Episodes
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Empty Nets
Bob Dylan once famously sang, “The times they are a-changin'.” The experiences of the last year may have left you feeling empty. These past few months remind us that sin is ugly. It wreaks havoc in our lives. There is only one answer, only one Savior who can provide meaning and hope to the…
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Jesus, Friend Of Sinners
Jesus is called a ‘friend of sinners,’ by the Pharisees which was intended to be an insult, but nothing could be further from the truth. In many ways, the Bible is a story of friendship. There is friendship within the Godhead between Father, Son, and Spirit. God befriends Adam and Eve in the...
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Recovering Friendship
“To the Ancients, friendship seemed the happiest and most fully human of all loves; the crown of life and the school of virtue. The modern world, in comparison, ignores it.” – C. S. Lewis Is this true? Are we ignoring friendship? Have we forgotten what friendship is all together? One study shows...
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Parents And Kids: Pressure, Peers, And Perseverance
When a baby is born, the world stops and changes. Schedules are altered. Focus is redirected. Sleep is forfeited. God's kindness is on display. Children are a blessing from the Lord. Learning to eat, crawl, talk, and go potty seems to be the order of the day. Kids change so quickly. Preschool...
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Marriage: A Messy, Mystical Union
We are made for relationships, but It’s Complicated, and after a year like 2020, our relationships are showing wear. Sin has corrupted our relationships. To be a sinner means living with the regular possibility that our relationships will suffer from our (and others’) selfishness, inattention,...
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Step Out
What's Next has been a series that is a parable of the Christian life. Jesus comes to save us from the slavery of sin, and as his grace transforms us, we are very different from the person we were in the wilderness. In obedience, we pass through the waters of baptism to obey God and declare our...
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What's Next: Step In
Waiting. Patience may be a virtue, but it feels more like a pain. It seems that the world has been on hold because of COVID. People talk about getting back to normal while words like postponed, canceled, and everyday activities are unrecognizable. Joshua and the children of Israel have just spent...
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Whats Next? Just One Step
On May 19, 2014, US Navy Admiral, William H. McRaven, gave a commencement speech at the University of Texas, often referred to as the “Make Your Bed” speech. He said, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” This decorated officer has seen a lot, but he knows the…
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Love Your Pastor, Love Your Church
On Pastor Sam Shaw's final Sunday, he leaves a message for The Orchard and Pastor John Nix. January 10, 2021
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Facing 2021 With Courage and Confidence
Join us as Pastor Sam Shaw walks us through Philippians 1:12-21, answering the question, "Where does our confidence and courage come from?" Stand-Alone Sermon - January 3, 2021
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Trusting God for an Uncertain Future
James 4:13-17 says: Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you...
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Christmas With The Orchard
For many of us, this is not exactly what we expected for Christmas Eve. Being forced to gather online in our homes is not how many of us would have planned it. But as Luke, Chapter 2 shows us, sometimes plans can change. Join us for a Christmas Eve Message from Pastor John about how God often...
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A Mission of Peace
Peace? What is peace? It usually depends on who you ask… To those at war, it is a ceasefire. To those with hectic lives, it is calm and still. For those with anxiety or depression, it is inner tranquility. To the parent of small children, it is a moment of quiet. To those in complicated...
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The Pursuit of Peace
he peace we are looking at is not subjective, inner calm in one’s spirit, those who never engage in disagreement, or a compromising spirit. The biblical concept of peace is different. It is not merely the lack of conflict, hostility, or Wherever Jesus goes, he brings peace. He is the Prince of...
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The Gift And Guardian of Hearts And Minds
“The first great and primary business . . . every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord.” –George Mueller Is it possible to be at peace with yourself? Our hearts and minds are under siege with a global pandemic, quarantines, closures, lost jobs, financial hardships, social unrest, and general...
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Advent 2020: The Joyful Mystery of Peace
Peace? What is peace? It usually depends on who you ask… To those at war, it is a ceasefire. To those with hectic lives, it is calm and still. For those with anxiety or depression, it is inner tranquility. To the parent of small children, it is a moment of quiet. To those in complicated...
