: God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In fact, He is both Gift and Giver, Who is both Three and One, to us who are both many members and one Body. It is enjoyable to receive and use gifts, and even more so...
2023-04-0335 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saint to Worship in Honor - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. Whatever we do, we are created and called in Christ to "do it all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). In our worship of God together it's not just what we do, but also how we do it that matters. As we've seen in our study of 1st Corinthians, the transforming freedom we have in the gospel creates distinct tensions and calls for humble discernment in how we live and worship together in unity in the body of Christ. And one place where that tension was particularly felt in the early church...
2023-03-0636 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Worship in Communion - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 10:13-22; 11:17-34. As we come to participate in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper this Sunday, it is fitting that we are reminded by the apostle Paul of the sanctity and significance of that participation. The table of the Lord serves as both a warning against spiritual compromise with the world, as well as a welcome into spiritual communion with Christ and with one another. Just as you might eagerly anticipate and prepare for a special meal with a loved one or at a family gathering, even more so, God would have us...
2023-03-0636 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Endure Temptation - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:13.
2023-03-0640 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Win the Lost - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 9:1-24. As we saw last week, the freedom which the Gospel affords to us and the rights which the Gospel endows upon us are not to be exercised for self-interest and exaltation, but for the glory of God and the good of the others in love, not only in the body of Christ, but to those who do not yet believe. In calling us to imitate him as he imitate Christ, Paul gives a personal testimony of what it means to lay down your rights and enter into the lives of the lost...
2023-03-0645 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints: Free to Love - 1 CorinthiansPastor Kyle O'Donnell preaches on 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; 10:23-11:1. We are free in Christ to do whatever we can: whatever we can for the glory of God and the good of our neighbor. In other words, we are free to love. Love determines right. Rights and right knowledge are right only insofar as they are employed, or not, for the love of God and others. Do we exert our rights and right knowledge for their own sake, or for the sake of others? Do our consciences or convictions help or hinder our love? For this is the commandment our Lord...
2023-02-0945 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Glorify God in Undivided Devotion - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 7:25-40. There are certain relationships and circumstances in life to which we will by necessity devote a good amount of our time, attention and energy. Which means they will by necessity divide our devotion to other things, including how we are able to serve the Lord. Marriage is certainly one of those relationships, which is why in giving counsel to the Corinthians on the subject or singleness and marriage, Paul says it is good to consider the practical implications that marriage as well as other circumstances bring to our being able to be...
2023-02-0936 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Glorify God Wherever They Are - 1 CorinthiansPastor Kyle O'Donnell preaches on 1 Corinthians 7:17-24. Do you ever find yourself wondering if it actually is greener on the other side; or; or, striving for the next accomplishment or adventure? Do you ever find yourself thinking that way with God? If I finally do this, or quit that, or get there, then I can really be with God. Well, what if He's really with you now, right where you are, right where He has you? He is with us right where we are. Question is, will we stay with Him? Let us hear afresh the adage, "God does...
2023-01-2836 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Glorify God in Their Marriages - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 7:1-16. God designed and created sexual intimacy in the context of marriage to signify the covenantal bond and one flesh union of husband and wife, which itself is a reflection of the union and covenant love that believers possess with Christ in redemption. Thus the gospel speaks God's wisdom and transforming grace into the foundational relationship of marriage in a way that both magnifies his goodness and grace and equips believers to glorify him in their marriages. Join us as we take a look at Paul's marriage counsel to the church at Corinth...
2023-01-2841 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Glorify God with Their Bodies - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. As we return to our study in 1st Corinthians, one of the issues Paul confronts in the church is a mistaken view that since God is primarily concerned with spiritual matters and has redeemed the soul, we are set free from the constraints of the physical and it doesn't matter what we do with our bodies. This worldview is still alive and well in our current day where many live by the philosophy of "It's my body, I can do with it as I please." The truth is that God created us...
2023-01-1335 min
Ambassador PresbyterianChoose This Day - Advent 2022Pastor Warren Harvey preaches on Joshua 24:1-28.
2023-01-1336 minAmbassador PresbyterianChrist Appeared - Advent 2022Pastor Warren Harvey preaches on Luke 2:10-14. A birth announcement is news that brings joy and cause for celebration to those who receive it. Even though the angel's announcement of Jesus' birth was given to a small group of shepherds in a middle eastern field many centuries ago, it is still cause for celebration by all who hear and receive it today. Christmas is a time to hear that familiar good news with fresh ears and open hearts, and to receive it again with the wonder, excitement and celebration of a little child on Christmas morning. Join us this C...
