Throughout Lent, we're having Wednesday evening worship services. We'll be focusing during this time on the words of Jesus spoken from the cross. The word that we considered this week is the word of forgiveness. Even during his tremendous suffering, Jesus prayed for his persecutors, asking that they might be forgiven. This is a great encouragement to us because, if Jesus desired their forgiveness, it also assures us that he desires ours as well. It also serves as an example for us to seek the forgiveness of all people, even those who hate us and cause us to suffer. You can hear this message at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryTheWordofForgiveness

In our third message of the series, "Our Father Abraham" we learn that the father of the faithful was a man of peace. In Genesis 13 we see that he was willing to give his nephew the first choice of land, and the best land, for the sake of peace. God also desires for us, as his children, to live in peace with one another. But are we, like Abraham, willing to sacrifice things of value, things of importance, to maintain peace? This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryAManofPeace

Yesterday, we continued our series on Abraham with a message based on Genesis 12:10-20. In this message we looked at an act of great selfishness on the part of Abraham and how we're called, as believers, to generosity, selflessness, and humility. We also saw how this sin committed by Abraham was rooted in a lack of trust in the promises of God and how the same thing is often true of us. You can hear it at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryAManofSin

This week, we started an eight week series that will continue on Sunday's up until Holy Week. The title of this series is "Our Father Abraham." In it, we'll look at Abraham, the father of the faithful, and see what we can learn from him to apply to our own walk of faith.

This week's message is based on Genesis 12:1-9. In it we see that Abraham, because of his great faith, was a man of sacrifice. And as the faithful of God, we too must be men and women of sacrifice. It can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryAManofSacrifice

The hymn "Amazing Grace" is one of the most widely known and most loved hymns of the church. But even though we sing of God's amazing grace, few people today are truly amazed by it. So many of us continue to depend on works or our own goodness to earn God's salvation and as a method to judge the worthiness of others for God's blessings. In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus tells a parable that reveals to us the true nature of God's grace and why we frequently live in resentment of it. You can hear it at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryAmazingGrace

Even though most believers say that God's Word is important, so many seem bored by its message and indifferent to what it says. In this message based on Hebrews 2:1-3, we see that this attitude can lead to disastrous consequences. It can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryPayAttention

Because God's Word can be challenging, because it can make us uncomfortable, many people search for answers and guidance from other sources. People turn to other religions and to occult practices. What does God have to say about this? This week's message, based on Isaiah 8:20-22 looks at this question. You can hear it at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryOurOnlyHope or at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryOurOnlyHope

This week's message looked at the fact that, even though so many people claim to have a high regard for the Word of God, they're so quick to dismiss it. If we really desire God's guidance, if we really want his blessing, then why would we ignore what he says to us? In this message based on John 2:1-11 we see that, without listening to the Word of God, without following him, we cannot receive the blessing of the Lord; we must do whatever he says. You can hear this message at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryWhateverHeSays or at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryWhateverHeSays

In this week's message we looked at the 12 year old Jesus. As the Son of God, it was only natural for him to be around the things of God. In fact, his whole life revolved around God. It was his heart's desire. But is it our's? So many people, even in the church today, seem to want nothing to do with God. You can hear this message at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryOurHeartsDesire or at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryOurHeartsDesire

This week, I have a couple of messages for you. The first was delievered on Dec. 24th, at our morning advent service. John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare the people for the coming of the Savior. And in the same way, believers today have been called by God to prepare the people for his return. How have we been called to do this? How is this accomplished? You can hear this message at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryPreparingtheWay If for some reason that link doesn't work, go to http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryPreparingtheWay

The second message is from our Christmas services. During the Christmas season, everyone talks about being in the Christmas spirit. What do they mean by this? And what does it truly mean to be in the Christmas spirit? These questions are answered in this message based on Matthew 1:18-25 and can be heard or downloaded at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryTheTrueSpiritofChristmas An alternate link for that message is http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryTheTrueSpiritofChristmas

Most of us know what the Bible and the church teach about Jesus, that he's the Savior of the world. But how can we know for sure? This question is examined in a message based on Matthew 11:2-10 and can be heard at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryIsHeReallytheSavior If you have a problem with that link, you can also hear it at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryIsHeReallytheSavior

Jesus has promised to return soon. But many people, even believers, are not looking forward to this day. They don't look forward to it because, when they read about it in Scripture, it sounds terrifying. Do we, as believers, have reason to fear the end? You can hear this message at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryNothingtoFear An alternate link for this message is http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryNothingtoFear

Well, hopefully next week, we'll be back to our better sounding recordings. Our sound man has been gone for a couple of weeks, and we've struggled to run the system like him.

But yesterday's message focused on the return of Christ. According to Scripture, his return is near. So how are we to prepare for his coming and for the end of this age? You can hear this message, based on Romans 13:11-14, at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryTimeIsShort An alternate link for this message is http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryTimeIsShort

As we look at history and our world today, we see that rulers and nations quickly rise and fall. This can leave us feeling very insecure and vulnerable. But the kingdom of Christ is different. It's eternal; it will never fall or come to an end. And this knowledge can fill us with peace. You can hear this message at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryTheEternalKingdomofChrist

This host has, on occasion, went down for a period of time. So I'll also list an alternate link for the message. You can also hear it at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryTheEternalKingdomofChrist

Quite often, when we come into hard times, we get angry at God, curse him, or even lose faith in him. In this message, based on Job 1:21, we see how Job responded to adversity and why we can be thankful even during difficult circumstances. This was our Thanksgiving message at Grace. You can hear it at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryNoMattertheCircumstances

An alternate link for this message is http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryNoMattertheCircumstances

Considering the fact that we just had an election, and considering how the people of this country, even Christians, act toward our government leaders, I felt that last Sunday's message was too important to just let it go. So I took a little time and re-recorded it. In the second recording, where no one was listening to me, I did talk a bit faster. Hopefully that's not a problem. But the bright side is that it won't take as long to listen to! You can hear this message at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryEstablishedByGod

An alternate link for this message is http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryEstablishedByGod

I can't believe it! Today, not only did the church sound system, which produces good quality recordings, fail. So too did my little portable recorder (I put in new batteries only to find out they were dead). So today's message is lost, unless I can find some way to recover it.

To give you something new to listen to, I've uploaded a sermon from December 26, 2004. Death is something that's feared by most people, even by believers in Jesus. So is it possible for us to depart in peace? We find out how in this message based on Luke 2:25-32. It can be heard at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryDepartinginPeace An alternate link for this message is http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryDepartinginPeace

Our message this week was based on Jeremiah 2:1-13. In our society today, so many people reject God or turn away from him. Has he given us reason for this? According to our text, God's done everything necessary to provide for us. We also find that, if we turn from him, if we reject him, we reject life. It can be heard at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryTheForsakingofGod_6 An alternate link for this message is http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryTheForsakingofGod_6

This week at Grace we had a guest speaker from FaithSearch Ministries. His name is Pastor Denny McKeever. His presentation was great, however it was requested that we not record or distribute his teaching. But I would encourage you to check out their website at www.faithsearch.org.

I preached at Redeemer and delivered a message about prayer. We all know how important prayer is in the believer's life. But we sometimes get discouraged when it seems that our prayers are not being answered and we lose heart. What does Jesus teach about such circumstances? You can hear the message at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryPersistentPrayer An alternate link to this message is http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryPersistentPrayer

Since Redeemer doesn't have a sound system, I had to use a portable recorder, so, once again, the sound quality isn't as good as my other messages. But I hope the message itself will encourage you.

Our message this week talked about the importance of the Word of God in our lives and its role in salvation. It can be heard at http://ourmedia.org/ia/details/KentSperryNecessaryforLife An alternate link for this message is http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryNecessaryforLife