One of the main truths Martin Luther tried to communicate to the people of his day was that we cannot be saved by what we do, but only by the grace of God received through faith in Jesus. We need to get back to this principle today. Most people, even in the church, think they'll be saved because they're good people. But, as we see in Philippians 3, our background and our actions can do nothing to save us. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryRubbish

Our children's message, focusing on Christian symbols that can be used to make a jack-o-lantern, can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/MollyBlobaumOct26childrensmessage

Some people go through a mid-life crisis. They begin to look back at their life to see if they've accomplished anything, if they've made any difference in the world. They often begin to feel that their life is meaningless; they feel like it's all been in vain. The same thing happens in the church. We often feel as if what we're doing for the Lord amounts to nothing. But our service of God is never in vain. What we're doing is impacting not only the world in which we live, but also eternity. This message can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryAMeaningfulWork


Our children's message can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/MarkFagerstromOct19childrensmessage

Yesterday was the last message of our series, "Acts of Devotion." In this message we see that the early church was devoted to prayer. We look at why prayer was so important to them and why we should share this devotion. This message can be heard and downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryPrayer

Yesterday, we continued our look at Acts 2:42 and saw the third thing to which the early church was devoted: the breaking of bread. This phrase is referring to the Lord's Supper. And, in this day and age where it's taken so lightly, we need to get back to this devotion. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryTheBreakingofBread

Yesterday we heard the second message of our series, "Acts of Devotion." The second thing the people of the early church were devoted to was fellowship. They were constantly together and thought of themselves as one body. Unfortunately, however, this is not a big priority for many Christians today. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryFellowship

Our children's message can also be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/MarkFagerstromSept28childrensmessage

In Acts 2:42 we read that the first Christians devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. Over the next four weeks, we'll be taking a look at these acts of devotion, why they were so important to the early church, and why they should be important to us as well. Yesterday we reflected on the apostles' teaching. This message can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryTheApostlesTeaching

I've often heard that, in marriage or with your children, you must pick your battles. And I've found this to be true. If you fight about every little issue, you'll never have peace. The same thing is true in the church. There is a place for judgment and fighting, but we often bicker about the smallest things. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryPickingOurBattles

In 2 Kings 1, we hear how Ahaziah, King of Israel, consulted Baal-Zebub, a god worshipped in a town of the Philistines called Ekron. He did this because he was not a worshipper of the Lord, but of this false god. Quite often, people today do the same thing; they will do this even if they profess faith in Christ. Rather than seeking answers, rather than seeking truth, from the Lord, we seek it from another source. And by doing so, we're guilty of idolatry, of worshipping a false god. This is not a sin that God takes lightly. Ahaziah was told that he would die because of his sin. And, unless we repent and trust in Jesus, we're promised the same thing. We'll suffer the wrath of God. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryTheSearchforTruth

On Sunday, we reflected on the fact that we live in a world of instant gratification. Not only does this affect our life in this world, but it puts our very soul at stake. Because all we seek is to gratify our wants and desires, we pursue those things that go against the will of God. In order to follow him, Jesus says we must deny ourselves; we must die to ourselves. We can either be alive to the world and dead to God or alive to God and dead to the world. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryDeadorAlive

Our children's message for the week can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/MollyBlobaumAug31childrensmessage

One of the biggest complaints that non-christians have about the church is that it's full of hypocrites. And they're right. It is full of hypocrites. Too often in the church today, people are more concerned about impressing others, about appearing to be more godly than they really are. However, instead of doing this, we should simply live out our faith to honor the God who redeemed us. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryAndtheOscarGoesTo

Our children's message focused on new beginnings. It can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/MollyBlobaumAug24childrensmessage

I also had the privilege of baptizing two young ladies, Terry and Amanda Flechsig. This can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryFlechsigBaptism

Our lives are often filled with confusion and uncertainties. We also face difficult and painful situations. So we often cry out asking why God has allowed these things to happen to us. We find in Scripture that God is at work even in difficult times, even in painful circumstances, to accomplish his purpose. And we're assured in Scripture that his purpose is our blessing. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryWhyIsThisHappening

As we live in this world, we're all under the control of the laws and forces of nature. We're at their mercy and can do nothing to break them. This often leads us to just accept the way things are and to discount the power of God to help us. But, as we see in Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus has power over the forces of nature. He can do anything he wants to do. So, with God, we always have hope. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryMadetoBeBroken

Our children's message focused on the same theme. It can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryAugust10childrensmessage

Christians today tend to be very selfish with our money; we give very little back to the Lord. We give very little to church and very little to charity. We should follow the example of the Israelites in Exodus 35-36. They brought their gifts freely, because their hearts compelled them. And they brought an overabundance. They brought so much, in fact, that they had to be told to stop. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryRadicalGenerosity

Today, we're told that we should do what's right for us. We're told that, unless we fulfill ourselves, we'll never be happy or content. However, according to Romans 8, we're obligated not to the sinful nature, but the Lord. As believers, we're called to live for him rather than ourselves. This message can be heard and downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryYouOweIttoYourself

This week we looked at Mark 1:35-39. Many Christians today are so busy that they don't make any time for the Lord. And, in all reality, we have the time. The Lord just comes low on the priority list. We should instead follow the example of Jesus who, no matter how much he had to do and no matter how many expectations were placed on him, made time for God. This message can be heard and downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryTimeforGod

Last week, while I was on vacation, Michael Flechsig, a man newly approved to the AFLC fellowship roster, filled in for me. He talked about the hope of eternity and the impact it has on our lives. It can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/MichaelFlechsigEternityInYourHeart

In the church of today, most people are only interested in what they can get from their church. They give no thought to what they can do for others; they're unwilling to do anything for others. However, in Romans 1 we see that Paul had a desire to give. And this is a desire that all of us should have. This sermon can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryAHeartofService

This week, we had our service out at a park for our annual Sunday School picnic. Since we didn't have our wonderful sound system to record the message, I recorded one of my trial runs ahead of time. Essentially, you get the very basic, stripped down version. But you'll get the point all the same.

In Genesis 22, God called Abraham to sacrifice his only son as a burnt offering. And no matter how much Abraham loved his son, he loved his God even more. He went through with it until, at the last moment, God stopped him. In the same way, we see all throughout Scripture that we're called to lay all that is dear to us upon the altar; we're to love God more than anyone or anything else in this world. This message can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryLayItOntheAltar

Yesterday at Grace was confirmation Sunday. Two of our young people publicly professed their faith. You can hear their confession at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryconfirmation2008

Our message was also for this special occasion. We looked at the end of John 6. Many of Jesus' disciples stopped following him because they did not believe. The Twelve, on the other hand, kept on because they knew that Jesus is the Christ and the only way of salvation. If we sincerely believe, then we too will continue to follow Jesus each and every day. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryBecauseYouBelieve

Our children's message for the day was based on the words of Jesus, "I am the vine and you are the branches." Can Molly's stick come back to life? To find out, listen at http://www.archive.org/details/MollyBlobaumJune22childrensmessage

Yesterday, on Father's Day, we looked at the fact that fathers are helpers of the helpless. They love their children by doing for them what they cannot do for themselves. And the same thing is true of God, our heavenly Father. He too is a helper of the helpless. He helped us in our helplessness by saving us from sin and death. This message can be heard and downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryHelperoftheHelpless

We live in a culture of indebtedness. We want everything to be fair. If we do something for someone, we think they should do something for us. And this attitude often creeps into our relationship with God. Because we've been good, because we've tried to live for him, we feel entitled to his blessings. However, as we see in Job 41:11, God doesn't owe us anything. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryTitforTat

Our children's message, focusing on greed, can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/MollyBlobaumJune8childrensmessage