South Lansing Christian Church

The prophet Hosea preached to the Northern Kingdom, who worshipped God wrongly. They had combined their worship of God with the worship of ba’al and golden calves. They trusted that ba’al was making them prosperous. God spoke through Hosea to tell them they would no longer be called “my people.” Even in the punishment and frustration God had, he still loves them. God’s love is unending. How do we see His love for his people and allow it to challenge our lives?

While many view science and faith as incompatible, the truth is that they’re just describing different aspects of reality. Christians should not run from science, nor should we fear it. Instead we should understand that if something is true, it part of God’s story. Ultimately Scripture is our number one rule of faith and practice, and where the Bible speaks, we speak. Where it is silent, we’re silent.

There are a wide variety of viewpoints on LGBTQIA+ issues among churches today. Here at South, the Bible is our number one rule of faith and practice, and we seek to align our behavior with its standards. We also know that the God we serve is the God of grace.

What does the Bible say about mental health? What do we do when we get stuck in the valley of life? Are we willing to ask for help? God is faithful. God wants every part of us to be as healthy as it can be so we can live Christ!

Today we tackle the question, "Why does God allow such evil to be in the world?" God loves his creation. God desires good for his creation. But, God also has to give his creation free will. We make things messy. Yet, God still works for the good.

What does God want with my life? Am I justified? Am I sanctified? What happens as I follow him? Am I involved in the process? How does it all change my life? These are the questions we talk about today.

Church tradition has led us to the point at which there are varying methods of and perspective on baptism among God’s people today. Because we believe in doing Bible-things Bible-ways, we practice baptism in a way that we understand to be most congruent with Scripture.

It sounds nice to say that all religions lead to the same place, but is it true? What do the world’s religions claim for themselves, and are they actually compatible with one another? In this sermon we’ll look at what the Bible says, as well as the teachings of a few major world religions..

Jesus’ followers lived with great fear and uncertainty following his crucifixion. But, as the women found out at the tomb, and as the disciples found out later on, when Jesus speaks, fear becomes hope, and faith becomes realit.

A lot of people had expectations for Jesus on Palm Sunday, and these were not all the same! Today we often have our own expectations, but Jesus is beyond any of them. We come to him on his terms, not ours.

The rich young ruler engaged Jesus looking to affirm his faith. Jesus challenges him to fully surrender all that he has. We have the same challenge in our lives, what are we holding back from Jesus? What do we need to surrender?

Peter found himself taking a huge step of faith, out of the boat, onto the water. But then the chaos of the storm overwhelmed him. The same can happen to us today when, after taking a step in faith, we feel ourselves sinking in the chaos of this world.

Peter found himself taking a huge step of faith, out of the boat, onto the water. But then the chaos of the storm overwhelmed him. The same can happen to us today when, after taking a step in faith, we feel ourselves sinking in the chaos of this world.

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus is taken to the wilderness by the Spirit to engage with the Accuser. That story helps us to know that we have everything we need to overcome temptation - We simply need to do it.

Christians should live in a posture of readiness, prayerfully open to whoever God brings into their path.

Christians should live out their faith. How you live is the truest witness to those around you of what you really believe. The Apostle Paul demonstrated this by working his trade, and having conversations that mattered.

Christians need to know the gospel. You should be able to tell others just what you believe about Jesus, and why you have given your life to him. To know the gospel, start by knowing both your story and God’s story.

Jesus expects his followers to be engaged in the disciple making process. But…how do we do that? Is an invitation to church enough? Is there more? Jesus spent three years with his disciples, training them to be fishers of men. During that time they learned, practiced, and debriefed.

Jesus tells his followers to respond to aggression with love, and that when they are wronged, they should offer their aggressor more opportunities to harm them. This teaching flies in the face of America culture. If we’re going to be serious about following Jesus, we’ll be dramatically out of step with the world around us.

God expects his people to mean what they say, and to do what they say. A significant part of righteousness is doing the right thing, even when it costs you. Are we still those people? Do we still choose the right, even when shortcuts seem so attractive?

God’s standard for marriage defies popular culture and our natural human expectation. It almost seems offensive to us. Even so, this is what Jesus commands and expects from his followers. So, are we still those people? Do we take marriage seriously? Do we actively pursue sexual integrity? Can we be pure in heart?

It’s a new year – do we really take Jesus at his word? Will we do so in 2026? For instance, relationships: Our relationships matter so much to God that he expects his people to live at peace with one another. Are we still people who will actively engage and resolve our differences?

This Advent, we reflect on God’s love as both tender and powerful—a love revealed in Jesus’ first coming and fulfilled in His promised return. Revelation 19 shows us that divine love does not ignore injustice or abandon the broken, but actively restores what sin has distorted. As we celebrate Christ’s birth, we are reminded that His love is faithful, victorious, and committed to making all things new.

Revelation 12 retells the manger scene, only this time, there’s a dragon present at the nativity! Even as that dragon seeks to steal and destroy, God’s kingdom is told to “rejoice!” In this Christmas week, many things threaten to steal our joy and destroy our celebrations. But, we can hold onto joy when we remember that we are God’s holy people, saved by his son, Jesus Christ.

Habacuc shares about the peace we find in worshipping the Lord of all the nations in Revelation 5.

What is the context of Revelation? What is going on in the lives of those the book is written to at the end of the first century? Why do they need hope? What can hope do for them? What can hope do for us? Jesus is our Hope!

