God's Truth, God's Grace - New Port Presbyterian Church

Pastor Darrell preaches on Luke 17:1-4 and Sin: Temptation; Protection; and Repenting.

We were encouraged by Pastor Darrell to remember, believe, and have hope in the resurrection of Jesus. We can do this because God's Word tells us that Jesus is alive. He left the tomb and appeared to many. Those who met the resurrected Christ believed and were changed. He now lives to make intercession for us and draws near to us. 

In this message about Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, which we celebrate on Palm Sunday, we see that Jesus is the God and King who comes to us.  We note that He delights to receive the praise of His people.  This sermon was preached right after the baptism of a covenant child.  Pastor Darrell encourages that child's parents--and us all--that not only is Jesus the God and King who comes to us, but He also delights for us to come to Him. Sermon passage: Luke 19:28-40; Matthew 21:15-16; Luke 18:15-17

Pastor Darrell preaches on Luke 16:19-31, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.  In this passage, Christ speaks of the glorious experience of an eternity spent in the mercy, love, and presence of our Father in heaven, and the anguish that those who are separated from that will experience.

In our passage today from Luke 16:16-17, Pastor Darrell and Christ explain how “the Law and the Prophets” (God's Word) all point to Christ, who is the fulfillment of that Word and how, through the proclamation of that Word, the Kingdom of God is filled.

Pastor Darrell preaches on 2 Samuel 23:13-17 where we see David's devotion to men, men's devotion to David, and God's devotion to His people.

Guest preacher, Pastor Bill Myers, encourages us in boasting in the Lord as we look at 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. We boast in the Lord because of His calling, choosing, and crediting.

Pastor Darrell preached on Luke 16:1-5, 18 where Jesus commends faithfulness to His disciples. He calls us to not waste the Master's possessions. Who do you recognize as your true Master: things, money, or the Lord? He calls us to daily faithfulness; not only in time, talents, and treasure, but in all of life and in love to Him and others. We can be thankful to our faithful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who enables us to carry out this call to faithfulness. 

Pastor Darrell preaches on Luke 16:1-15 and the Parable of the Dishonest Manager, considered as being perhaps the most difficult of all of Christ's parables to understand.

Pastor Darrell preaches on Luke 14:25-35 with the sermon entitled: Discipleship: Its Cost and Its Goal. There is a high cost to following Jesus. What might the Lord desire for you to "renounce" for the sake of Christ? Be encouraged--He gives us His enabling Spirit!

Pastor Darrell preaches on Luke 14:12-24 which reminds us of God's compassionate and generous invitation and our need to humbly and gratefully respond.

Pastor Darrell preached on Luke 15 where we see the elder brother's obedience to the father while his heart was far from him. 

Pastor Darrell preaches on Luke 15:1-3, 11-32. As we look into this passage, we can grow in our understanding of sin, repentance, and our relationship with God our Father.

Pastor Darrell continues to preach through the series: Walking With Jesus: The Gospel of Luke. This week he preached on Luke 15:1-7 - Lost and Found; Repentance and Restoration.

Pastor Darrell preaches on Lukew 15:1-7 where we are reminded that there is joy in salvation, joy in the presence of the Lord, and joy in repentance.

Pastor Darrell preaches on Psalm 1 which shows us there are two groups of people on two different paths.Those who are blessed (those who embrace the Lord and Covenant in faith) on the path that leads to blessing and those who are doomed (those who don't receive the Lord and Covenant in faith) on the path of destruction.

Pastor Darrell shared a gospel presentation with scriptures and illustrations about grace, sin, God's holiness, sin, and faith. A full outline can be found here: Evangelism Explosion Gospel Outline

In today's message, we celebrate the theme of the fourth Sunday of Advent: Love.  Pastor Darrell encourages us with the love and encouragement of the Lord from 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17.

In today's message "Gospel Joy and the Advent of Jesus" from John 16:16-24 and 15:7-11, Pastor Darrell explains how the Lord gives Gospel joy to those He's redeemed.

