Midwest Bible Church

God's grace seeks, restores, and celebrates the lost. Even when they don't deserve it, because God's grace is freely given. It is never earned.

Esther's story is a powerful picture of God's ability to reverse what seems hopeless and redeem what's utterly broken. And that's what the empty tomb is all about. 

Being called “salty” can carry a different connotation. It can refer to a person who is bitter, whose words are often harsh, and whose attitude repels others. But Jesus calls us to something different: a saltiness that preserves, purifies, and draws others to Him.  Jesus calls us to be distinctive in influence, refined through trials, and gracious in speech so that we preserve peace and reflect His grace. (Luke 14:34-35)

Where there's a will, especially one shaped by love, there's a way. If we really care about something and sense the urgency, if we don't know how, we'll learn how. If you care about souls being saved, you'll seek to be equipped to do your part to reach them for Christ. We may never be a Billy Graham, but we're all called to do the work of an evangelist. We may not reach thousands, but even one soul matters. (Luke 14:25-35)

In this passage, Jesus shows the Pharisees that this is the greater righteousness than the law; to love your neighbor on the Sabbath. At His table, God seats the outcast and brings them to the highest position of honor, He saves the outsiders and brings them into the light, and judges His opposition, bringing justice. (Luke 14:1-24)

If you are enduring suffering, it is no shame. Listen to this sermon for an encouraging word from friend of MBC, Mike Weber, about how suffering will happen in this life, but we have a Savior who is acquainted with grief, and a future to look forward to where every tear will be wiped away.

Jesus speaks of the narrow door that is the way of salvation in Him, which although it is a free gift of His grace, living it out in this life will come with a price. The heart of a Spirit-filled evangelist mirrors Christ's own—perceiving the urgency of the narrow door, proclaiming its exclusive truth, and pouring out compassion for the lost to enter. (Luke 13:22-35)

True freedom isn't a license to self-destruct; it's a meaningful life under God's gracious reign. Freedom is found when we live under the gracious, powerful reign of Christ the King. (Luke 13:10-21)

Guest Speaker and Apologist Carl Kerby joins us to share a message on the importance of knowing how to defend the faith.

This message is going to be a "gut punch," but with this direct call to either repent and bear fruit or perish, Christ also gives us a message of hope. The time is now. The call is urgent. Repent and bear fruit. (Luke 13:1-9)

“Somehow, nature renews itself with fire—a lot of old and dead stuff is burned away, new vegetation starts to grow, and new life actually begins to spring up. God seems to have established this principle in the world - the fire that destroys can also renew.” (Ron Hutchcraft) In this message, we will learn that God's refining fire is spread through believers to bring about gospel transformation in the world; more specifically, spreading the purifying fire of God will come at a great price but will be worth it all! (Luke 12:49-59)

"Is Jesus coming soon? No one knows, but He'll return to a world that looks very much like ours. But whether or not Jesus comes back physically in our time, He is most certainly going to come for you in this generation. He'll be coming for you, one way or another, and then it will be too late to get ready. The time to do that is now.” (Hutchcraft) Let's consider what Jesus said in Luke 12:35-48 about being ready and prepared for His return.

In Luke 12:13-34, Jesus was not saying that it's wrong to purchase a house or to own a car. He's not saying that it's a sin to own material things. The problem comes when material possessions possess us and blind us to the things that truly matter. What you treasure most will shape your deepest longings--and your deepest longings will determine the course and destiny of your life. 

What is God's plan for Israel? Does His covenant still stand? Bruce Scott teaches about God's plan for Israel according to Romans 9-11, specifically 11:23-26. Him and his wife have been involved in reaching Jewish people with the good news of Christ for 40+ years.

How do we overcome this paralyzing fear of man that keeps us from truly living life as God intended, and experiencing His power at work in our lives to make a meaningful difference in this world for Jesus? The answer and cure is in fearing God. (Luke 11:53-54; 12:1-12)

The light in us that guides our lives is sourced by what our eyes see and treasure. What we treasure will shape our deepest longings and set the trajectory of our lives. In this message, we examine some keys to being lit up from within in a way that brings wellness to our souls and transform us to be a healing light to people in darkness.  (Luke 11:33-52)

There is a spiritual war between two kingdoms. Which kingdom will you serve? The kingdom of darkness and death; the Kingdom of the Wilderness? Or the kingdom of light and life; the Kingdom of Eden? (Luke 11:14-32)

“No man is greater than his prayer life... Failing here, we fail everywhere." (Leonard Ravenhill) There is one thing that Mary demonstrated at the feet of Jesus and that Jesus Himself prioritized in His earthly ministry that the disciples felt they were missing in their prayer life. What was that one thing? Real communion with God. (Luke 11:1-13)

The true spirit of Christmas is a Spirit-filled lifestyle that magnifies the self-giving and souls-satisfying love of Jesus.

With Christ, although sorrow still exists in this world, great joy can coexist. (Luke 2:10-11)

If you were ask to describe or define prayer in a sentence, what would you say? To better understand what prayer is at its core, so that we might experience God's transforming power more fully, we are going to learn from the master of prayer Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Luke 11:1-4)

Our first calling is not to ministry, but to intimacy. Mary's choice to sit at the feet of Jesus while she listened intently to His teaching was commended by Jesus as the "one thing;" the thing that matters most. (Luke 10:38-42)

Kingdom representatives are recognized by love for God and love for neighbor. Who do we identify with in the parable of the good samaritan? Just as the good samaritan rescued and took care of the beaten and hurt man; Jesus did so for us. (Luke 10:25-37)

Do you ever feel like God is hidden or that God is distant? Although there are things about God that are hidden, the evidence for the existence of God is abundant. God has revealed Himself through His incarnate Son and all who respond in faith to His light come to know His transforming presence in this life and forevermore. (Luke 10:21-24)

We often try to hide our weaknesses rather than realizing they are sanctifying tools that shape us. Guest speaker and friend of MBC, Stu Taylor, shares a message on the sanctifying work of God through marriage and life's circumstances.

Faithful followers of Jesus obey His commands to go heal, preach the Kingdom of God, be ambassadors, and rejoice in their salvation. (Luke 10:1-20)

Have you ever been annoyed with people's actions or frustrated when things didn't go your way? But after self-reflection, you came to realize that the main problem wasn't external, but rather internal - it was your bad attitude. Recognizing when we need an attitude adjustment is not only vital to maintaining a healthy life style, healthy relationships, and accomplishing worthy goals, it's essential to be fit for service in God's kingdom. (Luke 9:46-62)

As a Christian, are you keenly aware that there are some things in you that still need to die? We must learn to rule over our emotions or our emotions will rule over us. Emotions, like anger, were created by God to move us toward righteous actions. (James 1:19-21)

We're all quite familiar with the Great Commission; but what does making disciples and being a disciple really mean? Pastor Dennis Henderson joins us at MBC for this special message on Matthew 28:18-28.

The transfiguration of Jesus, or metamorphosis, revealed who He is: the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets, the Son of God, the Chosen and Anointed One, the Word who became flesh and "tabernacled" among us. In the same way Jesus' transfiguration was marked by His death on the cross, our transformation is marked by daily picking up our cross; following the Messiah through death into life. (Luke 9:18-36)

If God is so good and so loving, why do we go through bitter seasons of life? Being a christian doesn't mean that life will always be pleasant and easy. God takes His children through cycles of triumph and trial for our good and His glory. (Exodus 15:22-27)

Although God has very specific assignments for each of us, not all Christians hear His summons, let alone fulfill it. Many believers are content to just go through the motions of religious activity without a strong sense of calling to a specific role or purpose that they must fulfill. Close followers of Jesus hear His summons, set out to obey His call, and experience His power to bring hope and healing to a broken world. (Luke 9:1-9)

When you honor Christ in your heart, it will show on the outside and give people reasons to talk to you about Jesus. The gospel has spread throughout church history not because the church figured out what methods for evangelism worked best, but because their gospel message and their manner of life resisted conformity to the culture. There lives were convincing proof before their adversaries of the saving hope and love of Jesus. (1 Peter 3:13-16)

In the Bible, you will find instructional examples of believers sharing the good news with unbelievers, one on one. Here is some insight from John 4:1-10 on how Jesus, in a one to one, encounter brought an obscure Samaritan woman to Himself. "One by one and two by two we can win our world for Jesus Christ." -Babbie Mason  

How can christians today capture the evangelistic zeal that must be prevalent in the life of the church to be faithful to its Christ given mission to make disciples who spread His fame? The bible has much to say about the principle of sowing and reaping. Before reaping a physical harvest, a farmer must sow seeds. “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy. He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126:5-6)

What does running the race of faith mean? Listen as Chaplin Mike Weber unpacks what Paul meant; how the christian life is one of discipline and self-control; while salvation is a gift freely given, not by our efforts. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Jesus is sovereign over suffering and is able to deliver us from the storm or through the storm. Even when things seem to go from bad to worse, Jesus is still in control and we can trust Him to fulfill His redemptive plans in and through our lives. Fruit-bearing disciples cultivate a resilient faith in the knowledge of Christ and are convinced that it's always too soon to quit. (Luke 8:40-56)

Jesus' authority over the spirits and swine demonstrate that He is the Sovereign Messiah, the One who has power over all forces, both natural and supernatural. (Luke 8:26-39)

Although a person getting on a roller coaster ride may be a little fearful, they get on it anyway, because they know that a very smart engineer designed the roller coaster to scare you, but not to kill you. They designed it to give you the experience of chaos, but it's a controlled chaos. Likewise, when we find ourselves in a roller coaster season of life, when we are faced with situations that seem beyond our control, we can find refuge knowing there's a sovereign God in heaven who is always in control. Because Jesus is Lord, all who love and obey Him can find the calm assurance that He will see them through every season of life. (Luke 8:22-26)

The mark of spiritual maturity and growth in a believer's life is not perfection, “but that you are striving against the tide, even if you are standing still, as it may feel sometimes” (Piper). We must progress in the Word or we will regress with the World. (Luke 8:16-21)

What makes it possible for people to be in the know—to have access to insider information? Often it has to do with the people you know and have close relationships with. Believers, especially those who have a close and intimate relationship with God, have access to the ultimate insider information. They know the secrets of the Kingdom of God. (Luke 8:1-15)

From our text we are going to look at a woman whose relationship with Jesus meant more to her than the most precious thing she possessed. She loved and worshiped Jesus extravagantly—she lavished him with expressions of love and gratitude for who He is and what He did for her. In contrast to her extravagant worship, we will also examine the attitude of a religious man who was cold and indifferent to Jesus. We are going to consider not only why he was cold and indifferent, but why he also had no grace for the woman who deeply loved Jesus. (Luke 7:36-50)

Doubt, if we don't deal with it correctly, can enslave us and keep us from growing in faith through the trials of life. When in a prison of doubt, go to Jesus and rest in His promises, which is the key that will set you free. (Luke 7:18-35)

This morning, we will see the compassion, authority, and power of Jesus. The main idea from the text is that Luke provides evidence that Jesus is truly Lord through His compassion, authority, and power, so that we will worship and submit to Him as more than just a prophet, but as Lord of Lords. (Luke 7:11-17)

Chaplin of Central Baptist Village, Mike Weber, visits MBC to tell us of the categories, consequences, and cures to shame. (Psalm 32)

In this sermon, we will examine the faith of the Centurion and see that faith values others, hears the word of Jesus and does them, loves other, even our enemies, is generous, humble, submits to the authority of Jesus, and recognizes Jesus as Lord. (Luke7:1-10)

As crucial as it is for buildings to have a deep and solid foundation, especially those that stand tall, what we as spiritual beings are building our lives on has far greater implication in this life and in the life to come. A newly constructed house can look great from the outside and it might even look beautiful on the inside. But it's what you can't see that will determine the stability of the structure and its ability to withstand outside forces, like a storm. The deeper our foundation in Christ, the higher we will climb for Christ. (Luke 6:46-49)

A good judge of Christian character looks for the fruit that is produced from being rooted in Christ. To unfold this theme, we are going to consider what it takes to discern and develop the character of one who represents God's kingdom and why it matters infinitely more than your looks, money you have in the bank, or exceptional talents. (Luke 6:43-45)

Do you know God's transforming grace? What's the measure that you do? As we will see from our text, when you apprehend and appreciate the transforming grace of Christ in your life, you will more readily extend grace to others. Recipients of God's transforming grace are compelled to extend His grace in a world starving for kindness and mercy. (Luke 6:37-42)

Do our lives look distinctively different from the world around us or do we just blend in to the rest of society? To make a supernatural difference for Christ in our self-centered, and self-absorbed society, we must not only live supernaturally different, there must be something radically different about the way we show love. Only when our love resembles the indiscriminate love of Christ can we as Christians effect positive change for God's kingdom. (Luke 6:27-36)

A blessed life according to the Author of life is totally upside down from the point of view of most people in our world. It's the inverted way of life in the kingdom that will not only allow us to experience the truly good life, but it's through embracing it that we, as representatives of God's kingdom, can make an eternal difference in this world. (Luke 6:17-26)