The Teacher in Ecclesiastes encourages us to deal with the meaningless of life by enjoying God’s gifts to us. But God himself intends for us to do much more than merely cope. Godly people move beyond coping into contentment.

The Book of Proverbs can be confusing: are these commandments? Are they promises? We struggle with how to understand proverbs. But, when we carefully consider them, we find that wisdom grows in us when we honor God with what we know and what we do.

We have trouble defining wisdom, but the Bible doesn’t. Scripture is very clear that the foundation of wisdom is fearing the Lord. So if you want to live wisely, you have to start with knowing and obeying God.

Psalm 139 is either incredibly comforting, incredibly challenging, or both! In this poem, we learn that God is always present with us, and knows us fully. If we’re feeling isolated or lonely, this should greatly encourage us. If we’re feeling drawn to sin, this should be a sober reminder that we cannot keep secrets from God.

Psalm 124 encourages God’s people to reflect on their past and see the ways in which God has helped them. In response to God’s active help in our stories, we are called to be grateful people who bring peace.

We’ve all experienced a song so catchy it gets stuck on repeat in our brains. But, what if we were to know Scripture so well that it did the same thing? How might our lives be different if the phrase “The LORD reigns” cycled regularly through our thoughts?

At first glance, Psalm 91 may feel like empty promises of protection from a God who asks his people to be naïve. In contrast, a more considered reading of this passage reveals a God who is with his people in their suffering, and asks them to trust him.

Psalm 77 gives us the opportunity to realize that God is good, even in the low points of life. Asaph allows himself to be lost for a moment in hopelessness but then remembers what the Lord has done.

Psalm 39 is difficult to parse at first glance, but tells the story of a person being disciplined by God because of sin. The tone of this psalm is melancholy, and speaks to the feelings we may encounter when we too experience the discipline of the Lord. Even so, there is hope, because, God’s discipline is for those he loves.

Psalm 19 tells us that God is revealed both through his creation, and through his word. Additionally, God is revealed to us through his son, Jesus Christ. When we are feeling disconnected or uncertain about God, we should look for him in one of those three areas.Psalm 19 tells us that God is revealed both through his creation, and through his word. Additionally, God is revealed to us through his son, Jesus Christ. When we are feeling disconnected or uncertain about God, we should look for him in one of those three areas.

If wisdom is knowing the right thing to do, and then doing it. Folly is knowing the right thing to do, and then not. In Psalm 14, the foolish person has heard of God, but tells themselves there is no God – and then they do whatever they want. Too often God’s people can act in similar foolish ways, compartmentalizing their faith, and ignoring God’s truth in certain areas of their lives.

We give ourselves too much credit. We think we are wiser than we are. We think we are smarter than we are. We think we are more powerful than we are. God is infinitely beyond the best of our best, and he governs the universe by his wisdom, over and above his justice.

Christians sometimes – erroneously – assume that following Jesus will make their lives simple and easy. That’s simply not the case, and the book of Job tells us the story of a man who closely followed God, but suffered immensely. For us today the question is not, “will we suffer”, but “will we do what is right?”

On Labor Day weekend, we pause to talk about rest, Sabbath, and knowing where our rest is to come from.

Judges 2:10 makes one of the most terrifying statements in the entirety of Scripture: “After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the LORD or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.” The Israelites failed to prepare for the next generation. Will our story be the same, or will South Lansing Christian Church be intentional in raising up and preparing those who will come next?

Jesus flipped the cultural script by treating children, who had no power, no status, and no voice, as the blueprint for Kingdom living. He showed us that kids aren’t just future church members, but vital here and now because they teach us humility, reveal the health of our community, and remind us that we can’t earn our way into God’s Kingdom. We’ve got to be carried, just like them. So maybe instead of just teaching our students, we let them teach us too—about faith, dependence, and what it really means to follow Jesus.

Jesus called 12 guys who were just nobodies from the north shore region of the Sea of Galilee. Then, they changed the world. Their story reminds us to not overlook the next generation in our churches today. Because, today’s misfits may very well be tomorrow’s church leaders.

Moses challenged Israelite parents to use all of life’s moments to remind their kids of God and his commands. In the same way today, parents have a huge responsibility to raise up their children as disciples of Jesus. Likewise, our church has a huge responsibility to support parents in this work.

Our Sr. Saints are people from the Golden Age. They have wisdom and life experience that us younger generations need. We look at Luke 12 to gain perspective of how Jesus calls us to live.

The God we serve is faithful. He keeps his promises to all generations of his people. And – he has people from among all the generations who have ever lived. When church is at its best, it extends a welcome to all living generations.

Jude spends his letter decrying the false teaching of immoral people who were infiltrating his church. Interestingly enough, he doesn’t identify their specific false doctrines, but instead the way they were behaving. That’s because no matter what someone says, the truth comes out in how they live.

In his third letter, John writes to a church still in conflict. One faction opposes John and discounts his words. Another seems more neutral. Through all the conflict, John holds on to the truth and remains in contact with these people. And he encourages them to “do good” and thereby show that they know God.

The elder in 2 John is writing to encourage the house churches in Ephesus and the surrounding area to continue on in the Truth of Jesus by loving one another. He also warns to not stray and follow the “deceivers” who deny Jesus. His encouragement, stand firm on God’s truth and love and live obedient lives.

The apostle John wrote three letters to his churches, combatting a specific heresy about Jesus, and encouraging them to live in obedience to him. That’s because knowing the truth changes how you live. Christians today should be diligent in learning the truth, so that we can live out our faith. In the words of a Christian cliché, “right thinking leads to right living.