Return to Glory Part 4

A Way Through Pain

A Way Through Pain Series: Miscellaneous Preacher: Jimmy Davis Sunday Morning Date: 28th June 2026 Passage: Psalm 43:1-5 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+43%3A1-5&version=ESV] ------------------- Pain is not a waste of time. According to Romans 8, God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, and that includes suffering. Psalm 43 gives us a honest and practical path for praying through pain rather than running from it. The psalmist models what it looks like to come to God as you really are, desperate, discouraged, and longing for His presence. He asks God to send His light and truth to lead him back, and along the way he arrives at the altar, where repentance and grace meet. The destination of the entire prayer is God Himself, described as exceeding joy. Not the removal of pain, but the presence of God, is the good life we were made for. Because of the empty tomb, that joy is never out of reach.

The Battle for Faithfulness

The Battle for Faithfulness Series: The Jesus We Need to Know Preacher: Kevin Smith, Senior Pastor Sunday Morning Date: 21st June 2026 Passage: 1 Samuel 15:1-33 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+15%3A1-33&version=ESV] ------------------- Faithfulness to God is not about perfection. It is about a heart of obedience rooted in love for Him. In 1 Samuel 15, Saul's failure reveals what happens when the fear of man replaces the fear of God. He disobeyed a clear command, made excuses, and ultimately used God's blessings to promote his own glory. Samuel, by contrast, feared God above all else, and that fear gave him the courage to speak hard truth to a powerful king. True faithfulness is fueled not by fear of consequences but by a heart captured by the love of God. Because God set His love on us before the foundation of the world and sent His Son for sinners, our obedience flows from gratitude rather than obligation. Faithfulness is a heart that keeps returning to God, keeps trusting His love, and keeps choosing Him because He is worth it.

Ambassadors for Christ

Ambassadors for Christ Series: The Jesus We Need to Know Preacher: Kevin Smith, Senior Pastor Sunday Morning Date: 14th June 2026 Passage: John 17:17-19 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+17%3A17-19&version=ESV] ------------------- As believers, we are Christ's ambassadors - both sanctified and sent into the world with a divine mission. Unlike earthly kingdoms that choose the wealthy and influential, God chooses ordinary people and equips them for His service. Jesus prays for our sanctification through truth, which protects us from worldly deception and transforms our minds. Being sanctified means we are set apart as holy, belonging exclusively to God. We are also sent people, placed strategically in our communities, workplaces, and neighborhoods to represent Christ's kingdom. This ambassadorial role is a 24/7 reality that requires spiritual training and conscious awareness of our primary identity as kingdom representatives.

Kingdom Commission

Kingdom Commission Series: Miscellaneous Preacher: Lloyd Kim Sunday Morning Date: 7th June 2026 Passage: Matthew 28:16-20 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+28%3A16-20&version=ESV] ------------------- The Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20 reveals three crucial truths about following Christ. Despite the disciples' recent failures and abandonment of Jesus, He met them with pure grace rather than rebuke. Jesus declared that all authority in heaven and earth had been given to Him, providing the foundation for mission work. Every follower of Christ is called to make disciples through baptism and teaching, not just pastors or missionaries. The motivation for mission springs from love for the King who first loved us, not from guilt or manipulation.

Divine Witness Protection #3

Divine Witness Protection #3 Series: The Jesus We Need to Know Preacher: Kevin Smith, Senior Pastor Sunday Morning Date: 31st May 2026 Passage: John 17:12-16 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+17%3A12-16&version=ESV] ------------------- In John 17:12-16, Jesus prays to the Father about His disciples, revealing our divine witness protection through His intercession. While Judas fell away as a disciple of convenience rather than conversion, true believers like Peter are kept secure through Christ's prayers. Jesus acknowledges that the world hates His followers because they are no longer of the world, yet He gives them His joy even amid persecution. Rather than removing us from the world, Jesus prays for our protection from the evil one while we remain as lights in the darkness. The key difference between those who fall away and those who persevere is that true disciples have been genuinely converted and are continually upheld by Christ's intercession.