Sermon: What We Want from the Word

What We Want from the Word Psalm 119:129-136 December 27, 2020 What did you want this week? That’s a fitting question for a week when there is much gift giving. What gifts were you anticipating giving? What kinds of gifts were you hoping to receive (or not receive)? Where did you want to go (or […]

Sermon: Failure and Faithfulness

Failure and Faithfulness Romans 11:11-16 June 28, 2020 The past four months of COVID-19 and unrighteous killings and riots have led to many questions, and few answers. Many questions have not just been asked about our political leaders, but also about God. All the questions about God might be summarized by three questions asked by […]

What do you want?

D. A. Carson told the story of Lillian Guild who was driving one day with her husband and noticed a recent-model Cadillac at the side of the road with its hood up. The driver explained with some embarrassment that he was in a hurry to get to a business meeting and that while he’d seen […]

Sermon: A Servant of Scripture

A Servant of Scripture Psalm 119:121-128 June 21, 2020 Private Harry Cole was a private in the British Army that was retreating to Dunkirk in 1940. He penned a letter to his mother and family during the retreat, but his regiment was overrun by the Germans and he never made it to Dunkirk and did […]

Sermon: Loyalty to God and His Word

Loyalty to God and His Word Psalm 119:113-120 December 29, 2019 Pastor Matt Woodley tells the story of a softball game he played in a number of years ago: …the umpire made a call that incensed our coach. My coach didn’t agree with the ump’s interpretation of a specific league rule. The game stopped, and […]

Sermon: We Give Thanks to God

We Give Thanks to God Colossians 1:3-8 August 11, 2019 A tremendous amount of effort has gone into acknowledging GBC’s 40th anniversary. Hours and hours in planning, interviewing, designing logos, phone calling, ordering (food and shirts and…), setting up tables and chairs, mowing, marking parking, and more. Is it worth the effort? Is there value […]

Sermon: The Light of God’s Word in the Darkness of the World

The Light of God’s Word in the Darkness of the World Psalm 119:105-112 August 4, 2019 We live in a dark world. We live in a world where people are blind to the reality of God, the devastation of sin, the truth of Christ and His righteousness. We live in a world where blind people […]

Sermon: The delight of God’s Word

The Delight of God’s Word Psalm 119:97-104 January 6, 2019 Several years ago, after reading through Psalm 119, I was fascinated by all the different ways that the psalmist said he responded to the Word of God. So I re-read through the psalm and made a chart of as many different responses as I could […]

Sermon: The Eternally Faithful Word of God

The Eternally Faithful Word of God Psalm 119:89-96 July 15, 2018 We are now six months into the New Year. The New Year is not so new anymore. It’s not even a teenager. It’s hit the doldrums of the middle age years. In case you haven’t noticed, we are closer to next Christmas than last […]

Will God help me?

Cheryl Treadway and her three children were being held hostage by her boyfriend, Ethan Nickerson. He evidently was high on methamphetamine and threatening her with a knife if she attempted to leave. Trapped and scared, Treadway took the only course of action she could think of — she received permission from Nickerson and then ordered […]

Suffering as a ministry

We understand that the Lord often uses suffering as a means of sanctifying us — our trials are designed to conform us to Christ. We don’t necessarily “like” the process, but we understand that this is what God does. Paul makes that clear in several places: “And not only this, but we also exult in […]

Sermon: What to Pray When You’re Afflicted

“What to Pray When You’re Afflicted” Psalm 119:73-80 June 25, 2017 Scripture is filled with exhortations and examples of suffering: For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. (2 Cor. 1:5) For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to […]

Sermon: God’s Good Word in the School of Affliction

“God’s Good Word in the School of Affliction” Psalm 119:65-72 January 1, 2017 Every year for the past five or six years, on the first Sunday of January I have preached a sermon from Psalm 119 to encourage us to read and meditate on and memorize Scripture in the coming year. And I had planned […]

Sermon: God, My Portion

“God, My Portion” Psalm 119:57-64 June 26, 2016 Obedience is hard. It’s hard to obey a boss who is tyrannical and unfair. It’s hard to obey a parent that demands his children do what he will not do. It’s hard for a wife to submit to a husband whose leadership is foolish and uncaring. It’s […]

The cost of not following Christ

Jesus tells His followers to consider the cost of following Him: “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me […]