Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul writes these beautiful words. How clean is your temple? Is it free from impurity or blemish? We'd like to think so. However, we know that there are things that God needs to cleanse from our lives as well. Just as Jesus cleansed the temple in Jerusalem, so he cleanses our temples from impurity and makes us holy.

John 2:13-22 - Jesus, Cleanse My Soul

Calling it "Good Friday" seems like a great contradiction. There doesn't seem to be much good that happens on Golgotha as Jesus dies. However, on this Good Friday we see the Greatest Contradiction. On a day where I should feel sad, I feel relief, because Jesus saved me from my sins.

John 19:17-30 - The Greatest Contradiction

Hope has 2 parts - 1) it needs to be based in fact or certainty 2) it needs to promise a brighter future. In Scripture we find that Jesus' resurrection fulfills both of those parts of hope. Because Jesus lives... Hope lives!

Mark 16:1-8 - Hope Lives

Love is more than just an abstract concept or some ethereal thing that you can't quite understand. Love is put into action. So it is great to see love as a characteristic and quality of God, but that is not enough. God's love would be of no practical value had he not put that love into action. His love would be of no value if there was no direct object of his love. Yet, we know that God's love is of the greatest value because he did put it into action through his Son and we are the direct objects of his love.

1 John 5:1-6 - Love Needs a Direct Object

Jesus has ascended! Alleluia! Come and listen to a sermon based on the very closing words of Luke's gospel. This is where we learn that Jesus' ascension means that he has fulfilled his promises and he has given our life a grand purpose.

Luke 24:44-53 - Ascension = Good

What is God's will? That's a question that a lot of people ask. God tells us what his will is in his Word. He wants all people to be saved, he wants his Word preached and taught in truth and purity, and he wants his people to grow in faith and Godly living. This is God's revealed will. For the rest of his will, we humbly submit and trust that God's will is always better than ours.

Matthew 13:44-46 - Thy Will Be Done

A Doxology is a short hymn of praise to God. So if we say that our lives are a doxology to God, that's a pretty great way to look at our lives! We live are lives to the praise of God and to his glory.

Romans 12:1-8 - Your Life is a Doxology

God's picture of marriage has always been counter-cultural because God's picture of marriage is perfect. Our culture, on the other hand, is not perfect, but infected with sin. That sin makes marriage a difficult subject to talk about sometimes, but we need to talk about marriage. We need to hear God's picture for marriage, we need to hear that we are forgiven, and we need to have our thoughts about marriage formed by God.

Mark 10:2-16 - God's Picture of Marriage

Whether we want to think about it or not, we will all, one day, face death. Therefore, we are all faced with a similar question, what is going to happen to me after I die? What must I do to inherit eternal life? However, Jesus makes it clear that this question has a false premise - it assumes that there is something that you need to do to enter eternal life. Jesus and the Bible teaches otherwise. There is nothing to do, because it has already been done! Praise be to Jesus!

Mark 10:17-27 - Not do, but DONE!

Historically speaking, there have been times where the truth and the gospel had almost disappeared altogether. Yet, God preserves the truth, preserves the faith, and preserves gospel comfort. He gave us his Word to show us what the truth is. He gives us pastors to teach us his Word. Through the preaching, teaching, and application of the gospel, we pray that the gospel may never be lost again.

Mark 13:5-11 - May It Never Be Lost

One of the things that makes a Christian different than a non-Christian is how they approach death. A non-Christian may have theories of what will happen after death, but they don't know. The Christian has a confidence that comes from God's promises. That doesn't mean that the Christian will never doubt, but the Word will always bring comfort to a Christian that those in Christ will rise to be with him forever. We give thanks for that confidence and we praise God for all the blessed Christians that he has taken before us.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - With the Lord Forever

Could you do what God had asked Abraham to do? God asked Abraham to give up his only son. Does that sound familiar? How come when it comes to God, we assume it was somehow easier for him to give up his one and only Son? Yet, God gave up his Son and he did it willingly, without a second thought. You know why? He loves you!

