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2024-04-14: Surrender — Surrender Your Speech

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:26 — 16.8MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: James 3:3-6, Ephesians 4:29

Surrender
Surrender Your Speech
James 3:3-6, Ephesians 4:29

And then for the next ten verses, James spells out the danger of an uncontrolled tongue and gives us three very vivid metaphors for the tongue.

Not the ship, not the rudder, not even the strong winds determine the course, the pilot does.

In the same way, never underestimate the long-term effect of your words on somebody’s life.

So, what does it look like when we’ve surrendered our speech to God?

You understand that who you are as a believer will be judged by the words you speak, and who you are as a person will be judged by the words you speak.

People’s perceptions of you, are often based on the words you use.

Let’s make a conscious effort to be positive in our comments to one another. To speak up more in praise and encouragement.

When you speak the truth, do you do it in love? And I don’t just mean your intentions, I mean your words and your tone when you speak those words.

Today your speech has to include what you write and what you post online.

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2024-04-07: Surrender — Never Surrender

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:54 — 19.8MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Galatians 6:4-10

Surrender
Never Surrender
Galatians 6:4-10

The word I’m talking about, you have probably figured out already from the graphics etc. is the word surrender.

There is a condition that we find at the end of the statement that says, “If we don’t give up“.

Never Surrender Your Dreams
It was John Wooden who wrote, “Don’t give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you.”

Never Surrender Your Convictions
There was no Christian heritage, no grandparents praying for their grand kids.

And the temptation is there to embrace the values of the world, to copy how the world thinks and what the world believes.

And it only takes the light from one candle to reveal how dark the darkness is.

Never Surrender Your Relationship With Christ
Having people who have never experienced God’s grace, reject it, that grieves me. But the reality is that has always happened.

And there would be those who say that if someone could walk away from Christ it was because they had never really been a Christian. Really?

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2024-03-31: A Journey of Repentance — Journey to the Empty Tomb

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:48 — 12.9MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Matthew 28:1-10

A Journey of Repentance
Journey to the Empty Tomb
Matthew 28:1-10

Easter is all about Jesus! Start to finish it is about Jesus.

Consider the facts of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. His integrity is well-founded.
Jesus had already gone down the Via Delarosa, on His way of suffering and been mocked, ridiculed, and ultimately crucified for proclaiming to be the Son of the living God.

What Jesus had said would happen…happened.
What the prophets predicted was now coming to pass.

The greatest miracle of God is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the greatest blessing God could do for each one of us is provide us a way of salvation.

It was finished because He came and He died for our sins–and He was sure that God the Father was going to resurrect Him.

What are you going to do with the resurrected Jesus this Morning?

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2024-03-17: A Journey of Repentance — The Best Robe

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:43 — 13.5MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 15:13-24

A Journey of Repentance
The Best Robe
Luke 15:13-24

The parable Jesus told, about the Prodigal Son is one of the most heart-touching stories in the Bible.

But you see, sin always takes you farther than you want to go, makes you stay longer than you intended to stay, and makes you pay more than you intended to pay.

The reason a lot of people slip back into sin is because they never hated their former life or their old sins.

The Prodigal son hit bottom: he was at the brink of death–and in fact, he “died out” to himself and all his old plans and desires. Then the new obedient son took control.

The Best Robe IS CHRIST’S PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS, given to us. Not only did Jesus suffer for our sins, He also lived a sinless life, which righteousness He willingly transfers to us!

Like these, the sound/sight that moves God the most is the sight and sound of a sinner repenting! The prodigal Father runs to that sound!

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2024-03-10: A Journey of Repentance — Into Life

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:57 — 18.5MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Acts 12:6-11, Romans 6:2-14

A Journey of Repentance
Into Life
Acts 12:6-11, Romans 6:2-14

Death is not an end point for us, as Christians. Physical death is not, and neither is spiritual death.

Every time a sinful action or attitude creeps up, we must cooperate with God in putting it to death and live differently.

Do you catch it? It is the same with us–Jesus has already accomplished everything at the cross, it is done, and yet we must trust and act.

