Truth Community Church

God’s design for marriage is very clear. Culture tells us we can live with an individualistic approach, but according to God, marriage is based on a mutual commitment to one another. Through reading about the marriage relationship between King David and Michal (Saul’s daughter), we will discover three qualities that make a Godly marriage. Michal suffered because she did not know the importance of these qualities within her marriage. You and I are invited to a renewal covenant with the Lord so that we can declare that we will serve the Lord for the rest of our lives!

What are you living for? Do you have hope? If you are missing hope in your life, the likely reason is that what you’ve put your hope in isn’t a living hope. After Jesus died, the disciples lost hope. They went back to their previous source of hope, but it didn’t fulfill them. When the resurrected Jesus showed up, hope was restored. Peter had a miraculous moment of restoration on the beach. Easter means you and I have a living hope. The Christian life comes down to two words: Follow me. When we follow Jesus, we experience a hope that never dies.

Palm Sunday reveals diverse acts of worship: disciples' obedience, the donkey owner's generosity, the crowds' praise, and the Pharisees' pride. Despite the celebration, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, foreseeing rejection. Reflecting on obedience, generosity, true worship, and humility, we're called to emulate discipleship, generously offer to God our whole lives, praise unceasingly, and guard against pride. As Jesus enters Jerusalem, may we echo the sentiment: 'The Lord needs it,' surrendering everything in worship, acknowledging His Lordship.

God’s desire for lost people is clear: He wants them to know Him. How will people know God? This happens when found people find lost people. This is our non-negotiable mission. Jesus told a story to show us the Father’s heart for people to know Him. In the parable, the master commanded the servants to “Compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.” Everyone is invited! No one is disqualified based on their behavior. However, there is a requirement to enjoy the feast; we must surrender to the saving work of Christ. This Easter, we are committed to compelling lost people to come in and experience the goodness of God!

Believers have this hope: One day Jesus will return and He will make all things new. How are we commanded to live while we wait? Ready! What does living ready look like? Jesus told three stories to teach us what qualities we need if we are to live ready. Ready people are wise, faithful, and selfless. As we begin another year, we believe God is calling us to bring the message of Jesus “Outside These Walls” like never before. This Vision Sunday we choose as a collective to serve the people of our community in an extraordinary way!

If we are not intentional, Blaze Church can become more focused on Christians than on who Jesus was focused on: lost people. Jesus came to find lost people. Every person is either lost or found. Found people find lost people. Jesus went out of his way to go to unclean places and be around unclean people to answer their cries for help. In a graveyard, Jesus brought new life! Our purpose as a church is to blaze the way for lost people to meet Jesus. 

Have you ever looked at someone who has great accomplishments and thought, “I could never do that. I’m just ordinary!” Moses didn’t think he had what he needed for greatness. He was just an ordinary guy like the rest of us, but he learned something that changes everything – God gives ordinary people extraordinary strength! Moses had hesitations about his ability to do what God called him to. He doubted. He tried to get out of it. But God sent Him, and gave him everything he needed to be successful. When you are surrendered to God and filled with His Spirit, his power is displayed through your weakness!

When God makes a promise, He keeps it. But sometimes, we lose faith in the waiting. In this message, we’ll look at a moment when God gave Israel a very interesting battle strategy. What can we learn from the Walls of Jericho? God's promises have purpose. God's methods are unique. And God's promises require faith. Don't stop walking because God's not done!

We all have people in our lives that are hard to love. Jesus tells us to “love our enemies” but how are we supposed to do that? David was running for his life from King Saul, and came to a moment when God brought them face to face. David had every right to kill Saul, but he didn’t! He had an honoring view of others, a humble view of himself, and a holy view of God. The only truth that can empower us to love our enemies is knowing that we have been loved by God. We don’t have to cut corners like the world does when it comes to forgiveness; we can love freely.

All of us are on a quest to discover why we are alive. We ask, “What’s my purpose in life?” For Samson, his purpose was very clear. He was filled with God’s spirit and called to do great things. So what happens? Samson completely messed it up, and it resulted in him being blind and powerless. But God is gracious! He graciously provides his presence and promise to people because He is good! And just like God showed his grace to Samson, Jesus comes to rescue you from spiritual blindness and gives you sight to discover your purpose – to know God!

