25 Woods Lake Road, Building 8, Greenville, SC
If you were in debt for a billion dollars, imagine how grateful you would feel if someone paid it for you, especially if you had done nothing to deserve such kindness! The truth is, that debt is small compared to the debt we really do owe. Our sin has put us under a debt we can never pay, but because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, all who trust Him by faith will be forgiven! Has the magnitude of just how much you’ve been forgiven of ever dawned upon you?
The parable of the Prodigal Son is not really about the son at all. Jesus told this parable for one reason… to show us His Father’s amazing love for the lost. The prodigal son never expected to be welcomed home again, and he was surprised when he saw his father running to kiss him and receive him with open arms. Above all, this is a story of God’s amazing love for “lost causes.” For anyone who has strayed away from their heavenly Father, know that He longs for you to come home!
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Be honest. The truth is, most people–even Christians–don’t like what they see. They are haunted by past failures or present weaknesses, and often see themselves as useless in God’s eyes. Moses had such a low view of himself that he almost missed God’s greatest mission for his life, because when we fail to see ourselves as God sees us, we will fail to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. Don’t let a wrong view of yourself cause you to miss God’s mission for you!
How many of our plans for the future revolve around OUR goals, OUR ambitions, OUR needs, OUR comfort? Why is it that we are so preoccupied with our own agenda when, as followers of Christ, we have clearly been called to live our lives for God’s mission in this world? Could it be that we think our salvation was for our benefit alone, rather than for the sake of others? It is time for God’s people to wake up and realize that Christ didn’t save us just so we could miss hell… He saved us because He has a mission for us to accomplish!
Failure to see our past through God’s eyes can be crippling to our future. Sins and hurts from years gone by often continue to haunt us, making us doubt whether God has really forgiven us. But what we must understand is that God sees our past differently than we do because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. It is vitally important that we learn to see our past as God does, or it will keep us from a life of effectiveness for Him.
It’s easy for discouragement to set in after we have failed the Lord in some way. Peter understood this all too well after denying Jesus, and he was ready to quit and return to his fishing business. But he learned that, despite his sin, Jesus was not finished with him… in fact, Jesus had an important mission for him to help lead the early church. Whatever you may have done to get off track, you need to know one thing: No failure is final with God! He is waiting to restore you right now.
Have you ever felt disappointed in yourself because you let someone down? Even worse, have you ever felt the bitter sting of knowing that you let Jesus down? Peter experienced this when he denied Jesus three times… but thankfully that was not the end of the story. Jesus restored Peter and assured him that no failure is final with God! Whatever failures you have experienced, Jesus is waiting to help you rise from the ashes and find hope in Him once again.
Was Jesus really who He claimed to be—the Son of God sent to save the world? Can simple faith in Jesus truly change a person’s life and their eternal destiny? Join us as we embark on an amazing journey through the Gospel of John to explore the life of this man named Jesus who has become the central figure in all of human history. Come discover what difference Jesus really makes!
Is there anything in your past that is holding you back from becoming all that God wants you to be? No matter who you are, no matter where you’ve been, no matter what you’ve done, God can take your past and turn it into something beautiful for Him. Because of what Christ did on the cross, you can get past your past!
Have you ever felt discouraged because you aren’t seeing the kind of results you would like to see from your labor for the Lord? The Bible challenges us to not become weary in doing good because we know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain, and we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Today’s message will encourage you and give you hope to press on even in the dry times!
Paul closes Ephesians chapter 3 with some of the most powerful words ever written. He prays that we will all come to know two critical things: 1) How much God loves us, and 2) How much God wants to do through us. If we only knew those two things and lived like they were true, what a difference it would make in our lives!
Paul reminds the believers in Ephesus of what they used to be before Jesus came — without hope and without God in the world. Since they were all lost without Jesus, he warns them not to discriminate against others who are lost or who are different from them. This is a healthy reminder for our churches today!
