Sermons

The only time there’s a bottom of the ninth is when you’re behind. Being behind in baseball is one thing, but what about when you’re behind in life? And we’ve all be there, haven’t we? We’ve been behind financially, relationally, in our work and in so many other areas. Regardless of the area, at some point, you got behind. When it comes to the bottom of the ninth, baseball says, “You may be down, but you’re not out.” This isn’t just true for baseball, this is true for life.

There are many who believe God to be a God of anger and judgment, but the truth is, God shows himself first and foremost as a God of mercy. Luke said it this way: A new day will dawn on us from above because our God is loving and merciful. (Luke 1:78, GW)

Mercy is: undeserved forgiveness and unearned kindness. Undeserved forgiveness and unearned kindness is what God offers to us every moment of every day. And while God’s holiness demands justice, His love for us is demonstrated in His mercy extended to us. The Miracle of Mercy series will not only teach us about God’s mercy toward us, but will help each of us cultivate a heart of mercy toward others.

A new year is here, which often brings with it some kind of New Years resolution. It’s a good thing to think about what we’re eating or not eating, about our health and our financial picture and our relationships, but at the beginning of a new year, the question most people end up focusing on, just because of our culture, is, “What should I do about me? How do I make me a better version of me? How do I get slimmer or stronger or smarter or get out of debt?” All those things are good. But for us, for the next few weeks, we’re going to focus our attention on a broader, and really, a better question. This question is a little bit threatening, which is why we’re gonna talk about it for four weeks.