Garden Way Church Sermons

Today we travel to Nazareth to explore How It All Began, as Jesus launches His public ministry.  There in His hometown synagogue, Jesus takes the future and brings it into the present. He announces to those in attendance that everything they’ve been longing for and praying for... everything they’ve doubted might ever happen, is happening

In our text today we will read about the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness of Judea.  What was so important about the temptation of Christ?  And what does His temptation mean for those of us who are believers and followers of Jesus? (Luke 4:1-13)

True repentance is not just about doing better or working harder.  It's about understanding how completely lost we are and how much we desperately need Jesus.  The 19th century preacher Charles Spurgeon says this about how quickly God runs to meet us in our repentance: “No eye is quicker to see the mercy of God

This message considers a major Turning of The Tide, the most significant Tide Change in all human history…when The Son of God becomes a man. (Luke 2)

The Gospel According to Luke was written so that we might know with certainty who Jesus is. Luke starts with the story of a childless couple named Zechariah and Elizabeth, set in a dark season in the life of God’s people.  (Luke 1)

The Gospel According to Luke was written so that we might know with certainty who Jesus is. Luke starts with the story of a childless couple named Zechariah and Elizabeth, set in a dark season in the life of God’s people.  (Luke 1)

In this final chapter of Ecclesiastes we find the aged Teacher, Solomon, passing on good advice to future generations by exhorting everyone from young to old live with resolve and to die without regret.  (Ecclesiastes 12:1-8)

In this chapter Solomon encourages the followers of The LORD that Life is to be lived to the fullest – cheerfully, reverently, deliberately!  The wise refuse to settle for a grim existence of emptiness and vanity; they are motivated by the radiant goodness of God daily surrounding them, the don't wait to live... they live

For Solomon, a fool is not someone with a lack of intellectual ability, but someone who has lost their moral compass... the fool is one who doesn’t fear God or follow His ways.  In this message we consider the futility of foolishness.  (Ecclesiastes 10:1-20)

To fully embrace and appreciate this life we must confront our mortality and understand that our time here is finite... which leads to a more meaningful and joyful existence now as we prepare for the life that is to come. (Ecclesiastes 9:1-18)

God’s wisdom clarifies and purifies our ability to comprehend His plan and purpose for our life.  His wisdom helps us navigate life while recognizing that, although we cannot always fully understand God's ways, we can always trust His plan... rooted in Jesus Christ. (Ecclesiastes 8:1-17)

In the 21st century culture of aloneness and “me-time” the church exists as a bit of an anomaly.  At the intersection of American individualism and Father God’s desire for community, stands the church of The Lord Jesus Christ, The family of God. (Acts 2:42-47)

Our past mistakes and failures often hold us back from all that The LORD has for us. God invites us to live with a future focus...rather than dwelling on the past, we are called to live with eager anticipation for the newness of what lies ahead.  In this passage Paul provides us tools that can

The resurrection of Jesus was good news that changed the lives of the disciples and by their impact, the world. We have the same choice to make as those early followers of Jesus. When we choose faith, we are found “in Christ” and our lives are made new. (Matthew 28:1-10)

If life apart from God = 0, then a life lived with and for the LORD is of the highest value, superior in quality and more excellent.  It is much more better!  This makes the goal of a Christ follower to simply give The LORD our best! (Ecclesiastes 7:1-14)

Chapter six is one of the darkest chapters in the Bible, as Solomon describes how dissatisfaction can sidetrack and destroy our lives. Our uncontrolled appetites will end up consuming us unless we are willing surrender to the power of Jesus. (Ecclesiastes 6:1-12)

The love of money will not provide meaning in this life.  It comes and it goes… But finding joy and contentment in the work of The LORD will keep us from brooding over the past and help us to remain focused on what will be one day when we are with Jesus. (Ecclesiastes 5:8-20)

Solomon encourages us to step into the presence of God, but with care and caution.  We’re called to be intentionally humble when we come before an incredibly holy God. (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7)

