University Church of Christ Tuscaloosa Sermon Audio

Stand firm, put on the full armor of God, and pray.

A deeper look into spiritual warfare and the power of prayer.

We can’t become a church who is convicted to pray and fast until we realize we’re in a spiritual battle.

This Sunday we focus on what Missions looks like for UCC.

Our final message in the Hearing From God teaching series.

We wait on the Spirit and go tell the story of Jesus.

This Sunday, we focus on how the Holy Spirit works in us.

Some practical questions to help you determine if you are hearing from God.

God wants to speak to you, but in order to hear Him you have to be still.

As we kick off our Hearing From God series, we look at the power of the Holy Spirit.

We want to be a church that looks like Jesus.  Nothing More.  Nothing Less.

As we start the New Year, we want to look with anticipation of what God will do.

Almost the entire Bible contains messages from God to His people for our benefit.  However, the Psalms represent a portion of Scripture that contains people's words to God.  As we begin a focused season of prayer as a church, we're looking at the Psalms.

Almost the entire Bible contains messages from God to His people for our benefit.  However, the Psalms represent a portion of Scripture that contains people's words to God.  As we begin a focused season of prayer as a church, we're looking at the Psalms.

In Acts 13, the church was still a regional movement when God spoke to the church in Antioch.  His message was simple, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them" (Acts 13:2).  After that, the church laid hands on them, sent them, and the world hasn't been the same since.  We dream of being an Antioch church--a church that raises up leaders and sends them on mission to change the world.

Another new year brings with it a sense of hope and renewal.  Many of us will set new goals in our professional or personal lives.  In order to achieve those goals, we need wisdom and understanding, something the book of Proverbs has a lot to say about.  One thing is clear: it’s hard to live a good life without wisdom.

Another new year brings with it a sense of hope and renewal.  Many of us will set new goals in our professional or personal lives.  In order to achieve those goals, we need wisdom and understanding, something the book of Proverbs has a lot to say about.  One thing is clear: it’s hard to live a good life without a good view of money.

Another new year brings with it a sense of hope and renewal.  Many of us will set new goals in our professional or personal lives.  In order to achieve those goals, we need wisdom and understanding, something the book of Proverbs has a lot to say about.  One thing is clear: it’s hard to live a good life without humility.

Another new year brings with it a sense of hope and renewal.  Many of us will set new goals in our professional or personal lives.  In order to achieve those goals, we need wisdom and understanding, something the book of Proverbs has a lot to say about.  One thing is clear: it’s hard to live a good life without good friends.

Another new year brings with it a sense of hope and renewal.  Many of us will set new goals in our professional and/or personal lives.  In order to live a good life, we need wisdom, something the book of Proverbs has a lot to say about.  It’s hard to live a good life if you don’t use words well.

Another new year brings with it a sense of hope and renewal.  Many of us will set new goals in our professional or personal lives.  In order to achieve those goals, we need wisdom and understanding, something the book of Proverbs has a lot to say about.  The writer tells us the first step toward a godly life is to take God seriously.

Another new year brings with it a sense of hope and renewal.  Many of us will set new goals in our professional or personal lives.  In order to achieve those goals, we need wisdom and understanding, something the book of Proverbs has a lot to say about.  The writer tells us the first step toward a godly life is to take God seriously.

Christmas and music are basically inseparable.  During this season, many of us attend Christmas programs and concerts, sing Christmas carols, and keep Christmas music playing in our homes.   When Mary first receives the message that she will give birth to the son of God, her response is a song of praise--one that we call the Magnificat.  Mary's response is rooted in gratitude that God has been mindful of her, even in her humble state.

Christmas and music are basically inseparable.  During this season, many of us attend Christmas programs and concerts, sing Christmas carols, and keep Christmas music playing in our homes.   When Mary first receives the message that she will give birth to the son of God, her response is a song of praise--one that we call the Magnificat.  Mary's response is rooted in gratitude that God has been mindful of her, even in her humble state.

Christmas and music are basically inseparable.  During this season, many of us attend Christmas programs and concerts, sing Christmas carols, and keep Christmas music playing in our homes.   When Mary first receives the message that she will give birth to the son of God, her response is a song of praise--one that we call the Magnificat.  Mary's response is rooted in gratitude that God has been mindful of her, even in her humble state.

Christmas and music are basically inseparable.  During this season, many of us attend Christmas programs and concerts, sing Christmas carols, and keep Christmas music playing in our homes.   When Mary first receives the message that she will give birth to the son of God, her response is a song of praise--one that we call the Magnificat.  Mary's response is rooted in gratitude that God has been mindful of her, even in her humble state.

For the month of November we’re covering our Core Values.  These provide clarity about what matters so we can do more of what matters.  Without Core Values there aren’t clear motives for why we do what we do.  The Core Value we covered this week is: Life Change.

For the month of November we’re covering our Core Values.  These provide clarity about what matters so we can do more of what matters.  Without Core Values there aren’t clear motives for why we do what we do.  The Core Value we covered this week is: Purpose.

For the month of November we’re covering our Core Values.  These provide clarity about what matters so we can do more of what matters.  Without Core Values there aren’t clear motives for why we do what we do.  The Core Value we covered this week is: Grace

For the month of November we’re covering our Core Values.  These provide clarity about what matters so we can do more of what matters.  Without Core Values there aren’t clear motives for why we do what we do.  The Core Value we covered this week is: Family.

