Waukesha
Church of Christ
Worship in spirit and truth. Service in love.
2021 Sermons
Things that steal joy
A look at behaviors in our lives that limit the level of joy that we should expect to experience as Christians.
No matter what personality type you have, the past desires to shift your focus away from reality. Two ways this can happen...
Unrealistic standards we hold ourselves and others to can cause disappointment.
incorrect interpretations of scripture can result in developing false spiritual hopes. We cover a few of these.
Complaints are a declaration that we know better than God. The end result of this can only be a life without joy.
The tragedy of the parade brings mourning into view. The things we search for the most when dealing with grief don't produce joy.
Though apathy is not a negative thought pattern, it can steal joy by removing highs and lows .
Whatever is not true humility is pride. False humility is pride concealed in a form that hinders true joy.
Our core is composed of the things that we see as central to our person. The more substance these have, the greater our joy.
Even well intentioned ambitions can sap our joy if we don't follow some simple steps that Jesus taught his disciples.
Little 'Big' words
Little words are often the ones which impact us the most. This series investigates the concept of truth and its implications through four two-letter words.
Does absolute truth exist? We look at the history of this concept and how society has tried to eliminate it.
A look at the necessary consequences required by the existence of absolute truth.
The requirement to make a choice is an implication of absolute truth that many people cannot bring themselves to.
The ultimatum of absolute truth is self-denial. learning the correct definition of the word no is necessary for a healthy life.
Sincerely wrong
Many people sincerely believe and say things that aren't true. We often assume a bad motive in these cases, however many of these people are very genuine. In order to address these errors, we need to understand the source motives.
Often it is not that we are wrong, but rather, that we don't have all of the information.
Mary was technically right, so why did Jesus correct her. Sometimes bias compels us to be sincerely correct in a wrong way.
Before he was known as 'Paul', Saul was as genuine as could be in his pursuit of enforcing his dogma..
Rebekah helps us answer the question of whether God accepts deceit from a good motive?
A John who lived long before Jesus shows that the sincere error of philosophy can have far reaching effects.
God in a box
This idea is usually used to describe our tendency to limit God, however, there was a time when God used this metaphor to illustrate His presence among his people. We look at three events where God used the Ark of the Covenant to teach important principles about his presence.
The first lesson God teaches his people through his presence is that He must be followed.
God uses the ark to instill the idea that protection comes through faith and confidence in God.
The departure of God's presence offers a look into attitudes to emulate as well as those to avoid.
Guest Speaker: Cam Giannetti:
Conclusion to 'God in a box' series:
The principles that our country was founded on were honorable, yet we can turn our viewpoints into idols that divide usr.
High and Low
Like a snowflake, people are unique, yet we are all built on the same structure. We look at five basic human instincts, and how these can be leveraged to achieve a spiritual fulfillment.
Our most basic desire is the survival instinct. Even the need for Physical security and comfort has spiritual fulfillment.
Once our physical needs are provided for, we look for a positive emotional experience; a desire that can be spiritually directed.
Humans tend to congregate in cities where we believe our rights will be protected. What is it we are really looking for?
We all have the desire to feed our mind, but we have two basic ways we try. These two ways aren't as different as they may seem.
We explore man's most fundamental and important desire, and the ways we try to fill it.
Dinner With the Master
Nothing is so common as a meal, yet we overlook the times Jesus ate. Fortunately Jesus didn't and used these valuable moments to give life changing lessons.
A woman with a poor reputation is accepted by Jesus, and the crowd goes wild (but not for the right reasons)
Two similar men with very different dinner arrangements both learn that self worth is not derived from past behavior.
A woman with a lot on her mind learns that there is something more important to think about.
The creator of bacteria and viruses explains to us the real danger present all around us and what to do about it.
The ability to see Christ as he is requires us to open our minds and abandon our preconceived ideas.
We return to our first dinner to identify 3 women and gain a better understanding of worship.
Dead Men Tell No Tales
Throughout time, people have tried to get rid of the evidence of their failures by eliminating those who dare to speak the truth. Rarely does this work, as we see with four examples.
Two men have the audacity to envision a bright future. Unfortunately, the unknown is often too risky.
Wouldn't you like to hear from someone who passed away? These men didn't, so what did they do about it?
The dread of Jesus compels them to kill the One who raises the dead, but their process reveals the depth of their panic.
From the beginning of time blood has been an unstoppable testimony in the pursuit of truth. (Guest speaker Cam Giannetti).
Letters to 7 Lights
Christ speaks to seven churches about how they must maintain their light in the world. As the world around us again goes through a period of darkness, these lessons prove indispensable for any church which hopes to survive.
Before Christ can maintain the light of these seven churches he must remind them Who the source of light is.
A church with many advantages can still be undone by failing to cultivate this most important source of light.
Excellent examples within a church can keep its light bright even when the darkness attempts to smother it.
A church in an evil city struggled to shine and eventually found themselves participating in the worst society had to offer.
Even an active church can lose their distinct reputation by neglecting to weed out the negative influences within.
A church that decides to rest on a good reputation will not fool anyone for that long. Things must be done to completion.
God can use a church with not much going for it other than faithfulness.
A church with a sense of urgency is what the world craves, yet our light is dimmed when we crave what the world offers.
Great Expectation
Three messages aimed at raising our expectation of God. While this may sound disrespectful, the reality is that humans are hard-wired to avoid disappointment. In order to avoid that feeling, we often lower our expectations, which is truly disrespectful of an Almighty Creator.
The first step to increasing our faith in God is to develop the skill of asking for impossible things.
Self-preservation is an instinct that provides us with emotional security blanket that we use to get ready for defeat.
How do I avoid disappointment with God when He doesn't give me what I ask for?