Genesis 22:1-18 - His Only Son

Join us in this sermon, "Two Stories: Matthew 2:13-18," as we delve into the profound narrative that reveals God's plan for salvation. 📖 In Matthew 2:13-18, we witness a pivotal moment in the life of Jesus, where God orchestrates a rescue mission, setting the stage for the ultimate salvation of the world.

The escape of Jesus and his family to Egypt, guided by God's intervention, marks the beginning of a redemptive journey that unfolds with purpose and significance. Explore with us the intricate tapestry of God's plan, where the salvation of one leads to the salvation of many.

🔍 Key Themes Explored:
✨ The providence of God in protecting Jesus from earthly threats
✨ The parallel between Jesus' rescue and his later mission of salvation
✨ The profound connection between God's plan and our redemption

🙏 This sermon invites you to reflect on the intricacies of God's plan and the profound love that orchestrated the salvation of Jesus for the ultimate redemption of humanity.

If you find peace, hope, or joy in exploring the depths of Scripture and the redemptive narrative of Jesus, don't forget to like, share, and subscribe. Hit the notification bell to stay connected with our community as we continue to unravel the timeless truths found in God's Word.

Matthew 2:13-18 - Two Stories

Have you ever been audited before? There is some vulnerability involved with an audit because you have to open up your finances to someone else's scrutiny. There is the potential of punishment or penalties or fines even for just a mistake. 

Imagine having an audit done on your life... would that be pleasant? Certainly not! There are just some things in your life that you want to remain hidden. 

In this section from John 3:14-21, Jesus says that people like to stay away from the light because the light reveals what is hidden in the darkness. The light shows us who we are and what we've done. But the light that Jesus brought wasn't just an exposing light, but a healing light. Through his death and resurrection, he has made us to be light. 

Because we trust this about Jesus and his work, we no longer need to hide anything. We can freely confess it before God and trust that he has forgiven all of our sins. 

If this sermon has built you up, please hit the "like" button and also share it with a friend. And if you want to make sure that you never miss any content from Sure Foundation, hit "subscribe." Thanks for listening to this week's sermon!

John 3:14-21 - Laid Bare

What are the requirements? That's a question that we find ourselves asking in different contexts. But what about the context of becoming a follower of Jesus? What are the requirements of becoming a Christ-follower? 

In this sermon we will dive into two lies that people believe about what it takes to become a follower of Jesus. Although these lies can be a little obvious, they have real application in our lives. 

What we find is that there is one thing necessary to becoming a follower of Jesus - you must die and rise. But how does one do that? 

In this sermon, you'll find that becoming a disciple of Jesus is always more about Jesus than it is about us. 

Thanks for checking out this week's sermon! If you were built up by this sermon, please like and subscribe so that you never miss any content from Sure Foundation.

John 12:20-33 - A Follower of Jesus

What sort of king were the people of Israel waiting for? It is pretty safe to say that they wanted a king to save them from the Romans, a king who would restore the kingdom of Israel to its former glory. That's likely the king that they believed that they were cheering on as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. 

However, Jesus came to be the king that humanity needed - a king who would humble himself and go to cross. Jesus rode into Jerusalem that Palm Sunday fully committed to what would happen that week. 

He did that all FOR YOU - so that you would be saved!

If you grew in your faith this sermon, please comeback and hear more. Hit like and subscribe so that you never miss any content from Sure Foundation.

Mark 11:1-10 - See Your King

The Passover was a big part of the life of the all the Israelites. It was a yearly celebration, where they remembered the great deliverance that God had worked for them from slavery in Egypt. This celebration was also a great opportunity to remember the Deliverer - the One True God. 

It is not coincidence that THE Passover Lamb, Jesus was sacrificed during the Passover festival. He was given as the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Through this Passover Lamb, an even greater deliverance was worked. 

The night before Jesus made the sacrifice, he instituted a meal called the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion. In this meal, the earthly elements of the bread and wine are joined together with the body and blood of Jesus in a miraculous way. These elements, when taken with a repentant heart, give the forgiveness of sins. 