For the month of October we’re covering our Basic Biblical Beliefs (BBB).  These provide the biblical justification for why we do what we do.  Without BBB’s our “why” is rooted in our opinion, not in God’s Word.  The BBB we covered this week is: God’s is Able.

For the month of October we’re covering our Basic Biblical Beliefs (BBB).  These provide the biblical justification for why we do what we do.  Without BBB’s our “why” is rooted in our opinion, not in God’s Word.  The BBB we covered this week is: God’s Son is at the Center.

For the month of October we’re covering our Basic Biblical Beliefs (BBB).  These provide the biblical justification for why we do what we do.  Without BBB’s our “why” is rooted in our opinion, not in God’s Word.  The BBB we covered this week is: God’s Word is alive and active.

For the month of October, we’ll be breaking down our church’s Basic Biblical Beliefs.  These are extremely important because they provide a foundation for what we believe about Scripture and its central focus, which gives us purpose for how to live in response to what it says.

Any group or organization needs to cast vision in order to know how to move forward in the future.  This is especially true for the church.  Without a clear vision, we can inadvertently exchange being a disciple of Christ to being simply a member of a church.  Thankfully, we have already been given a crystal clear image in Scripture of what we ought to pursue: Jesus. Nothing more. Nothing less.

We have all experienced confusion as a result of poor communication or vague expectations.  But Jesus was clear about how his people ought to put first things first.  After his resurrection, with all authority on earth having been given to him, his first command to his followers is this: Make Disciples.

We have all experienced confusion as a result of poor communication or vague expectations.  But Jesus was clear about how his people ought to put first things first.  The first and most important thing, in conjunction with a love for God, is this: Love People.

We have all experienced confusion as a result of poor communication or vague expectations.  But Jesus was clear about how his people ought to put first things first.  The first and most important thing, according to Jesus, is this: Love God.

Many of us have seen poor attempts to share faith, from bad church signs to street preachers.  Sometimes the fear of what people think keeps us from wanting to share our faith.  If we are serious about what we believe, we need to share it with others.  And if we have inhibitions about sharing faith, we'll need to change our perspective.

Many of us have seen poor attempts to share faith, from bad church signs to street preachers.  Sometimes this leads us to favor good deeds over talking about Jesus.  When we do this, faith and works end up pitted against each other, but Scripture sees them as two sides of the same coin.  Right teaching without good works is hypocritical, and justice is not complete without a proclamation of Jesus.

A core belief of Christianity is that the only way to know God is through Jesus.  However, many of us have tried alternatives.  Churches in our own network have made the same mistakes.  We may have earnestly sought God, but we have looked in all the wrong places.  Jesus makes it clear that faith in him is the only way to come to know the Father.

A core belief of Christianity is that the only way to know God is through Jesus.  However, statistics show that a growing number of Christians (especially younger ones) don’t share their faith.  Some even believe it’s morally wrong to share their faith.  But if we take Jesus seriously, we have no choice but to share the gospel.

The central claim of Christianity is that Jesus died and came back to life.  However, that claim has been understandably doubted and challenged for thousands of years.  Without a literal resurrection, Christians are the most pathetic people on the planet.  But if it is true, it is the most important event in all of history.

Throughout Scripture, there is an emphasis that blood is a requirement to take away sin.  Another way to say this is what Paul writes in Romans 6:23 “…the wages of sin is death.”  Jesus gave his life to atone for the sin of the world.  As the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15), Jesus shows us what God is like.  There is nothing else like the cross that so clearly shows what our God is like.

We all make mistakes.  Some are small and just a bit embarrassing, but others feel like permanent limitations on us.  Throughout the course of Mark, the disciples fall short over and over again.  The most notable failure, though, belongs to Peter.  He vehemently denies knowing Jesus and curses those who confront him.  If anyone should have been crippled by failure, it was Peter.  But Jesus doesn't leave us in our failure; he restores us.

In the final hours before His death, Jesus celebrates Passover with his followers for the last time.  Originally, its purpose was to remind Israel how God rescued them from slavery in Egypt.  However, Jesus gives new meaning to the bread and wine.  While the Passover signified Israel's deliverance from bondage, Jesus' body and blood gives all people freedom from the bondage of sin and death.

Everyone has a value system.  We place more or less value on the things that are more or less important to us.   The challenge for us is aligning our priorities with Jesus' priorities.  For the woman Mark 14, Jesus was worth abandoning social norms as well as losing an enormous amount of money.  For Judas, Jesus was worth a few pieces of silver.  The question is, what is Jesus worth to you?

Seeing the world the way Jesus sees it is always a challenge.  In fact, his way is often the complete opposite of our way.  While people judge outer appearances, Jesus sees through appearances and looks at the heart.  When it comes to generosity, we often marvel at large gifts or sums.  In this passage, Jesus sees the heart of the poor widow who gives all she has, even though the amount itself is small.  He is much more concerned with the heart of the giver than the amount of the gift.

We all have problems keeping our lives organized.  So many things pull us in different directions to the point where it’s hard to remember and focus on the most important things.  When someone asked Jesus what was most important, he responded with the greatest command: love God, love people.  Everything else in life hinges on this command.

On two separate occasions in Mark 11, Jesus becomes frustrated by a lack of fruit.  First, he curses a fig tree for its literal lack of fruit.  Then he drives vendors and money-changers out of the temple for using it as a way to make a profit.  In the same way that Jesus judged the fig tree for being all leaves and no fruit, Jesus judged Israel for being all temple and no life change.  As Christians today, are we all church and no life change?