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The Cross Changes Everything
Join us as Pastor Sam walks us through Mark 15:33-39, detailing four events that explain why Jesus died, and what his death means. The Gospel According to Mark - The Servant King - 11.22.20
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The King and His Cross
The cross, is the most recognized symbol in the world. It is roughly analogous to an electric chair. How strange is it that a cross became the symbol of Christianity? Join us as Co-Pastor Sam Shaw walks us through Mark 15:1-32, and sheds light on the King and His cross. The Gospel According to…
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Jesus & A Wasted Life
Co-Pastor Sam Shaw makes a passionate plea to avoid the dangers of a wasted life, calling us to do what we can, to do all we can, and to do it while we can for Jesus. The Gospel According to Mark - The Servant King - 11.08.20
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Stay Awake
There is nothing quite like a closely contested game at the end, and if one of your favorite teams is involved, it can be exhausting. The running joke in our house includes the effects of the game on hearing, and no one can even begin to fathom how long a game will last with less than two minutes...
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Not Far From The Kingdom
Jesus answers the questions from the intellectual and religious elite publicly while the crowds look on and listen with great delight. The Chief Priests, scribes, Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees have all asked their questions and have been publicly humiliated. Jesus is on their turf answering...
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The Servant King: Jesus And The Sadducees
Jesus stuns the Pharisees and Herodians with his answer to the questions about politics and taxes, but the parade of opponents continues as the Sadducees confront him. The Sadducees were the wealthy aristocracy associated with the priesthood, and they wielded significant political and temple...
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The Servant King: Jesus & Politics
Martin Luther once said, “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the...
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Household of God: Visible Theology
The church seems to have fallen on hard times. According to a recent Barna report, one in five churches will close over the next eighteen months. To some professing Christians, the church appears to be unnecessary and unimportant. Is the church moving toward obsolescence? 1 Timothy 3:14-16…
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The Dearest Place on Earth: The Flock
Pastor Sam walks us through Acts 20:28-31 and 1 Peter 5:1-7, showing us that God’s word refers to the church as a flock of sheep and leaders in the church as Shepherds. The Dearest Place on Earth Sermon Series - Week 4 of 5 - 9.20.20
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The Dearest Place on Earth: 10 Year Anniversary
Join us as we celebrate 10 years of God's work through The Orchard Church.
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The Dearest Place on Earth: The Family
Give yourself to the church. You that are members of the church have not found it perfect, and I hope that you feel almost glad that you have not. If I had never joined a church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all; and the moment I did join it, if I had...
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The Dearest Place on Earth: The Bride
Pastor Sam introduces a new 5-week series on the church called: The Dearest Place on Earth. As imperfect as it is, the church is the dearest place on earth to us. The Dearest Place on Earth - Week 1 - August 30, 2020
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Empty Religion Has No Place In The Kingdom
We’ve been walking through the Gospel of Mark and we’ve reached a turning point and now we have entered the week of passion. As Pastor Sam told us last week, Jesus has made his triumphant entry. Messianic hopes are at a fever pitch. This is a buzz that is so much bigger than any election. This is...
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Jesus: Prophet, Priest, & King
In Mark 11:1-19 we see Jesus as Prophet, Priest, & King. As a Prophet, he is a truth-teller. We are called to listen to him. As a Priest, he opens the way to God for us. We are called to trust him. As a King, he loves us and intends to rule over us. The Gospel According to Mark Sermon Series…
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Jesus and Life-Changing Faith
We use faith in many ways, and it can be confusing. We say.“just have faith,” or “have faith in your leaders,” What do we mean? We speak of faith-based programs or faith-based projects. We may even give the impression that every religion has an equal claim on the truth - if people just have…
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I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
In 1987, the band U2 released an album called The Joshua Tree. One of the songs is "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." Bono calls it, "a gospel song with a restless spirit." The lyrics speak of trying to find satisfaction and salvation in all kinds of different experiences, but the...
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The Kingdom for the Unimportant
In Mark 10:13-16, Jesus shows us that the Kingdom of God is for the weak, the broken, and the unimportant. If true compassion equals action, then it begs us all to ask the question, "What will I do to help bring others to Jesus?". The Gospel According to Mark Sermon Series - The Misunderstood…
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What Jesus Said About Marriage, Divorce, & Remarriage
As a Christian, the Gospel changes how we think about everything in life. In Mark 10:1-12, Jesus warns about the hardened heart. A hardened heart can keep us from seeing and living out the true gospel of Jesus, ultimately leading to grief, anger, bitterness, pain, and sometimes even divorce. The...