Today's sermon was on Gospel Peace and the Advent of Jesus. The presence of Emmanuel, God with us, brings us peace. This peace is not only our eternal peace with God through salvation, but the peace we can have now. How is current peace possible despite our circumstances? Through the fruit of the Spirit, living by faith as we remember the truths of scripture, and praying. Be encouraged to live by faith for a life of peace even now. Scripture References: Philippians 4:4-9 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 2 Thessalonians 3:16 2 Corinthians 13:11 Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7 Luke 2:8-14 Colossians 1:20 Isaiah 53:5 Ephesians 2:13-14 Romans 16:20 Galatians 5:22-23 Matthew 1:20-23

If you are struggling to have hope this Christmas because of your life circumstances, remember with your brothers and sisters in Christ the many spiritual reasons we can hold onto hope. Romans 5:8-13 says, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." We can ask the Lord to give us the gift of hope because He can make it abound in our lives. We can be confident of this because He is the God of hope, it's His will that we would be filled with joy and peace which leads to faith, if we are in Christ we have the presence and person of the powerful Holy Spirit, we have the promises of God, and we have the first coming of Jesus to look back on and the future, second coming of Jesus to look forward to. Be encouraged to hope and, when needed, to ask for the gift of hope.

Where does our help come from? Psalm 121 reminds us that it comes from the Lord, He who made heaven and earth. If He had the power to create all, He also has the power to meet our needs. Be encouraged to look to Him in your weakness and needfulness to find the rescue you need.

Pastor Darrell preached on Luke 14:1-24 where we see the Pharisees' pridefulness and Jesus's humbleness and compassion. Be encouraged that as we live by His Spirit and abide in Him, He will conform us to His image.

Marc Davis, speaker at our recent Gospel-Centered Life Weekend Retreat, opened God's word for us this past Sunday. Marc preached on John 1:35-51 where we see that the Christian faith is a love relationship with Jesus, a living Person, who welcomes us, knows us, and holds our future. Be encouraged to talk with Him and look with faith and expectancy toward the future He holds. He's on His throne but also a friend to sinners who need His grace and welcome. Marc serves from the Serge home office as an Associate Area Director for Renewal, and in that role is excited to be connected to the movement of God's kingdom through many people in many places. He wants to see missionaries, pastors, and others involved in ministry empowered by the gospel to live lives of great freedom in dependence on Jesus for everything. 

Pastor Darrell preached on Luke 13:31-35 where we see the intentionality and compassion of Christ. Be encouraged that nothing could deter Jesus from His mission to carry out salvation for us because of His heart of compassion. We are called to be compassionate people since we are made in His image. 

In Luke 13:22-30 we find Jesus' challenging words concerning those who don't know Him.  Jesus invites us to a continuous faith that is marked, not by a one-time event, but by knowing Him, listening to Him, and following Him with open hearts. 

In today's sermon passage from Luke 13:18-21 Jesus asks,"To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?" Listen now to learn King Jesus' answer. 

Pastor Darrell encouraged us through Luke 13:10-17 to worship Christ as the One who sets us free; as the Lord of the Sabbath; as the Lord of all; as the One who is God's long-promised Messiah; as the One who looks upon us with much compassion and can powerfully act on our behalf. Find your freedom in Him, continue to hope in Him, and look to Him for more healing.

In Luke 13:6-9 and other passages, we learn that the Lord expects us to bear fruit. This fruit comes from abiding. Be encouraged to embrace the Lord in faith and abide.

Pastor Darrell preached on Luke 12:49 - 13:4 where we see Jesus warn about unrepentance. Why might we be so reluctant to repent? We are returning to a gracious, loving God. Be encouraged to remember truths about our Heavenly Father and who we are in Christ so that we more readily turn to Him in repentance and faith.

Pastor Darrell reminded us of the believer's possession in Christ through Romans 5 and other passages. Since Jesus is our covenant head, the merits, delight, and acceptance of the Father are ours.

The finished work of Christ is a central theme of the New Testament. It's not only an event that happened in the past but has present and future ramifications. How we behave and live life is impacted by the joy and freedom of the truths about the finished work of Christ, so we must grasp them with our minds and hearts. 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21 Romans 5:1 John 19:30 Hebrews 10:12, 14

Pastor Darrell preaches on Isaiah 43 where we see that the presence of God makes a difference when we endure hardship and pain. 

Pastor Darrell preached in Luke 12:35-48, where Christ calls us to be watchful and faithful. There is a reward for obeying the call and consequences for not. Be encouraged that the Holy Spirit makes it possible to answer this call to faithful watchfulness by enabling us to trust, repent, believe, fear, and love God.