2023-01-0825 minAmbassador PresbyterianChrist Appeared to Justify - Advent 2022Pastor Kyle O'Donnell preaches on Galatians 4:4-6 This Sunday of Advent, we remember that the saints were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:11). Christ appeared to justify; or, as the apostle puts it elsewhere, the Son of God was born to redeem those under the law that they may receive adoption as sons. The Son of God making sons of God: that's the good news we'll hear preached from Galatians in interaction with Jesus' parable of the prodigal son. O come, let us adore him!
2023-01-0831 minAmbassador PresbyterianChrist Appeared to Sanctify Us - Advent 2022Pastor Warren Harvey teaches from Titus 2:11-14. At Advent, we look back with gratitude at the birth of Christ, the grace of God appearing to bring salvation. We also look forward in eager hope to the return of Christ when we will be with him in glory. As we live our lives in between the appearing of Christ in grace and his return in glory, it is the work of God's grace through the Holy Spirit that prepares us and shapes our lives to share in his glory when Jesus appears again. That is the work of sanctification. Join...
2022-12-1543 minAmbassador PresbyterianChrist Appeared to Purify Us - Advent 2022Pastor Warren Harvey preaches on Hebrews 9:1-15. We can all appreciate the benefits that come from a good washing and being clean. Whether it's our clothes, our cars, our dishes or our bodies, we often go to great lengths to cleanse away that which continually stains or soils. And yet the dirt and grime always seems to come back. Such is the case with the defiling nature of sin in our lives. No matter how much we try, we cannot rid ourselves of the stain of sin which keeps us from entering into and enjoying the fellowship with God...
2022-12-0937 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Live Together in Holiness - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
2022-12-0536 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Suffer One Another - 1 CorinthiansPastor Kyle O'Donnell preaches on 1 Corinthians 6:1-11. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?" These rhetorical (rather indignant) questions the Apostle poses we shall attempt to answer in this sermon. While we may in fact have decent justifications as to why not, we have even greater reasons as to why to do it. The cross of Christ and thus our new cruciform life give us an example, give us efficacy, and give us expectation of an inheritance far more worthwhile than getting ours now. We have a living hope our God suffered to secure for us...
2022-12-0556 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Live Together in Purity - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 5:1-13. If you know you have cancer in your body, you would be quick to take drastic measures to treat it before it spreads, which may include cutting out tumors that are cancerous. Sin is like cancer in the body of Christ. God has graciously given us the remedy of repentance and faith in Christ who mercifully has taken our sin upon himself on the cross. But if we ignore, overlook or even tolerate sin it does not just harm the one who sins, but the entire body of Christ, and even the...
2022-11-1742 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Testify by Example - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 4:8-21. Little children often learn and grow up by imitating their parents. In particular the example set by fathers often has significant impact in the lives of children. As the apostle Paul admonishes the believers at Corinth for their prideful attitudes, he appeals to them as a spiritual father to his beloved children to imitate him not just in what he taught them to believe, but in how they live it out. To not just talk the talk of the gospel, but to walk the walk of sacrificial service and love in Christ...
2022-11-1741 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Testify in Truth - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 3:18-4:7. Pride is a powerful deceiver, and we can easily deceive ourselves by placing undue significance, value and confidence in what we know (or don't know), what we have (or don't have), or what we do (or don't do). Such self-deception actually limits our understanding and experience of the wisdom, provision, and power of God for us in Christ. How do we avoid the self-deception of pride and experience the humbling and freeing truth of all that God is and has for us in Christ? Join us as we continue in our series...
2022-11-1738 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints with Careful Construction - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 3:5-17. Firm foundations and careful construction in buildings usually go unnoticed until they are tested by some threat such as a hurricane, earthquake or fire. God's likens his people, the church, to a spiritual building, and Jesus and the apostles repeatedly stress the importance of a firm foundation and careful construction in our lives together. As living stones being built up together as a spiritual temple and dwelling place of God in Christ, Paul exhorts us in 1 Corinthians 3 to take care how we build, knowing that the day will come when the results...
2022-10-2856 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Testify by Spiritual Growth - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:9 Just as our diet impacts the growth and development of our bodies, growth in the Christian life and in the body of Christ is the work of God's Spirit as we feed on the spiritual food of God's truth and benefits of Christ crucified. How is your spiritual diet? How can we encourage healthy spiritual growth and avoid spiritual malnutrition or stunted development in our own lives and in the body of Christ? How does God supply such growth and testify to his grace and glory through it? Join us as we...
