Verses Used: Matthew 16:24-26 Matthew 28:18-20 Mark 5:35-37 Mark 9:33-37 Hebrews 10:24-25 Takeaways: The What We need a bigger understanding of discipleship than books or classes. Here is what we use as a church to define discipleship: “Moving from unbelief to belief in every area of life in light of the gospel.” Jesus can be trusted with every par…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: 1 Kings 16:29-17:24; 18:20-40; 19:1-4 Romans 8:37-39 Takeaways: Bigger than Death God holds the power of life and death. He decides who lives when they are born and when they will die. My life is completely in God’s hands. Bigger than Baal Sometimes we need God to remind us of who he is. We sometimes lose perspective and don’t believe …

Verses Used: Ruth 1-5 Hebrews 11:6 Deuteronomy 24:19 Takeaways: Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Before you do anything, you need faith. Trusting God is the single most important thing you can do today. A Reason to Be Bitter It’s really difficult to have faith when life is bitter. Bitterness clouds our perspective and robs us of faith…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Esther 1-10 Daniel 3:17-18 Psalm 118:6 Romans 8:31 Takeaways: Courage does not mean that someone is without fear. Courage is when we do what needs to be done in the face of fear. Esther Did Not Choose Her Circumstances. We cannot control our circumstances, but we can control how we respond to them. Sometimes the best response is courag…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: 2 Samuel 11:1-27; 12:1-14 1 Samuel 16:7-12; 17:33-51 Acts 13:22 1 Kings 2:1-4 Takeaways: David’s Heart God chose David because of his heart God uses those with a heart for him to do important things in the kingdom. David’s Adventures David knew the God who delivered him from the lions and bears will deliver him from the Philistine befo…

with Guest Speaker Arlen Lundberg Verses: Hebrew 11Av Josh Huseby

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Genesis 25:19-24 Genesis 18:13-15 Genesis 32:22-31 Hebrews 11:21 Takeaways: Creation: Jacob’s Origin God had chosen Jacob to be the continuation of the promise to Abraham and Isaac Jacob swindled Esau out of his birthright for a bowl of soup. Instead of Esau having the first born birth rights, God told Rebekah that it would be reversed…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Genesis 12:1; 15:1-6 Genesis 17:1-5 Genesis 17:17-22 Genesis 22:16-18 Takeaways: Act I - The Call Sometimes God has a way of moving people into new surroundings to build their faith, or test their faith. This was the case for Abram. What might God be calling you to do today that requires faith? Act II - The Promise Promises require wai…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Genesis 6:1-22 Matthew 22:30 2 Peter 2:5 Genesis 8:20-22 Genesis 9:10-13 Takeaways: Man’s Sin and God’s Heart Sin didn’t break God’s heart because he was mad people wouldn’t obey him; it broke his heart because he loves the people he created and knows what sin will do to us. Sin destroys us, causes us pain, and causes us problems. In t…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Matthew 28:1-10 Isaiah 53:3-6 John 3:16 Ecclesiastes 3:11 2 Thessalonians 1:9 Revelation 21:8 Takeaways: Forgiveness of Sin Sin is anything that does not reflect what God is like. Sin is anything we think, say or do that goes contrary to God’s nature Our sin has to be dealt with. Either Jesus pays for it, or we pay for it. Because of t…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Matthew 21:1-11 Zechariah 9:9 Matthew 5:3-8 Luke 19:41-44 Deuteronomy 31:8 Takeaways: Jesus Needs a Ride Jesus is Lord over all of creation. He owns it all - including this donkey Jesus had authority, but he was also humble. A Different Type of Kingdom Not only was Jesus fulfilling biblical prophecy, but he was also echoing history for…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Psalm 145:3 Psalm 33:10-11 Genesis 50:20 1 Chron. 16:34 Psalm 34:8 John 4:13-14 Psalm 19:1 Exodus 15:11 Proverbs 29:25 Isaiah 42:8 Psalm 86:15 Takeaways: If we want to get to a place of lasting change, we have to address the beliefs behind the behaviors. We don’t typically think on truth long enough to change the operating system of ou…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Proverbs 29:25 Matthew 10:28-31 John 14:27 Exodus 15:11 Isaiah 42:8; 40:25 Takeaways: What to do with Fear Misplaced fear is not good for us. It has negative side effects on us. A bad response to fear is when we dwell (sorry) on things that are out of our control. Fear, when applied rightly, draws us to God. A paradox is something that…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Psalm 116:5 Psalm 103:8 John 6:29 Matthew 7:7-11 Discussion Questions: Where do you feel the pressure to perform in life? Why do you try to prove yourself to God? What changes in your life when you no longer feel the need to prove yourself to others? How does your relationship with God change when you no longer have to prove yourself t…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: John 4:7-26 1 Chron. 16:34 Psalm 34:8 Psalm 100:4-5 Psalm 119:68 John 4:7-26 Takeaways: Freedom from sinful patterns does not come by trying harder, but by believing better. True beliefs bring obedience to God, false beliefs bring disobedience to God - sin. God is good, so I don’t have to look for satisfaction elsewhere. God is Good “T…

