Advent with Isaiah: Midweek Advent Service 3, December 18, 2019

Jesse was a plain and ordinary man who lived in Bethlehem. So he was as surprised as anyone when Samuel, the prophet of God came to him—to anoint the next king of Israel who turned out to be David.

King David was highly regarded as perhaps the best king that Israel ever had.

It was many years later when a different prophet, the prophet Isaiah, mentioned this same Jesse in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Isaiah when he says the stump from Jesse will bear friend and the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—-the Spirit of wisdom and understanding.

This is the Messiah who is described.In the coming of the Messiah, who is Jesus Christ, we find the coming of righteousness. In him, we have a glorious resting place, an eternal home ini iheaven.

May our Advent with Isaiah draw us closer to him and may it truly prepare our hearts for our celebration of Christmas and for our Savior’s return as judge.

In Christ Jesus we have righteousness. Repent and believe the good news..

Pastor Nate Kassulke

Stories of the Promise Series, December 15, 2019

There may be times when we ask, “Why me?” There may be times when the challenges seem to pile up, when the difficulties are almost overwhelming. There may be times when it seems like the joys of Christmas will never get here.

For all those times, let’s take to heart the lesson of Job. Bad things may happen, but we can know that h=the Lord is in charge. our gracious and loving Father is taking care of us.

Let us trust him fully.

Let us persevere.

Let us worship and praise our God.

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be blessed.”Come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Pastor Nate Kassulke

Advent with Isaiah Series, December 11, 2019

There might be a universal wish at Christmastime---world peace.
Or you might want peace in your community, or your home, or even personal peace. It never seems to come, yet the Lord speaks quite clearly about giving us peace.

The promise that the Lord gave to Isaiah is about the coming Messiah.
He is the peace that God was offering to give to them and to us: eternal peace with God.
Share that good news with the world.

As we prepare for Christ’s first coming on Christmas we also prepare for Christ’s second coming where we will have peace that will last forever.

Come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Pastor Ryan Heiman

Stories of the Promise Series, December 8, 2019

The Three Steps to Repentence

• First, repentance is to genuinely confess your sins.

• Second, repentance is to trust in God’s promise of forgiveness.

• Third, repentance is to live a life free from the sins we just repented of!

In summary, repentance is a change of heart concerning sin.

Pastor Tim Patoka

Advent With Isaiah Series, December 4, 2019

We are blessed to live after Christ’s First coming. We can see how God fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about our Savior.

Yet we still live in a sinful world that is full of distractions and forces that want us on another path.

So how do we remain on this holy highway? We come to God and his Word.

Continue to make time in your ever-changing schedules for your Lord and listen to what he tells you in his Word and take it to heart so that you strengthen your faith in these wonderful blessings.

Pastor Tim Patoka

First Sunday in Advent, December 1, 2019

Noah was a man who worked and walked in the light, but he lived in a world darkened by sin.

The lost around him were deaf to his preaching and blind to the signs.

The coming of God’s judgment was as unexpected as it was terrifying for them.

But in the middle of all that judgment, God came in unexpected grace to rescue Noah and his family.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

Thanksgiving Eve Service, November 27, 2019

Tonight we gather as a Christian family, to enjoy spiritual delicacies and a soul-sustaining feast of Thanksgiving provided by our God:

The Appetizer: God’s Love and his Plans for Us (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

The First Course: The Blessings of this Life (Matthew 6:25-34)

The Main Course: God’s Spiritual Blessings in Christ

The Side Dishes: God’s Unique Blessings Upon Us (Philippians 4:11-13)

The Dessert: The Joys of Heaven (Revelation 23:1-5)

Pastor Ron Koehler

Welcome Home Series, Christ The King Sunday, November 24, 2019

As we look at the verses in Luke 23 with the eyes of faith, we see why Jesus is called Christ the King, for it is on the cross where Christ shows us his glory.

As he did with the believing criminal, so will he also welcome us to his glorious kingdom and our glorious home.

Pastor Tim Patoka

Welcome Home Series, Saints Triumphant Sunday, November 17, 2019

We have seen God fullfil his promise to rescue his people:

• He sent his beloved Son Jesus into our world to pay the price for our rebellion and wickedness

• Christ died on the cross as he faced the punishment that our wickedness had earned.

• Christ suffered the consequences of the whole world’s sinfulness.

• Christ brought to all who believe in him the sort of peace that God promised through Isaiah, the peace that has undone all of the damage and the difficulty that sinners faced before.

We thank God that his Church is eternal and that through faith we have an eternal and everlasting family.

Cherish this until your Savior says to you, “Welcome home to heaven.”

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

Welcome Home Series, Sunday, November 10, 2019

You are perfectly safe:

• At Christ’s Last Judgement when Jesus will judge all people into one of two groups: those who are saved and those who are condemned.

• At the Present Moment because we have God’s righteous verdict. Thanks to Jesus, we are judged not guilty for all the wrongs we have done regardless of how much we have or haven’t earned it. We most certainly believe this.

May our God continually work in our hearts so that we may always look forward to returning to our church home and so ground ourselves in the safety which God alone gives.

Amen

Pastor Tim Patoka

Reformation Service, Sunday, November 3, 2019

Guest Preacher, Pastor Sam Clemons

It is a miracle of God’s providence and a tribute to His eternal Word that we are here today.