Pastor Darrell preached on Luke 12:13-21 where we can be encouraged to be most satisfied in Christ and to be rich toward God in our time, talents, and treasures.

Pastor Darrell preached on Luke 12:22-32 when Jesus offered an invitation to trust. As sheep of the flock of a Good Shepherd, we are not left to fend for ourselves. We are cared for by that Good Shepherd who provides all that we need.

Pastor Darrell preached on Luke 12:4-12 and encouraged us to fear only God and honor Him by standing on and believing the truth, taking captive every thought, and living by faith that He sees us and knows us in a saving, guarding, and protecting way. Knowing this we can live by the Spirit, being sensitive to Him and cooperating with Him. 

Pastor Darrell preaches on Luke 11:37-12:3 where we see Jesus speak out against the Pharisees and experts in the law because of their burdensome teachings and faulty leadership. The people of God need a better leader and Christ is that better leader. We are reminded that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and a better guide. He doesn't just lead the way, He IS The Way.

Do your eyes see Jesus for who He is and receive the light that He gives? Pastor Darrell preaches on Luke 11:33-36 reminding us that Jesus is the light that enables us to see.

In today's sermon on Luke 11:14-32, we see how Jesus restores proper functioning and human flourishing as He frees the man from what held him captive. From what do you need Jesus to deliver you? Be encouraged to worship Jesus, the only one who can save us to the uttermost, to trust that He is stronger, greater, and more powerful than Satan or our enemies, and to live in dependence upon the strong Spirit of Christ at work in us. 

Pastor Darrell encourages us from Luke 11:5-13, as God's children, to continue boldly asking, seeking, and knocking because our gracious, heavenly Father promises to receive, find, and open.

Pastor Darrell continues to preach through the Lord's Prayer in Luke 11:1-4. What do we mean when we pray, "lead us not into temptation"? We agree with God that we continually need His help to keep our hearts from wandering and to enable us to live faithfully. Be encouraged to draw near to God who leads us in His ways and delivers us from evil.

Pastor Darrell continues to preach through the Lord's Prayer in Luke 11. As we consider Luke 11:4, we are reminded that as forgiven sinners, we are called to be Christ's ambassadors of forgiveness toward others.

What does it mean when we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread"? Pastor Darrell continues to preach through the Lord's Prayer found in Luke 11. 

Pastor Darrell continues to preach on the Lord's Prayer. This week we look at Luke 11: 1-4 and what it means when we pray, "Thy Kingdom Come."

Pastor Darrell continues to preach through the Lord's Prayer in Luke 11. When we pray, "Hallowed be Your name," we're not so much declaring a fact, but making a request to the Lord. We are asking God to reveal His glory to the world, to us, in us, and through us to others.

That God is our Father is the basis for prayer. That God is our Father is the basis for all of the Christian life! Do you truly, most often live in the reality of being a blessed child of God? Or do you, too often, live as if you were a “spiritual orphan”? Pastor Darrell leads us to consider these things as we look at the beginning of the Lord's Prayer in Luke 11:1-4. An exercise that can help you recognize these tendencies in your own heart and life is mentioned in the service and can be accessed by clicking here: Orphans vs. Child of God Exercise

Pastor Darrell presents to us that because Jesus has ascended back to the Father, He: rules over all things, rules over and provides for His Church, pours out His Spirit, sympathizes with us, gives us mercy and grace in our time of need, interceeds for us, saves to the uttermost, keeps us from stumbling to present us blameless, and does far more abundantly than all that we can ask or think, according to the power at work within us. Luke 24:50-53 Ephesians 1:20-23 Matthew 28:18 Hebrews 4:14-16 Hebrews 9:24 Romans 8:34

We routinely give thanks to God for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. This week Pastor Darrell helps remind us to also give thanks and glory to God for the ascension of Jesus. Luke 24:50-52 50 Acts 1:8-9 Ephesians 1:20-23

In John 11, Jesus says, "I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." Do you believe in Him and live in Him? He is our greatest treasure and our only source of life.

As we look at Luke 10:38-42 we see that the right response when Jesus comes is to enjoy His presence and to worship Him.