Last night, we started our Lent series. Several pastors of the Illinois District of the AFLC are participating in a "round robin." Each week, one of us brings the next part of the series. The series is titled "Not I, But Christ".

In the first message, we heard that, as Christians, we've died with Christ. Our old life, our life of sin, has come to an end. If we truly believe in Jesus, we cannot continue to live in sin; we cannot continue to live for the old nature. We must instead embrace death and receive the new life that God has provided for us. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryChristandHisDeath

We all know that we're sinners. But we're usually unwilling to open up about the specific sins we've committed or those we're struggling with. We try to hide our sin, making ourselves seem to be better than we really are. However, God knows all things. There's no hiding our sin from him. Because of this, we must acknowledge our sin, we must confess it and repent of it, that we can receive his grace. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryNoHidingIt

Our children's message for the day can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/MarkFagerstromFeb22childrensmessage

Many people today think that, as long as they don't hurt anyone else, their sin is no big deal. But it is a big deal. According to Scripture, every sinful act is committed against none other than the Lord himself. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryAgainstYouOnly

On Saturday, Grace hosted the Mid-Winter Bible Conference of the Illinois District of the AFLC. The theme was "Building a Strong Foundation for Our Youth." The passage used for this discussion was Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

I brought the first message, talking about loving the Lord with our whole heart. If we're to raise our young people in faith, we need to be faithful ourselves. This message can be heard and downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryBibleConf1

The second message was brought by Pastor Chuck Sampson of Newark Lutheran Church in Newark, IL. He talked about the importance of having God's Word in our heart. You can find this message at http://www.archive.org/details/ChuckSampsonBibleConf2

To start off the afternoon, we heard a book review given by Pastor Peter Ward of Faith Lutheran Church in Ottawa, IL. He reviewed the book "The Last Christian Generation" by Josh McDowell. Unfortunately, I didn't locate the recording for this presentation. If I find it, I'll post it.

The third and fourth sessions were lead by Pastor Steve Pappillon of Fox River Lutheran Church in Sheridan, IL. He talked about how important it is for parents to share the Word with their children, and how we can talk of God with them at all times. We did have a minor audio glitch in the third presentation, so keep listening if things get quiet for a minute. They can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/StevePappillonBibleConf3 and at http://www.archive.org/details/StevePappillonBibleConf4

Yesterday, on Feb. 8th, we talked about a trap the church has fallen into today. So often, we think that if we can't help people financially, if we don't have the money, to meet their needs, there's nothing we can do for them. However, the reality is that there's a much greater gift we have to give. Touching people with the power of Jesus is much greater than any worldly goods we can give. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryTheGreatestGift

The church today has lost its sense of purpose; the people seem oblivious to their calling. We see in Scripture that God has called us to make disciples of all nations. But most of us aren't even willing to be disciples, let alone make disciples. The church must regain its sense of purpose; it must receive the call God has placed upon it. And then, like Jesus, we must let nothing keep us from fulfilling it. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryACertaintyofPurpose

We have so many priorities in life that our interests become divided. And, as a result, the Lord is pushed aside in the interest of other things. But, as we see in 1 Corinthians 7, we're to have an undivided devotion to the Lord. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryKeepingtheRightFocus

Our children's message for the day can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryJan25childrenssermon

In our society today, not all life is seen as valuable. But according to Scripture, human life is valuable because we were made in the image of God. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryTheImageofGod

Our actions flow from what's in our heart; our faith will be displayed in the things we do. But so often today, people profess a faith that's not expressed in their actions. This reveals a need to repent and to surrender ourselves to the Lord. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryDoYouBelieve

Our chidren's message is also based on this theme and can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryJan11childrenssermon

Many people like to make New Year's resolutions. They promise themselves that they'll change a bad habit or normal practice in their life. This is good. But the problem with resolutions is that they require self-discipline. Because we're so undisciplined, we indulge our every desire, failing to do what we know is best for us. The same thing is true of our life of faith. Even though we know the calling God's placed on us, even though we know unrepentance leads to judgment, we continue to refuse God. As believers, we must discipline ourselves to fulfill the calling God's placed on our life. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryFightingYourself

Man thinks pretty highly of himself, putting himself in the place of God. We do this in many ways. But, as we see in Psalm 9, we need to remember our place. We need to remember that we are but men. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryANeededReminder

On Christmas, we finished our series, "The Message of Christmas." One more reason we have to celebrate the birth of Christ is because, through him, we've been given peace with God. This message can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryPeacewithGod

This is the fourth message of our series: "The Message of Christmas." In it we hear that, through Jesus, we become the children of God. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryChildrenofGod

This week we had the third message of our Advent seried, "The Message of Christmas." In it we heard that the blessing of God, found in Jesus, is for all people. It can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryABlessingforAll

Our children's message can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/MarkFagerstromDec14childrensmessage

Yesterday, we continued our Advent series, "The Message of Christmas." The message focused on this week is salvation from sin. Jesus was born into this world that he might be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. It can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperrySalvationfromSin

Yesterday, I started an Advent series titled "The Message of Christmas." The first message of the series reflects on the fact that, in Jesus, God became flesh. He came and lived among us to make it possible for us to live with him forever. It can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryGodBecameFlesh

Our children's message for yesterday can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/MollyBlobaumNov30childrensmessage

Also, I have our Thanksgiving service. We heard a series of four short messages by myself and three men of the church. We each focused on a different area of God's provision for our lives. The other three messages were brought by Mark Fagerstrom, Shawn Blobaum, and Gilbert Sebenste. I put it in one download at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryGivingThanks

We anticipate all kinds of things in life. But one thing that most believers are not anticipating is the end of this age. They don't look forward to it because they're scared of what will happen before the end comes. However, like John at the end of Revelation, we should be looking forward to it. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryEagerAnticipation

Our children's message for the day can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/MarkFagerstromNov23childrensmessage

Yesterday, we looked at 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. Scripture tells us that one day the Lord will return. When he does, he'll judge the living and the dead. Because we know this, his coming should be no real surprise. Even though we don't know the day of his return, we should be prepared. This message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/KentSperryNoRealSurprise

Our children's sermon for the day can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/MarkFagerstromNov16childrensmessage

Last week, I took some vacation time. One of our members at Grace, Gilbert Sebenste, filled the pulpit for me in Ashton. He preached a message on 1 Corinthians 2:2. His point is that, as the church, Jesus Christ and him crucified should be the focus of our ministry and our message. His message can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/GilbertSebensteTheMostImportantThing

Pastor Dick Ewing filled the pulpit at Grace. He delivered a message on Jesus' parable of the Ten Virgins. It can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/DickEwingTenVirgins

This week, we're having a series of Revival messages. They're being brought by Pastor Tim Johnson of Ebenezer Free Lutheran Church in Northwood, North Dakota. The series is titled, "Experiencing God in Difficult Times."

The first message was delivered Sunday morning and is titled "The Beauty of Storms." It can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/TimJohnsonTheBeautyofStorms

The second message was delivered Sunday night and is titled "The Why of Storms." It can be heard or downloaded at http://www.archive.org/details/TimJohnsonTheWhyofStorms

The third message was given Monday night and is titled, "The Effects of Storms." You can find it at http://www.archive.org/details/TimJohnsonTheEffectsofStorms

The final message is titled "Meeting God in Storms" and can be heard at http://www.archive.org/details/TimJohnsonMeetingGodinStorms

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