Audio Messages & Sermon Series - Crosswinds, Plainfield, IL

How will you live your life in 2015? By word or by reason? Most people in this world live their lives by their own reason, but the Bible would encourage us to filter every decision through the word of God. If we do that, we will be prosperous and successful in the things we do because the Bible gives a true standard by which we can make our decisions.

In 2015 what will be your focus religion or faith? Only one can save you! It is important that we read God’s word consistently so that we remember to focus on God’s promises by faith and not our self-effort by religion. Our works can only lead to death, but trusting in Jesus' work on the cross leads to everlasting life.

In John Chapter 7 Jesus the man who claimed to be God tells the most religious people on the planet that they do not know God! They seek to kill him yet in His mercy Jesus invites even his enemies to drink of Him and know eternal life. Where are you quenching your thirst for God? In Jesus or in the functional saviors of your life. If in Jesus then according to His word out of your heart will flow rivers of living water to refresh thirsty souls around you.

Is artificial intelligence evil? That is the question Pastor Ken took on Sunday — and his answer was not a tech lecture. It was a walk through Matthew 15, where religious leaders confronted Jesus over something that looked scandalous on the surface: his disciples eating bread with unwashed hands. Jesus flipped the argument upside down. It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth (Matthew 15:11). Mark 7:20-23 says it even more bluntly — evil comes from within, out of the heart.

The scripture is Philippians 4:14-23 — Paul's closing words to a church that had supported him while he sat in prison. On the surface, it sounds like a polite "thanks for the cash." But Paul does something remarkable with it. He borrows the language of a business ledger ("credited to your account," "paid in full," "well supplied") and turns it into a picture of friendship. These believers weren't patrons buying influence, and Paul wasn't a client on the payroll. They were partners in the gospel.

In Philippians 4:1–3, Paul urges believers to stand firm in the Lord and calls Euodia and Syntyche to agree in Him, teaching us that Christian unity is more important than winning every argument. Unity does not mean agreeing on everything, but choosing love, humility, forgiveness and the mission of the gospel over personal opinions and the need to be right.

Paul in Philippians 3:12-21 reminds us that we have not yet “arrived,” but are called to press on toward Christ, refusing to let our past, failures, circumstances, or pursuit of perfection keep us stuck. Because Christ has already made us His own, we do not run to earn salvation—we run from a position of grace, keeping our eyes on the heavenly goal and remembering that our citizenship is in heaven.

In Philippians 3:1–11 Paul teaches that even the most impressive human credentials, achievements, morality, and religious performance cannot make us righteous before God. Instead of placing our confidence in what we have accomplished or what we are losing, we are called to rejoice in Christ, trust His grace, and find our identity in Him.