Rather, I am talking about the Biblical truth of death to self—of having the old, sinful self “crucified with Christ”, of taking everything that I am and handing it over to God to be tested in the fire, to be purified, so that everything that remains would be pleasing to God.

The final step along the journey of repentance is the step into life. Into the life of God, into the fullness of God.

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2024-03-03: A Journey of Repentance — “Through” Death

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:55 — 18.5MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Romans 6:2-14

A Journey of Repentance
“Through” Death
Romans 6:2-14

A couple of weeks ago, I invited you to come along on this journey of repentance. I promised you it would not be easy, but that it would lead to life and to freedom.

Do you see? It is not our work, it is God’s work, but we must make the space for God to do the work.

What is the next step? It is death. It is dying to self, dying to sin, being united with Jesus’ in His death, being “crucified with Christ”, and then passing through death into the next step.

Because, you see, the death we are talking about is the death of sin.

This step in the journey of repentance is not an easy step, and that is why I’ve called this step “through” death.

As we walk this Lenten Road of repentance and obedience, let me challenge those of you who have not been baptized to really consider taking that step.

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2024-02-25: A Journey of Repentance — Surrender

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:33 — 17.5MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Romans 6:2-14

A Journey of Repentance
Surrender
Romans 6:2-14

At the heart of the word “repentance” is the idea of change. Of heading one way, then stopping and heading the other way.

The fact is that you are “dead to sin but alive in God.” The truth is incredible–the battle has already been won!

We have not surrendered those areas of our lives to God, allowed His Holy Spirit into them, and cooperated with God’s desire and effort to change us and make us new.

To choose to say, before God and everyone else, “I am helpless, I am unable, I surrender to You, my Lord God, and I let you be in control.”

Who would concentrate on the outside when the problem is on the inside?

Only God can change the inside. Only the Holy Spirit has the power to enter in and clean out the rot, the stench, the filth.

We can live in our own strength, which leads to death, or we can surrender to God and let Him be our Lord and our Savior, let Him begin to transform us from the inside.

As long as you and I remain in control, our lives will be a mess.

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2024-02-18: A Journey of Repentance — The Journey Begins

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:44 — 19.0MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Mark 1:15

A Journey of Repentance
The Journey Begins
Mark 1:15

As great as that journey was, however, allow me to suggest that the only journeys of eternal significance are the journeys of our souls.

Repentance is more than merely acknowledging that a wrong has been done, repentance digs much deeper.

    And repentance is the message for us today.

    1. Conviction: where sin is admitted.
    2. Contrition: where sin is abhorred.
    3. Conversion: where sin is abandoned.

In true repentance, there is conviction, contrition, and conversion as one turns from his sin to Christ for salvation.

God’s way is not through self-help, the encouragement to find the good in yourself, or through cheap entertainment.

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2024-02-11: Shift — Shift Your Paradigm

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:53 — 23.3MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Isaiah 6:1-8

Shift
Shift Your Paradigm
Isaiah 6:1-8

A paradigm is simply a specific way of looking at the world. It is a set of presuppositions, laws, theories, philosophies that shape your understanding of the world.

How would it effect you to have a close encounter with God? A God who isn’t an illusion or a pipe dream, but who is real enough to see?

Our first paradigm shift: When we see the world as it really is, and we realize it’s maybe not so stable and so under control as we thought.

When your paradigm shifts, is your concept of God big enough to handle it?

The Second Paradigm Shift: Seeing God as He Really Is
What the Lord is showing Isaiah is that He is the all-knowing, all-powerful, Almighty God with whom no one can compare!

If we walk out of a worship service the same as when we walked in, I’m not sure we’ve truly worshipped, because true worship will shake your temple!

The Third Paradigm Shift: Seeing Ourselves as we Really Are
This is a sign that you’ve seen God for who He is. Not only have you said, “uh oh,” but your heart grieves for those around you,

The NT equivalent of the coal from the altar is the Cross of Jesus Christ.

A VISION OF GOD LEADS TO MISSION FOR GOD

Here I am. Send me!