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2013-12-01: Christmas At The Movies – The Santa Clause

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:34 — )

Sermon: The Santa Clause
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Ephesians 4:17-5:2
Duration: 25:34
Size: 11.7 MB

Christmas at the Movies

“Christmas at the Movies”
The Santa Clause
Ephesians 4:17-5:2

The poet, Clement More gave him a red nose and eight tiny reindeer.

Once he put on the suit, his life was never the same.

I. The Bible talks about us putting on something too-it says we put on Jesus.

Once we put on Jesus-our lives are never the same either.

That is what should happen to us when we “put on” Jesus. That single act should change the way we look and think and act.

In short-when people are around us…they should be able to see what we’ve put on. They should be able to see Jesus in us.

We’ve got to be careful how we behave, because the world is watching to see what difference Jesus makes in our lives.

II. Now, how do you go about “putting on Jesus?”

We identify with what He did for us. We literally die and are buried and rise up to a new life.

Baptism is just the culmination of all those decisions. Baptism is “putting on Jesus” because you want to be His child.

III. But now…why is it that we can “put on Jesus”?

He became like us…so that we could become like Him.

If only God could become a man, then he could prove that He didn’t really want to hurt us, but instead He wanted to lead us to safety.

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2013-10-13: The Great Adventure – Sail Into The Unknown

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:36 — )

Sermon: The Great Adventure – Sail Into The Unknown
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Jonah 1:1-17
Duration: 25:36
Size: 11.7 MB

The Great Adventure
Sail Into The Unknown
Jonah 1:1-17

I believe that God intends the Christian life to be fun, exciting, sometimes surprising and always challenging!

Jonah 1:1-2

His orders are straightforward enough: “Go to Nineveh!”, God says.

Jonah 1:3

When God called Jonah to go, he went all right, right off in the opposite direction! He ran away from God!

The problem for Jonah is that, with God, you can run, but you cannot hide!

Jonah 1:4-17

It was a “course corrective” put there by God to get Jonah back on the right track!

Jonah 3:1-6,10

Jonah is one of those. He’s proof positive that God can use anybody to accomplish his will!

Jonah 4:1-2,11

God saw 120,000 precious souls who didn’t know him, but desperately needed to! That illustrates the difference in the way we look at the world and the way God sees it.

You see, Paul, like Jonah was trying to do it his way, instead of God’s way, and that will always get you into trouble!

Sometimes it’s only later looking back that you realize what God was doing by allowing you to go through what you were going through.

God calls us into this life to follow in the steps of his Son and to take his good news message of salvation into all the world (Beyond these Walls).

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2013-10-06: The Great Adventure – Sound The Battle Cry

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:03 — )

Sermon: The Great Adventure – Sound The Battle Cry
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Joshua 1:1-17
Duration: 23:03
Size: 10.5 MB

The Great Adventure
Sound The Battle Cry
Joshua 1:1-17

Joshua just sort of pops onto the scene suddenly in Exodus 17 with little introduction, almost as if he’s been there all along.

But that would be Joshua’s calling, that would be his great adventure!

Joshua 1:1-11

Notice how, over and over there, God tells Joshua, “Be Strong and Courageous, do not be afraid!” followed by the constant reassurance “I will be with you.”

So, what God was calling Joshua to was much more than simply leading a nation or serving as some kind of figurehead.

Joshua 5:13-15
Joshua 6:1-5

This wasn’t just a dispute over land, this was God’s Army, these were God’s People, and this was God’s Purpose! And so, Joshua was going to fight it God’s Way!

Joshua 6:20-21,24

Joshua serves to remind us (even today) that there is a time when God calls his people to battle; to “Sound the Battle Cry!”, that there is a time for war!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Ephesians 6:10-18

Christians, we are called to war; not with the people of the world, but with the spiritual forces of evil which seek to control our world, led by the devil himself!

I want to make sure that before we leave here today that you’re in the Lord’s Army! God is calling on you to suit up!

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2013-09-29: The Great Adventure – Step Up To The Plate

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:57 — )

Sermon: The Great Adventure – Step Up To The Plate
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Exodus 3:1-4:20
Duration: 29:57
Size: 13.7 MB

The Great Adventure
Step Up To The Plate
Exodus 3:1-4:20

Think about all that Moses could’ve accomplished with what he had been given?

He probably expected to live out the rest of his days out in the desert…watching sheep…a far cry from where his life could’ve taken him.

Exodus 3:1-10

He may have thought he was done, but God was just getting started… he had big things for Moses to do!

Despite all that God had done to prepare Moses, when it came down to it…Moses didn’t want to go.

Exodus 3:11-15
Exodus 4:1-16

Have you ever not wanted to do what you knew God wanted you to do?

Exodus 4:19-20

Discovering who you are and what God has given you to do in the Kingdom is the fun and exciting thing about being a Christian!

Do you need to step up and be the child of God that He calls you to be?