The Christian Life: Is It Easy or Hard? - Nathan Rages

This sermon explores one basic question: Is the Christian life easy or is it hard?  The Bible teaches *both* concepts.  So how do we bring the two ideas together, reconcile them in our minds and apply them in our life? 

1. Scriptures for “Easy” 

   Matt. 11:28-30, 1John 5:3, Psalm 119:47,127

2. Scriptures for “Hard”

   Costly discipleship (Luke 9:23-24,57-58,18:22-23).

   Trials (1Peter 4:12, Acts 14:22).

   Fighting sin (Matt. 5:48, Gal. 5:17, 1Cor. 9:27).

   Persecution (2Tim. 3:12, John 15:19, 1Cor 4:10-13).

3. Scriptures about God’s grace making hard situations gloriously easy 

   Psalm 23:4,34:19,46:1, Isaiah 43:2, John 16:33, Rom. 8:35-37, 2Cor. 1:3-5,12:9-10

4. Our responsibilities:  

   Make sure that Christ is your Master. 

   Pursue close fellowship with God. 

   Embrace Bible promises.

   Cast anxieties upon the Lord.

   Rejoice always.

   Remember your justification. 

Receiving or Rejecting the Truth of God - Nathan Rages

In Luke 11:27-36 the Lord Jesus teaches about how people respond to the truth of God, either receiving it with faith or rejecting it in unbelief.  His teaching can be broken down into these four headings:

1. The blessing of ordinary Bible-centered Christianity (v27-28).

2. The wickedness of unbelievers demanding more evidence (v16,29-30).

3. The judgment coming upon those unbelievers (v31-32).

4. The gateway for receiving truth into ourselves (v33-36).

Running the Race With Endurance - Richard Hamilton

Hebrews 12:1-2, 12-13 pictures the Christian life as a long distance race, providing many practical applications for us. 

1. The Cloud of Witnesses Who Encourage Us (v1).

2. The Weights and Sins That Hinder Us (v1).

3. The Savior Who Strengthens Us (v2).

4. The Call to Renew and Strengthen Ourselves and Others (v12-13).

Satan is Strong but Christ is Stronger! - Nathan Rages

In Luke 11:14-26 the Lord Jesus casts out a demon and then gives teaching regarding the demonic realm.  The passage can be summarized in these five principles:

1. Jesus was horribly slandered (v15).

2. Disunity destroys (v17-18).

3. Satan is strong, but Christ is stronger (v20-22).

4. There’s no neutrality regarding Christ (v23).

5. Reformation without regeneration is disaster (v24-26).

Keys to Powerful Praying - Nathan Rages

Luke chapter 11 begins with Jesus' teaching about prayer.  First He addresses the *content* of our prayers in the first four verses (covered in sermons the last two Sundays), then in v5-13 Jesus gives a series of strong encouragements for us to JUST DO IT -- to pray frequently, boldly, and with great confidence in the efficacy of our prayers: 

1. Ask with bold persistence (v5-8).

2. Believe God’s great promises (v9-10).

3. Rest in the Father’s generosity (v11-13). 

Jesus, How Should I Pray? (Part 2) - James Voon

In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus gives His disciples a simple model for the content of our prayers.  The first part of the model prayer is directed toward God's concerns while the second part is about our own concerns.  

This "Part 2" of the exposition focuses on asking God to do three things for us: 

1. Provide: Give us this day our daily bread.

2. Pardon: Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

3. Protect: Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Jesus, How Should I Pray? - James Voon

In Luke 11:1-4 and Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus gives His disciples a simple model for the content of our prayers.  This message examines, line-by-line, how to apply the first part of this prayer to our own praying:

1. Our Father who is in heaven, 

2. Hallowed be Your name. 

3. Your kingdom come. 

4. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.