What are some of the connections between the Passover and Lord's Supper? What is the relevance for us today? What encouragements can we walk away with? 

If you were built up by this sermon, please "like" and "subscribe." This makes sure that you never miss any content from Sure Foundation. It also helps more people hear the gospel message more often.

Exodus 12:21-30 - A Greater Deliverance

With so much bad news in world, why take time to hear about a brutal execution? Add to that thought this: why would you come and listen about a execution that was your fault? 

Despite the answers to both of those questions, it is called Good Friday for a reason. The Son of God sacrificed himself for the sins of the whole world. He wasn't a victim of circumstances, but he orchestrated circumstances to save you. 

Take a few moments to focus your heart on the sacrifice of our Lord. And remember, Easter Sunday is coming!

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Hebrews 7:26-28 - Why Would You Be Here?

There are plenty of things in life where the meaning matters... big time! If you don't know the meaning, you may think something to be impractical or irrelevant. But, once the meaning becomes clear, so does the relevance and so does the importance. 

Such is the case with the resurrection. So, in this sermon, let's look at the impact of the Risen Jesus on Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John, because that impact is still the impact of the Risen Jesus today. 

The Risen Jesus means: 
✅ Jesus was who he said he was
✅ Jesus did what he said he'd do
✅ Everything Jesus has said was true
✅ Forgiveness has been won and death has been defeated

Thanks for join us for this Easter sermon! If you grew in your faith because of this sermon, please share it with a friend! This is a really easy way to share the gospel with others. Lord's blessings to you!

John 20:1-18 - The Meaning of the Risen Jesus

Doubts are common (even among believers). They are common because we have a sinful human flesh that is weak, we are assaulted with doubts by the devil, and the sinful world that we live in rejects the message of Scripture. 

If you have had doubts, you are not alone. And God cares deeply about those doubts because he cares about you. He wants you to have certainty, so he comes to you through his Word to speak to those doubts and even more than that, to call you by his powerful gospel. 

When you have doubts, run to his Word and let the Lord speak to those doubts. 

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John 20:19-31 - Jesus Addresses Doubts

When you want to share comfort with someone who is going through a tough time, how do you formulate your thoughts? You might think about the content of your message - what are you going to say? You might think about the emotion that you want to convey - how will you say it? 

But those situations are rarely easy. And really, the comfort that you can give is limited. Tragedies cannot be undone. Losses cannot be reversed. We are inadequate to provide real, true comfort. 

But the Resurrection Message is a message that provides real and true comfort because what we couldn't do, Jesus did. Jesus reversed death by his resurrection. Jesus made you whole in him.

If you are built up by these messages, could you do us a favor? Could you hit "like" and "subscribe" wherever you are listening to this podcast? This helps us get the gospel message to more people so that more people hear about Jesus.

Luke 24:36-49 - Meaningful Message

One of the promises that we receive from Scripture is that if you seek to follow Jesus, you will face persecutions. Those persecutions may come in various shapes and forms. 

Just as God has warned us of these persecutions, he also promises that he is with us through them. Not only that, but he has left us his Word to cling onto during life's toughest times. 

God is so good that he doesn't even stop there. He assures us that through the power of his Word, those persecutions will be overcome - if not in this life, certainly in the next. 

Join Pastor David Maertz from Great Plains Lutheran High School as he shares this worthwhile and timely message.

2 Timothy 3:10-17 - Continue In The Things You Have Learned

On confirmation day, you make a promise before God and in front of a group of people. You make a confession of faith. You promise to remain faithful to God and his Word. After learning all that God has done for you, the promise is an easy one to make - the gospel motivates it. 

However, keeping that promise proves to be more difficult primarily because of three key factors: 

❌ The influence of the world
❌ The temptations of the devil and his demons
❌ The weakness of our sinful flesh

These enemies existed at the time of Joshua and they still exist today. These three enemies fight to nullify the promise that you made to God. The world doesn't care about God. The devil hates God. Our sinful nature desires to walk the path of the world and temptation. 