Chapter four begins with Solomon observing some troubling aspects of loneliness in a life lived under the sun.  We’ll discover that God's antidote for loneliness is to implant within us a desire for relationship, for community with other people, which is fulfilled through Life Together in His Church.  (Ecclesiastes 4:1-16)

God’s intention for His creation and for us is to experience beauty.  Even when we go through terrible times or painful seasons of life, we can know: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” God always acts for our ultimate good, even when it doesn’t seem like it’s for our immediate good. (Ecclesiastes 3:9-22)

Life is made up of both positive and negative seasons. We can’t change the season we are in by skipping ahead to the next one or by going back to the good old days. But, we can find God’s purpose and bring Him glory in a seasons of suffering and hardship, or when we experience

What treasures are we storing up on this earth that we will not be able to take with us?  What legacy will we leave behind?  This passage is a great reminder for our lives to be focused not on things of this earth, the things under the sun, but instead on the plan and purpose

As Solomon explores a variety of personal pursuits we discover that the more She pursued personal satisfaction, the more he lost real perspective on the purpose of life. (Ecclesiastes 2:1-17)

In this earthly existence, this circle of life... we may or may not discover our place, but ultimately, we’re not here just for this life… we’re created by God for something more… something better beyond this temporary, vain, and often troubled, existence. (Ecclesiastes 1:3-18)

Solomon wanted to figure out what life was all about. So he launched out on a no-holds barred life safari that cost him millions of dollars and many years of his life. The Preacher was on a search for his purpose in life and it appears he was running on empty. (Ecclesiastes 1:1-3)

Jesus’ great I Am statement does not stand alone, it demands a response.  “Do You believe this?”  He asked Martha.  Do you believe this?   He asks you and me!   And what will our answer be?  This is The Life that only Jesus offers. (John 11:25-27)

For millions of people Christmas is just "the holiday season."  May we not lose the sense of marvel at the Christmas miracle... Immanuel, God with us. He is our gift on the front porch of our life... waiting to unwrapped.  (Isaiah 7:14-17)

This message explores deliverance through unexpected means, a child!  Yet in this child, we find that God Himself has come. The Fourfold Name of this extraordinary child is packed with notions of divinity and hope.  (Isaiah 9:1-7)

In this message we explore Jesus' famous self-declaration, a three-part title. With this title Jesus identifies Himself as the sole path to God the Father, providing the real truth about God, and offering eternal life.  He alone is the means for reconciliation with God, peace, and a complete spiritual life.  (John 14:1-6)

The title Lord Jesus Christ is used 60 times in the New Testament, including 49 times by Paul. Lord speaks to His authority, Jesus speaks to His mission, and Christ speaks to fulfilled promise. A message from Ministry Apprentice Dexter Macauley. (Romans 5:1-5)

Jesus is our Great High Priest who has passed through the heavens—but not before He walked upon and suffered through this earth, this life.  Therefore, our Great High Priest can sympathize with our weaknesses.  He’s walked the path we walk and can show us the better way.  Jesus is the priest we need, and, a

Jesus declares to us that He is that Good Shepherd and that we must look to Him. Jesus is the consummation of a 600-year-old promise… so that we can look to Him and listen to His voice as He guides us through the road of this life and prepares us to know the fullness of

Through this  message we discover the beauty and power of Jesus being 'The Lamb Of God' as we connect Jesus to the ancient Hebrew tradition of animal sacrifice and the Passover Lamb, symbolizing that His death is the perfect and final payment for sin, that liberates people from spiritual slavery to sin. (John 1:29-36)

Jesus was a man, but not an ordinary man. Referring to Jesus as “the Word” illustrates something more significant.  The Greek term for “the Word” is “Logos.” The idea attached to the word “logos” is reason, logic, or bringing order out of chaos. The Logos brings harmony and order to the universe.  This gives us