Verses Used: Matthew 12:33-35 Hebrews 3:12 Proverbs 4:23 Psalm 145:3 Psalm 33:6 Psalm 147:4 Psalm 33:10-11 Mark 4:35-42 Luke 12:25-31 Matthew 6:10 Takeaways: Jesus came to set us free from sin and wants us to live in freedom and peace. Behaviors come from a place of belief – our heart. We don’t typically think on truth long enough to change the ope…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Job 38:1-3, 40:4-12, 42:1-10 Isaiah 6:5 Luke 5:8, 7:6 Mark 1:14-15 James 5:11 Takeaways: God Speaks God silences Job by sharing his resume of creation. God is the moral standard of the world. Job was a righteous man, but not perfect. Humility is not thinking of ourselves as if we are no good, humility is a proper awareness of who we ar…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Assorted Job References James 1:2-4 Takeaways: Friends with good intentions can give bad advice. Eliaphaz Speaks to Job: False Idea #1: There is no Satan behind suffering. Satan is truly the one to blame here. But without an understanding that there are evil forces in the world out to harm us, we oversimplify things. Bildad the Shuhite…

Av Guest Speaker: Ron Groninger

Verses Used: Job 2:11-13 Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 1 Samuel 18:1-4 Romans 12:15 Galatians 6:2 Takeaways: We need the comfort of other people when we are suffering Three Friends We all need a few people in our lives that can be trusted and be present with us when we are at our lowest. Real friendship is worth the work. A Good Friend Shows Up Good friends …

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Job 2:1-10 Isaiah 55:8-9 Jeremiah 29:11 Takeaways: We saw that his response to worship God was there both when his life was good, and to worship God when his life was in shambles. Job’s Second Trial The real issue isn’t that we need to have all the answers, the real issue is whether or not we trust God when we don’t have the answers. G…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Job 1 John 9:1-3 Takeaways: There is a simple answer to why we experience suffering in the world and it’s that we live in a sinful world that is broken. The book of Job is a fascinating story because it gives us perspective on suffering, God’s sovereignty and some very important lessons for us to learn about how to handle suffering. Th…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: John 1:14 Mark 9:33-37 Hebrews 10:24-25 Mark 5:35-37 Matthew 17:1-2 Takeaways: A Different Framework for Discipleship (Relational vs Educational) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus’ way of disciple…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: John 1:14 Isaiah 9:6-7 Matthew 2:10-11 John 1:12 John 15:15 Philippians 3:20 Colossians 3:3 2 Corinthians 5:21 Ephesians 3:12 John 3:16-17 1 John 4:9-10 Takeaways: The deepest longings of our hearts can only be met by the one who made them. Hope The people of Israel hoped for the coming Messiah, and we hope for his second coming as wel…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Matthew 2:1-12 Takeaways: King Herod Herod was more interested in saving his throne than saving his soul Until Jesus sits on the throne of our heart, we will grasp for power and control Wise Men Despite their pagan background and powerful influence in the Babylonian or Persian courts, the Magi recognize and worship the Christ child for…

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie

Verses Used: Luke 2:1-20 Micah 5:2 Matthew 5:3 Takeaways: Good News for the Weary Even though you might be feeling weary, God is with you. Even though your situation isn’t ideal, God is with you. The good news is that God is able to work through our circumstances, even if we don’t understand how he could. Good News for the Lowly God sent Jesus for …

Av Pastor Keith Ritchie