Daniel is the story of God’s faithfulness intersecting with a believer’s pre-decision attitude. To pre-decide means to submit to God’s ways and not compromise His truths even while living in Babylon. This message will inspire you to decide in advance to honor God because that is just what Jesus did. Daniel faced lions and was victorious; Jesus faced sin and death and conquered them! We will learn that Dainel was faithful, responsible and trustworthy – and he knew that God was full of mercy.

Did Noah really survive in a floating boat with all the animals? Why would a loving God destroy the creation He made? The story of Noah’s Ark can bring up lots of questions. What’s the point? As we explore this famous story, we discover that this is not a story of one flood, but of three! Noah was the righteous servant who survived when God brought judgment on the wicked. He points to Jesus, the righteous servant who died so the wicked might be saved. We can live a life of obedience because we’ve been overwhelmed by a flood of grace!

The Bible is a collection of writings that shows us who God is and how He has made a way for humanity to be redeemed through Jesus, so we can now carry out His plan to the world. How can we study the Bible? When we make time, choose a good translation, and find a plan, we are on our way to studying the Bible. As we read, observation, interpretation, and application become important! Even if we do everything “right” our efforts will be in vain if the Holy Spirit does not teach us. Let’s go deeper this year by studying God’s Word!

It’s the most popular book in human history, and yet so many people do not read it. What stops most people from reading the Bible? They don’t know how! Before we can learn how to read the Bible, let’s find motivation by understanding what the Bible is and why it matters in our lives today. Discover six amazing blessings of regular Bible reading. God has graciously revealed what we need to know in His Word. Do you know what’s been revealed?

Prayer and fasting are essential practices as we follow Jesus. Yet so many Christians struggle to be consistent in these disciplines. These are not simply commands by God, prayer and fasting are gifts to empower us to live an abundant life in Christ. On one particular occasion, Jesus’ own apostles were unable to see the miraculous. Why? Because they lacked prayer and fasting. As we begin a New Year, let us make a commitment to growing in our faith by choosing to be part of our annual 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting.

Many people go through life missing peace. We attempt to fix our unrest, but all solutions seem to only be temporary, leaving us feeling unwhole, broken, and longing for something more. When the birth of Christ was prophesied in the 8th century BC, Isaiah said that His name would be “Prince of Peace.” The peace that Jesus brings is complete, whole, lacking nothing; Shalom! This peace is given freely; we simply receive it! This peace is so great, it has no ending! This Christmas season, remember you were called out of darkness to live in God’s marvelous light! You don’t have to be missing peace any longer!

We don’t hear too much “good” news today. Our world is filled with stories that do not produce joy. On the night that Jesus was born, the angel declared “Good news of great joy.” By declaring the birth announcement to shepherds, we discover that this good news is for everyone! We have a Savior, which means we don’t need to save ourselves. We have a Christ, which means we don’t need to be afraid. We have a Lord, which means we don’t need to be in control. This is what Christmas is all about. We can let go of whatever we are holding on to as a source of comfort and security, and we can put our hope in Jesus!

One of our basic survival needs is love; we are created with a need for love. So many of us struggle to experience love because of low self-esteem. In this Advent sermon, we explore the profound love of God using the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. By including individuals with complex stories, Matthew emphasizes that Christmas means God loves us all. When we understand how much God loves us, we will respond by surrendering our lives to Him and choosing to love others freely and deeply. Jesus is not ashamed to call you His brother and sister! And that changes everything!

Hope is something that we all want, yet many people fail to experience it. Biblical hope is not attached to circumstances and outcomes; it is about a Person named Jesus. The Christmas season reminds us that God always keeps His promises. Simeon eagerly waited for the fulfillment of prophecies that were made about the Messiah. He did not wait in despair; he had hope. We can experience hope because we have the Holy Spirit in our lives. This Christmas season, whatever circumstances unfold, you don’t have to get your hopes up; you can get your hopes in Jesus!

If you could ask for one thing right now, what would it be? Maybe it’s a gift — a new car, or a new iPhone. Maybe it’s something more — success in business, a restored relationship, physical health, healing from  a wound. We love when we get what we ask for in life. But what happens when it doesn’t happen, and we feel devastated? How do we cope? In this message, we hear how God knows what we truly need. We can ask Him, wait on Him, and trust His timing. To do this we’ll look at two stories: a woman who desperately wanted children, and a boy who desperately wanted a new toy for Christmas. Their responses will help point us to the best thing you can ask for - Jesus himself!