2022-10-2037 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Testify in the Spirit’s Power - 1 Corinthians
Pastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 2:1-13. How is the testimony of God in the gospel, which is foolishness in the eyes and minds of the world, communicated in a way that actually demonstrates its wisdom and power? How is it proclaimed and how is it received in such a way that it is understood and embraced as the truth of God? It is not through the power and eloquence of the messenger or the wisdom and comprehension of the hearer. It is only through the Spirit of God who imparts and implants that testimony in the minds and on...
2022-10-1342 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints in Humility - 1 CorinthiansPastor Kyle O'Donnell preaches on 1 Corinthians 1: 26-31. Let's take a good, honest look at ourselves, at the saints, and what God is doing. We need to. Because we can't be equipped for the Kingdom without being humbled, and we can't be humble without being honest. God chooses the have-nots of the world, through the made-nothing Christ, who invites the haves to come with Him. If we join Him, we'll be humiliated, but exalted; if not, we'll be shamed. So, be honest: will you join in with the crucified Christ? Will you embrace His cruciform community? Will you trust Him...
2022-10-1338 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Testify in Weakness - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 1:18-25. Foolish, moronic, weak. These are labels that we typically try to avoid in terms of who we are or what we believe. But that is how the apostle Paul describes the focal point of our faith and the grounds of our hope in the gospel. In embracing the cross of Christ and preaching Christ crucified, we embrace a foolishness and a weakness that turns human wisdom and power on its head, and proclaims the wisdom and power of God for salvation. Join us Sunday as we explore the wisdom and power of...
2022-09-2839 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Testify in Unity - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey preaches on 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. One thing we can all agree on as followers of Christ is that unity in the body of Christ is important. One of Jesus' last prayers on earth was for all believers to be one, as a testimony to his being sent by God. Thus the Bible is replete with calls and commands for unity and harmony in the church. Yet, even those things that should bind us together, can easily become sources of disagreement and division, such that our walk and witness for Christ are harmed. Why is it so hard...
2022-09-2044 minAmbassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints to Testify - 1 CorinthiansPastor Warren Harvey teaches on 1 Corinthians 1:1-9. The letter of 1st Corinthians is written to a church suffering some significant problems. Some were the growing pains of a young body of believers seeking to grow in grace. Other were self-inflicted injuries that were hampering the health and threatening the testimony of the body of Christ. Paul writes to them with both pointed diagnosis of the issues as well as prescribed gospel remedies. But before he does, he reminds them of who they are and whose they are as saints called and united together by God in Christ Jesus. To...
2022-09-1336 min
Ambassador PresbyterianEquipping the Saints - IntroductionPastor Kyle O'Donnell introduces our new sermon series, Equipping the Saints, using Ephesians 4:1-16. The Church is more than an organization; it's a living organism, the very body of Christ composed of His people. Organisms grow, and grow well, or not well. How are we growing? How are we maturing as the body of Christ? This is the work of ministry, the calling of the saints, the ultimate aim of the Church - and we need to be equipped for it. As we enter this season of re-invigoration and renewal, it seems fitting that we should focus on "equipping...
2022-09-1336 min
Ambassador PresbyterianResting in God’s Deliverance - Sabbatical PsalmsSenior Pastor Warren Harvey preaches on Psalm 40. While we may not have experienced literally being dropped in a pit or mired in the mud, we all have or will have times in life that we might describe as "hitting rock bottom," "coming to the end of our rope," or "spinning our wheels. Times when our own sin or the sin of others or just the general suffering that is sin produces so overwhelms us that we have no hope except admit our plight and cry out for help. As we cry out to God, he is faithful to his...
2022-09-021h 03Ambassador PresbyterianResting in God’s Tender Care - Sabbatical PsalmsPastor Warren Harvey preaches on Psalm 131. Most of us can identify with what it means to be busy, preoccupied, anxious, distracted, driven, disappointed, constantly under pressure of some sorts. It goes with living in a fast-paced, noisy world with constant demands on us. Yet, God calls us to be still, and Jesus promises us his peace, which is not like the world's version. How do we gain such soul-stillness, such inner-quiet in the busy cares and concerns of life? Psalm 131 helps us find that answer. Join us Sunday as we listen and learn from one who has a calmed...
2022-08-2641 min