But, even when we are faithless, God is faithful. He is always faithful to his promises. He has promised forgiveness and life through his only Son, Jesus and he delivered. God will continue to make good on his promises to us throughout our lifetimes. God is ALWAYS faithful. 

If you have grown in your faith through this sermon, don't keep it a secret - share it with a friend! We want more people to grow in their faith and/or come to a knowledge of the truth for the first time. Thank you for your help in this effort.

Joshua 24:14-18 - God is Faithful

How should we view the Law? That is the question at the heart of this section from Mark 2. The Pharisees had a fundamentally different view of the law than what God intended. The Pharisees saw the law as a way to get to God, as ladder of sorts. 

So, when it came to the laws surrounding the Sabbath Day, they viewed this as a way to prove their holiness. They even took it further - they added laws on top of the laws. 

However, God's law never was meant to serve this purpose. God's law was meant to be a blessing to his people. For the Sabbath, it was a command, but it also brought blessing into peoples' lives - physical rest, spiritual nourishment. 

How does this apply to us today? Tune in to this week's sermon to hear how God gives his grace and blessing to his people. 

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Mark 2:23-28 - Blessings, Not Burdens

The Book of Revelation is written in picture language. When you understand the context in which this was written, you begin to grasp just how comforting these pictures would have been for people at that time. 

The original recipients of this letter were heavily persecuted. Living in that environment, it may have been really easy to think that evil was winning and that the devil was getting his way. But, appearances are deceiving. 

These pictures in Revelation gave amazing comfort to the persecuted, suffering, or lonely Christian. God has not lost. Jesus was victorious. He chained the devil and one day, that devil would be thrown into a lake of sulphur. 

Despite how things look in our world, despite the persecutions that you may face, God never wants you to forget, he has been victorious. And his promises are true. You have been saved from hell and you will be with Jesus forever in heaven. This gives us strength to endure and this gives us hope. 

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Revelation 20:1-6 - Victorious

Helicopter parenting and snowplow parenting both have something in common - control. Parents that parent this way want to have control, specifically of how their kids turn out. Ultimately, what is at the root of that is a distrust that what their kids have been taught will bear fruit. 

When it comes to the Word of God, we can always trust that it will grow faith and produce fruit. Even if we cannot see it in the way that we expect to see it, we have a promise from God. God always keeps his promises. 

This gives us freedom from our desire for control because we can attend to the Word of God and then trust. We trust God's promise that God's Word is powerful and effective, as is the Holy Spirit that works through the Word. 

If you have been built up by this sermon, please hit "subscribe." This helps us in two ways: 1) it makes sure that you never miss any content from Sure Foundation 2) it helps more people hear the message of the gospel. Thank you!

Mark 4:26-34 - Trust God's Word

We have a "love-hate" relationship with the cross of Christ, which is really the battle between my sinful nature and my renewed heart. We also have this relationship with our own cross. 

The cross is necessary for Jesus and for you. Listen to Jesus say this in Matthew 16 and what this means for your life.

Matthew 16:21-28 -- The Cross

Some things are best communicated in pictures. Grace may just be one of those things. Grace is not something that we understand on our own, because grace is completely contrary to the way we are wired. Yet, in the Bible we see grace. We see the grace of our Father who always forgives and who welcomes us back with open arms. This sermon is based on Luke 15:11-32. 

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Luke 15:11-32 - Open Arms

God sent a great forerunner in John the Baptist to prepare the way for the Savior. The hearts of the people needed obstacles removed and they needed preparation. The same is true today. God gives you forerunners to help you to remove obstacles and prepare your hearts for Jesus' coming.

Mark 1:1-8 - Remove Obstacles, Prepare Hearts

What happens when my perception of what is happening doesn't seem to match up with God's promises? Often that is the case. We know that God's promises are true, but our experience seems to tell an opposite story. Jacob had this very experience. We can learn from Jacob's story that God's promises are true and certain regardless of our perception.

Genesis 28:10-17 - The Perception of the Promise

This is a sermon podcast from Sure Foundation and Pastor Craig Wilke.

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