• Study the history of the Christian Church

• See how many people over the centuries have tried to destroy it

• Many poisonous false teachings have threatened to tear the Church apart

• 500 years ago, God used Martin Luther to restore the teaching of the true gospel message to the church.

• From the Scripture, God tells us that we are saved by his grace alone, through faith alone.

You can be a part of this continuing miracle:

• Pray for your church body

• Pray for it’s leaders

• Pray for the pastors and teachers.

• Pray for the parents and children

• Pray for the courage to witness the simple message to other, that we are saved by faith alone.

Amen

Pastor Sam Clemons

Welcome Home Series, Sunday, November 3, 2019

Jesus tells us that the one place to which we can always turn for the truth is his Word (the Bible) and he reminds us how important that truth is in our lives.

At home with Jesus is where you are free to be yourself. We don’t need to pretend that we are someone or something that we are not. We don’t need to hide our sins; we freely admit them, confess them, and repent of them. We receive and rejoice in God’s love and mercy as a member of his own family.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

Welcome Home Sunday, October 27, 2019

Do you feel like you are at home when you are in church?

For many, the answer is yes, but for others, they may be surprised to hear that church could ever feel that way.

Ours won’t be a perfect church because it is made up of sinful people like each one of us.

• But it is and can be a place where we meet with our brother Jesus who has promised to be here.

• It is a place that we can meet with and encourage one another as brothers and sisters.

• And it is a place where we can learn about our permanent home in heaven

Until Jesus welcomes us home to heaven, let’s welcome each other home here at church. Welcome home..

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

Christian Character Series, Week 3, Sunday, October 20, 2019

The First Commandment: You shall have no other gods..

We all struggle to trust in God above all and fight to have a 1st Commandment faith.

It’s impossible for people to save themselves. But it’s possible for God.

If our hearts are set first on God, then we can more easily look at everything in our lives and consider how we might use them to serve God above all.

Prayer: Let us put our faith into action by using all to serve God above all. Amen.

Pastor Tim Patoka

Christian Character Series, Week 2, Sunday, October 13, 2019

Persistence in prayer:

God will answer His children’s prayers.

• Praying to God is not pointless because we know that God both hears our prayers and will answer them according to His will.

We persistently pray because of God’s love.

• We can be sure that as we pray, God will respond because of His love for us.

• Regardless of how God answers our prayers, we know that He does so out of love for us.

Prayer: Reassured of these promises, let us learn from the persistent widow by persisting in prayer when tempted to lose heart. Amen.

Pastor Tim Patoka

Christian Character Series, Week 1, Sunday, October 6, 2019

We need to acknowledge that sin lives in our own lives.

In his great mercy, God rescued us: He sent Jesus to die for us!

How do we put thankfulness to God into action?

• We give God thanks for the blessing he gives us in our prayers.

• We give God thanks as we gather in worship and as we sing and confess.

• We give God thanks when we give our offerings.

• We give God thanks when we listen to his Word and share it with others.

• We give God thanks when we serve the people he has placed into our lives.

• We even thank God when we thank others, the people through whom God blesses us.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

10 for 10 Series: Open Minds: Sacrificial Giving, September 29, 2019

Over these last three weeks, we have discovered three reasons why we struggle to be good stewards of God’s wealth:

The reasons why we fail to give God our first fruits is beause he isn’t first in our hears

The reasons why we don’t practice the principle of proportionate giving is because we’ve forgotten that God is the ultimate owner of everything.

The reaon why we fail to practice sacrificial giving is bevcause we don’t believe that God, who gave us his only Son, will truly care for our physical needs.

May God continue to work on our hearts so that we see things the way Jesus does and so that our lives reflect our love for our Lord.

Amen

Pastor Tim Patoka

10 for 10 Series: Open Minds: Proportionate Giving, September 22, 2019

Our Lord of heaven and earth made all things beautiful, provided green forests, refreshing streams, mountains, prairies, the roaring sea, and the gentle breeze.

From His hand, we have received ALL we have and are and will be.

Help us always to use God’s gifts wisely and teach us to share them generously.

May our faithful stewardship bear witness to the love of Christ in our lives.

Amen

Pastor Ron Koehler

10 for 10 Series: Open Hearts, September 15, 2019

We wish life would make sense, but plenty of times it doesn’t. We don’t always give him priority with our time, talents and treasures.

God, however, gave us his first—-Jesus, the Firstborn over all creation;

God gave us his best—-his Son, in whom he is well pleased.

In Christ, God graciously gives us all things.

Our God is faithful. Trust in him. Bank on his promises.

And then get busy, to spread the Gospel to fill this house of his up!

Pastor Tim Patoka

2019 Summer Sermon Series, “Joy for our Journeys,” September 8, 2019

During this summer sermon series, “Joy for Our Journeys,” both the journey of our lives to this point and our journey through the pages of Scripture lead us to this same final journey: our journey from earth to heaven.

The final destination of this journey is so great, so amazing, that it makes any journey, no matter how challenging or difficult or sad or hard absolutely worth it.

We want to keep our focus not on earthly things, but on Jesus the Way, and our heavenly home that he has prepared.

Let us continue to journey regularly through God’s Word until we conclude our earthly journey and finnaly make our journey from earth to heaven.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke