Podcast – Stonebridge EPC

What is the difference between Covenant Theology and Reformed Theology? Well, that is a good and fair question. Pastor Galardi takes up this question and a few more in Sunday’s sermon. He draws primarily from Genesis 12, 15 and 17 but slips in a few more references for good measure.

Most of us have experienced more “fear” the past two years than we likely have the past 5-10. New administration. COVID. Vaccine. Lockdowns. Tucked into the middle of Zechariah’s prophecy in Luke 1, is a statement that got Martin Rossol thinking about fear and how Jesus followers should respond: “..that we, being delivered from the … Continue reading Fear Not! →

Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent 2021. Advent is all about expectations. Anticipations. And that idea was the basis for Martin Rossol’s sermon today. Who was expecting the Savior? Who was NOT expecting the Savior? And what should our response be to the Savior who came – irrespective of whether or not we had … Continue reading So, You’re Expecting the Savior, eh? →

St Paul’s letter to the Galatians talks much about slaves and sons? Which are we? What is a ‘slave’ and what a ‘son’? And from where does this imagery come? Eric Keel shares his thinking on this subject in his Sunday sermon.

King David is a “type” of Christ in many respects. He typifies what the final King would be like. And yet David, the man, was beset by some of the maladies with which humans are beset. Specifically, David has an inclination to anger. In today’s sermon based in 1 Samuel 25, Martin Rossol show us … Continue reading David’s Anger Restrained →

The first Sunday of Advent draws our attention to the coming Savior. Our own elder, Martin Rossol, continued his series about King David from 1 Samuel, and even here, in this historical setting, we see David- in his experiences and struggles -as a “type” of Jesus.

There are many ‘strategies’ for sharing our faith with those who have not yet come to Jesus. Pastor Mike addresses what may be the primary way to let others know that we are Jesus followers.

Pastor David Menzel’s text came from Luke 7. The events in this chapter point to someone who, unlike the church leaders of the day, recognized that Jesus had authority to heal, and if Jesus wanted to hear it would happen. That event is recorded for all of us to challenge us: do we really live … Continue reading Real Authority Recognized →

Psalm 72 is a song about a king? Pastor Robert Knuth sees three parts to this song: The Heart of the King; The Reign of the King; and The Mercy of the King. And while King Solomon is mentioned in the Psalm, Pastor Knuth suggests that the writer must have another king in mind for … Continue reading A King Like No Other! →

Many of us secure our homes before turning in for the night. We check and lock doors, pull blinds, set alarms. We take precautions to protect ourselves and our house. Our preacher today, Taylor Wright, suggested that it is more important that we take care to protect our hearts from the intrusion of false gospels. … Continue reading Intruder Alert →

The last few years have certainly been challenging for everyone. Where do you turn in times like these? From where do you draw strength to face the day? Pastor Mike encouraged us to see what the prophet Isaiah had to say on this subject in Isaiah Chapter 43.

In Jeremiah 11 the prophet, similar to a physician, is, being given God’s diagnosis of Judah’s “problem”; Judah’s disease. Its a lethal condition but the ‘patient’ is not listening or taking the medicine that will help the ‘patient’ be cured. Dom Marko, our preacher this Sunday, walks us through the diagnosis and then presents the … Continue reading The Divine Cure →

Martin Rossol got a bit off the subject of “anger” but it allowed him to address how we might understand God using sinful acts of humans to accomplish his will.

Randy Meyers rounded out his 3-sermon series “Walking in the Spirit” this Sunday. He quoted some well-known and some not so well-known authors – all to get us thinking. And “thinking” is one critical aspect for which we are accountable if we are to ‘walk in the Spirit’.

Pastor Frison speaks about the freedom that believers have been gifted with as a result of Jesus sacrifice. Yet his text is Psalm 27; a Psalm of David who was not always as “free” as he would have liked to have been.

The Bible teaches that when a person comes to believe in Jesus as the solution to their “God problem” that they become a new creation. Pastor Galardi explains what that means in Sunday’s sermon.

St Paul’s letter to the Galatians was likely the genesis of the Reformation. And in Chapter 1:1-5 St Paul sets out the basic message that he hopes to communicate to the churches.

This talk is perhaps a 2-in-1. What about God’s commands? Are we still obligated to obey if we have trusted in Jesus? And what about Samuel’s anger? Why no sanctions against that “anger”? Well, Martin Rossol covers these issues quite well in his talk. Give a listen.

In the past 24 months, Americans have “endured” all manner of stress, distress, uncertainty, confusion, mis-information, and more. As believers, where are we to find comfort from all this? Pastor Mike reminds us from 2 Corinthians, that St Paul was no stranger from difficulties and stress, but that he also has a source of comfort.

A simple phrase. Well, Pastor Galardi helps us understand just some of the richness of this text in this sermon.

I don’t know about you, but when I look at the the stars, the planets, and the galaxies- when I can identify them, that is -I can come away feeling rather small. Totally inconsequential, might be more appropriate. King David might have had similar feelings based on his expressions in Psalm 8, as Pastor Croyts … Continue reading What Is Man, That You Are Mindful Of Him? →

In this first of a multi-part sermon series based in Galatians 5, Randy Meyer sets the foundation for some teaching on becoming more Christ-like in our actual behavior. How is this “sanctification”- which is a theological term for it -accomplished? Randy weaves in related Scriptures from Romans and 2 Corinthians. The key, says Randy, is … Continue reading Walk In The Spirit – Part 1 →

The book of Ecclesiastes is an interesting book, to say the least. Pastor Jeff continued in his series on this book to help listeners understand that our “good enough” will never actually be good enough. So what will be? Maybe if you listen…

1 Peter is an epistle, a letter, that speaks to believers who are experiencing “tough times” of some kind. Suffering? Persecution? We are unclear the exact nature of what it is. But St Peter makes it clear that suffering is “part of the deal” when you “sign up” as a Jesus follower. He then points … Continue reading Our All Sufficient Shepherd →

For “Father’s Day” pastor Mike takes us in a direction perhaps you may not have expected. Our Heavenly Father is everywhere so we actually cannot escape his “space”. That being so, we can lose the benefit of this fact if we don’t consciously “live there”.

Do you know what the word “gospeling” means? Maybe more basic is: Have you ever heard the word “gospeling”? Martin Rossol will help you out if you listen to his sermon taken from Matthew 9 and 10.

King Solomon was the wisest man whoever lived. That is what the Bible says. He tried everything to find the most joy and pleasure in life. His research and results are captured for our benefit in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiates. Pastor Jeff basically shared that our outlook greatly influences the outcome in our … Continue reading Puzzle Pieces of Providence →

Pastor Jerry finishes his teaching on Psalm 7. This is a Psalm which challenges thinking that God is never angry; or that those who live according to God’s designs wait in vain for God to come and rescue them from those who harm; who do evil; who stand against what is godly.

There’s a wonderful event described in 1 Chronicles 20 about a king who was afraid and who was willing to admit that he did not know what do do. Have you ever felt that way this past year? Pastor Mike’s sermon will be an encouragement to you. Please listen.

Psalm 7 is the longest Psalm yet in Pastor Jerry’s series. In the first six psalms, when the subject of “righteousness” comes up, David always suggests the “righteousness of God” and not his own. In Psalm 7 David sounds like he is claiming that he is righteous based on his own merit. What is going … Continue reading “Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” →

John 12 is the passage where gentiles, “some Greeks”, asked to see Jesus. What is Jesus’ response? Pastor Alex Young helps explain why Philip responds as he does, and what Jesus response should help us understand about glory: God’s glory.

Psalm 6 is one Psalm that has left many questioning its author or, if it was King David, if he really could have been in such a depressed state. Pastor Croyts, continuing he series in Psalms, pointed out that often when we are in deep dispair it confirms that God is still at work. Yes, … Continue reading Finding God in the Dark →

Some sins appear, at least superficially, to be more easily avoided than others. Think of murder or adultery; these seem to be pretty ordinal. You either commit them or you don’t.* But when the Bible commands us to “put away anger”, hmm, that presents a real problem for us. Anger is an emotion every human … Continue reading Put Away Anger →

Have you become paranoid about what “they” know about you – that is, if you spend any time at all online? Well, its been said, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you!” Robert Knuth reminds us of the fact that God know everything, that’s E V E R Y T … Continue reading Completely Known; Completely Loved →

On what basis should a “Philosophy of Missions” be founded? Pastor Alex Young used Chapter 13 from the Acts of the Apostles to explain. And the elements include: Election, Obedience, Humility and Perseverance in Persecution.

In all the gospel narratives the issue of fear is addressed by Jesus and heavenly messengers (angels). We hear things like “Fear not”, “Do not be afraid!”; “…and the doors were locked because they were afraid.” Fear has been with the human race since the garden of Eden. But what does Easter have to do … Continue reading Do Not Be Afraid →

Randy Meyers draws the attention of the congregation to what may not be the most well-known event of Genesis, but arguably one which most explicitly foreshadows the work of Jesus on the Cross. Randy’s hope is that it will lead us to desire to respond to the testing of our faith in a way that … Continue reading Where is the Lamb? →

St Paul’s concern about what people are thinking about hold true, very true, to this day, this age, and this place. What is controlling our thoughts? Who is directing and prioritizing your mind? Pastor Frison shares his thought on St Paul’s words from his letter to the Phillipians.

Is Jesus trustworthy? Will he do what he claims? CAN he do what he says he can? St Matthew has given his readers convincing evidence that Jesus is, in fact, very trustworthy. In today’s sermon, Martin Rossol reviews the last and most convincing proof that Jesus is the all-powerful King of the coming Kingdom of … Continue reading Jesus Conquers Death →

People “label” themselves and other in all sorts of ways. Think of what you may have been called when you were younger? Labels can communicate truth, and they can motivate. Jesus used one label perhaps more than any other: hypocrite. He criticized those who were “hypocrites” more than anything. And that is what Pastor Jeff’s … Continue reading The Law and Labels →

Last time Randy Meyers preached he taught on the message preached by John the Baptizer: Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand. Today, Randy shifted his focus to how Jesus continued in the same vein- Repent, and believe the gospel!

One Biblical scholar has said that the prophet Zechariah was the most “forward looking” of the Old Testament prophets. In this sermon, Pastor Mike walks us through the first part of chapter 8 of Zechariah. In it we see that God is really interested in some of the more ordinary aspects of human experience, and … Continue reading Thus Says The Lord! →

Psalm 5 is a Psalm that seems to go in unrelated directions. Very similar to our thoughts when we are under duress. Yet in the midst of this “randomness” there is an order to the Psalmist’s thinking; to his prayer. Pastor Croyts helps us see this in such a wonderful way.

Sending St Paul to be a missionary to the gentiles?! How crazy can that be? He was a perfect candidate to reach Jews; why would God send him to the gentiles? Well, that is just one example of how God does things we would never expect, and it is also a demonstration that God can … Continue reading What is God Doing?! →

This is the question Pastor MIke put to the congregation Sunday? Are you running or are you standing still? “Oh, but I’m waiting for God…” Sure, look at how much many saints of bygone years have had to wait. But that didn’t mean they were standing still. (Note: there were some technical ‘glitches’ in the … Continue reading What Race are You Running? →

We were so pleased to have a former Stonebridge Elder preaching for us today! Randy’s topic “Repentance” has been a subject of both our adult discipleship class and also the Women’s Thursday Bible study. Randy’s focus was on John the baptizer and his message “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” And that … Continue reading Who Warned You to Flee? →

John’s disciples and the Pharisees were challenging the fact that Jesus’ disciples did not really “fit in” with the existing religious norms and paradigms. “Why don’t your disciples fast?” Well, Jesus was more than happy to address their question, as our elder Martin Rossol explained in today’s talk.

How can we sleep when there is so much turmoil around us? King David had that challenge 4000+ years ago. Yet he found that his confidence in Jehovah was the solution.

The epistle of St Paul to the Galatians is a favorite of many historical church “giants”. It in the Apostle Paul dispenses with formalities and immediately gets puts his “beefs” on the table: “I can’t believe that you are forsaking the Jesus of the gospel I delivered to you!!” We risk the same admonition if … Continue reading Jesus + Nothing = Everything →

The Pharisees tried to “stay separate” from all that might ‘contaminate’ them. It was their religious activity that they felt would solve their sin problem. Jesus challenged that diagnosis and made it clear that outward religious activity is not what is pleasing to God. We please God when we have the right attitudes in our … Continue reading Jesus: The Sin Doctor →

As we come to the end of a most unusual year, Pastor Mike reminds us why Christmas, even Christmas this year, should give us pause to be merry.