Our New Identity

Ryan Lowery

Romans 6:1-14

We have been given the choice to separate ourselves from our old identity in Adam and accept freedom through the work on the cross of Jesus Christ. The choices we make in our new identity in Christ are still our own choices and we can still use that free will to sin. If you're asking yourself why not keep living the life of sin that was so easy before? The answer is because it is fundamentally not who we are anymore after being freed from enslavement to sin after receiving salvation in Christ.

The Sermon on the Plain II

Dennis McCallum

Luke 6:37-45

Jesus resumes his teachings from the passage known as the Sermon on the Plain. He gives instructions for creating close, personal relationships with other believers. A key part of developing loving relationships is being able to resolve conflict in a healthy and constructive way. Jesus gives us the freedom to admit when we are at fault. In this passage he gives further instructions on what to do and what not to do after we admit our fault.\r\n

Sermon on the Plain (Part 2)

Conrad Hilario

Luke 6:37-49

Jesus continues teaching the sermon on the plains. He warns his audience to be careful whom they follow, indirectly addressing the problems of the leaders of his day. The religious leaders were wrongly emphasizing religious observance over Jesus' words and a life of sacrificial love. A contrast is drawn between discernment, which seeks to help others, and unrighteous judgment, which seeks to condemn others in a spirit of pride.\r\n

Reaching the Rejects

Scott Risley

Luke 5:12-32

Jesus heals a leper and a paralyzed man. Then he calls Matthew, the tax collector, to follow him. \r\nThese miracles reveal Jesus has the ability to forgive sin and heal sickness.

The Sojourner's Attitude Towards Sin

Bev DeLashmutt

Romans 8:23-24

The Christian's relationship with sin in this life can be confusing. This workshop seeks to clarify the biblical understanding of sin in order to have a biblical response. Scripture teaches that we are free from sin's power to condemn, define, blind, or enslave us. Still, we are not free from the battle of indwelling sin, something that God allows for several purposes. As we form a biblical perspective in this area, we can form habits of confessing and repenting of our own sin, as well as showing compassion to other sinners.

The New vs. Old Identity

Ryan Lowery

Ephesians 4:25-32

Paul continues to expound on the new self by calling on the Ephesians to be others-focused. Paul speaks to anger, bitterness, selfishness, and finally to our basis for forgiving others, Christ himself. If love is to transform us in the manner God intends, we are to respond to our emotions in a selfless way and seek peace and restoration in relationships.

The Patriarchs

Conrad Hilario

Genesis 37:3-45:11

Joseph was a man whose life was characterized by both immense success and intense suffering. Despite the constantly changing circumstances of his life, he maintained his faith in God and adopted a godly perspective on his trials. Joseph's story serves as an example of how God can redeem even the worst circumstances to His glory and our benefit.

Profiles in Grace (Part 2)

Jim Leffel

Luke 7:36-50

Jesus is invited to dinner at the house of Simon the Pharisee. While Jesus is reclining at the table a sinful woman enters the house. She anoints Jesus' feet with oil and wipes them with her hair. Jesus forgives the woman of her sins and instructs Simon on the relationship between forgiveness and love. The woman's response reveals that love is rooted in humility and gratitude which results in peace.\r\n

The "Patriarchs"

Dennis McCallum

Genesis 37:2-45:28

The story of Joseph, a beloved son of Jacob who is betrayed and sold into slavery by his brothers, is a story of forgiveness and redemption. Through over a decade of further betrayal, suffering, and despair God continually works and brings him into a position of power as the right hand man of Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt. Joseph's brothers come to Egypt during a famine to buy grain and find the brother they had betrayed. Joseph forgives his brothers and is finally reunited with his father. Over and over in Joseph's life, God proves his amazing power to bring about good in spite of evil.\r\n