In this short paragraph Paul challenges us to pray… to intercede, with deep commitment, so that the gospel message will go out clearly, as we share… or invite, those who do not yet know Christ into God’s grace. (Colossians 4:2-6)

In this next section of his letter Paul explains that we need to allow the Word and Character of God to shape the way we interact with others... so he gives us some very practical teaching in the areas of marriage, the home and the workplace. (Colossians 3:15-4:1)

As believers we have been drafted onto the team of the true King. God took us from our old life and gave us a new one in Christ Jesus. This new team of Christ comes with a different character and different demands. In today’s passage from Colossians chapter 3 Paul reminds his readers that, since

False teachers in Colossians were gaining a foothold by introducing and importing rules and traditions from both Judaism and paganism and corrupting the purity of the Christian faith.  Paul calls these man-made weeds and philosophies “shadows” and contrasts them with the truth of the Gospel which he calls “substance.”  Paul wants his readers to step

In this message GWC Ministry Apprentice Dexter Macauley reminds us that The Gospel didn’t just come into play at a single point in time when we were saved. God is still at work in our lives, helping us to deepen our roots in His plan and purpose... the deeper our roots, the stronger our impact

In this section of Colossians we’ll discover our reason for living. Colossians 1:24-2:5 answers the question: “Now that Jesus is supreme in my life, now that I’ve been rescued & transferred, what is my purpose as a Christ follower?"  The Apostle Paul helps us to Discover Our Design. (Colossians 1:24-2:5)

In the 1st century The Colossians heard, "Worship Jesus, but not exclusively. Jesus is just one spirit among many to be worshipped."  In this passage we'll consider Paul's adamant declaration of Christ's supremacy over every being. every idea, and every goal which invites our attention. (Colossians 1:15-23)

In this introduction to his letter to the Colossian church Paul emphasizes that the church was flourishing until false teachers came and disrupted the growth and confused their theology. Paul’s purpose in writing was to encourage the believers to combat errors in the church while standing firm in Faith, Hope & Love. (Colossians 1:1-14)

In this final message from the series through the letter of James, James sheds light for us on a crucial—and often misunderstood—passage about prayer from James 5.  We can be encouraged that God does hear the prayers of His children, and it is often through them that He chooses to accomplish His work on earth…

How long can we hold on when tough trials come into our life?  Not just the physical hardships, but emotional crisis, family battles, financial insecurity, spiritual battles… how long can we endure? In a society of one-click shopping and seemingly endless instant gratification, patience is one thing that is often in short supply.  In this

In this text James speaks to people who plan their finances and spend their money as though there is no God, and he says they are wicked.  These are serious words!  May we use these words as a mirror to check ourselves in what we are doing, as James announces the judgement to come on the

We all make plans... whether it's we will do tomorrow or in the coming year. While the Bible acknowledges that it is wise to plan, it also recognizes that the attitude behind our planning is crucial. In this passage from James we find a helpful perspective on how to approach our life, in light of the

In this text James begins by posing a question to all of us: Why do we fight? For most of us, we might think we know the answer. We fight because THEY started it!  But James has a much different answer. The problem isn’t our circumstances, or our boss, or our friends, or our spouse,

In this text James illustrates two distinct types of wisdom, as well as the results that come from pursuing one or the other.  When we see ourselves through the eyes of a loving Father e will find ourselves growing in peace personally as well as in our interactions with others. This is true, Biblical wisdom.

The tongue is such a small part of our bodies, and yet it has astonishing power—both to wound and to heal, to bless and to curse.  From this passage Ministry Apprentice Dexter Macauley shows us the dangers of the tongue and what it can reveal about the state of our hearts.  (James 3:2-12)

In this passage James has us considering the relationship between faith and works. Do we act on what we say we believe?  Is our faith genuine, or, is it counterfeit, a fake representation of the real thing?  This message explores faith that saves and faith that doesn't—and how to know which one we possess. (James