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That's Not What Jesus Said
Have you ever been in a place where someone said something so shocking that the whole room went silent and people couldn’t decide how to feel? Not just an awkward silence, but a stunned hush. Words so strong and offensive that it was difficult to wrap your head around what was said and there was…
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Jesus And The "Me-First" Attitude
There are all kinds of people in the world. We're all different. We all have different interests. But there's one interest that we all have in common. In fact, everyone struggles with it... Call it self-interest, but it's the "me-first" mindset. This is the mindset that forces every action and...
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What To Do When You Need Faith
The struggle is real. The world around us seems to be devolving into absolute chaos and on the brink of consuming itself in disease, violence, and pain. Many are facing mental, emotional, physical, relational, and financial difficulties. The brave front you show others has been overrun by the…
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Jesus Reveals His Glory
The disciples had a problem, and it might be the same type of problem many of us have: They underestimated who Jesus was. And because of that, it shaped the way they thought, the way they acted, and the way they lived. Jesus chose twelve men, and he trained them to pick up the work of the…
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The Compassionate King & The Witless Disciples
Today we are going to look at a condition or occupational hazard, as Pastor Sam calls it, that every Christian faces. It doesn’t matter your age, your ethnicity, whether your a man or a woman, a young Christian, or mature Christian, you will face this occupational hazard. It goes by many names…
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The King for Everyone
Jesus was misunderstood by his disciples, and after a heated episode with the Pharisees over what makes one ceremonially clean, he withdraws to an unexpected place. The region of Phoenicia was gentile and pagan, so going into the area of Tyre and Sidon was an attempt to go somewhere a little less...
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The Misunderstood Gospel
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a list of disinfectants to protect against the coronavirus spread. According to the EPA, products on the list have "qualified for use against COVID-19" through the agency's Emerging Viral Pathogen program where manufacturers provide the EPA…
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The Misunderstood King: Confusion & Compassion
Messianic hopes are reaching fever pitch. Jesus, the compassionate shepherd, has miraculously satisfied thousands with food, and the people are beginning to think about this Rabbi from Nazareth in terms of politics and power. This text will be familiar to many, but if we are not careful, we may...
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A Mother's Faith
There are only two times recorded in the New Testament where Jesus is impressed by faith. One is a Roman centurion who trusted Jesus to heal his servant without coming to the house, and the other is the miracle recorded in Mark, Chapter 7:24:30, where a Gentile woman begged Jesus to heal her...
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The Feeding of the Five Thousand
What in your life appears impossible? What keeps you awake at night? Why did Jesus ask his disciples to feed five thousand men, with wives and kids, with just the food for a little boy? This sounds impossible, but nothing about this is unusual with Jesus. Jesus regularly calls people to tackle...
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The Misunderstood King: Confusion, Superstition, & A Woman Scorned
This text from the Gospel of Mark contains everything needed to write a script for an over the top melodrama. Political intrigue, family scandal, marital infidelity, malice, opulence, wrongful imprisonment, outrageous behavior, and murder. You name it, and it seems to be there. However, if we are...
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The Misunderstood King
Mark 6 provides a glimpse into a tragic and painful experience in the life of Jesus as he faces personal rejection. The text picks up after a beautiful event in which a twelve-year-old girl is given life again by Jesus. Jesus and his disciples make their way back to Jesus’ hometown which one…
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The Powerful King: Power Over Sin & Death
In the decades before and after Jesus, there were dozens of messianic movements in Israel. The would-be "Messiahs" arise and gather followers, then the same thing would always happen: the leader would be killed, usually at hands of the Romans by crucifixion. When the leader died, the movement…
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The Powerful King: Power to Bring Healing
The whole world right now yearns to be healed. The world is not the way it was supposed to be. God’s original creation was very, very good. God created our world to be sin-free. God designed us to be holy, happy, and healthy. But sin entered the picture, and ever since then, sin has sickened all…
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The Powerful King: Power Over Spiritual Forces
The previous section left the disciples in fear and asking the question, “Who is this?” Jesus dealt with the storm on the water and now he would deal with the storm inside. The question is immediately met with another demonstration of power that leaves people in fear and asking questions. The...
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The Powerful King: Facing Fear With Faith
As Corona Virus spreads, it's shaking the faith of many; tempting us to live in fear of headlines, predictions, and others. Anxiety is the new normal for most. People are hoarding, locking themselves in their homes, and looking to the news for guidance. We've been walking through the Gospel of…
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This is The Orchard Church, a podcast where the Word of God is taught to point people to Jesus Christ and help them to look more like Him.
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