Isaiah 9 - Prince of Peace

Today is the final Sunday of Advent.

We conclude our sermon series from Isaiah 9 and the four names given to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. This morning Pastor Sam Brown will examine with us the name Prince of Peace. Sam is the pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Fuquay-Varina, NC, which is just south of Raleigh. He, Jenny, and their two sons are in WI celebrating the holidays with Jenny’s parents, Chris and Janet Vogel.

Listen Online: Isaiah 9

Read Online: Isaiah 9

Isaiah 9:6 - Everlasting Father

Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent.

We continue our sermon series from Isaiah 9 and the four names given to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. This morning, the name being examined is Everlasting Father. We most often think of Jesus Christ in terms of His Sonship, but Pastor Vogel will explain from Isaiah 9 and various other passages how Christ interacts with His people like a loving and tender Father.

Listen Online: Isaiah 9:6

Read Online: Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 9 - Mighty God

Today is the third Sunday of Advent.

The second name found in Isaiah 9 given to the child on whose shoulders the government shall rest is that of Mighty God. In tumultuous times we cry out for a warrior king to rescue, yet the Scriptures presents us with a mighty God born in obscurity, suffering an ignominious death. It is in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we come to understand the might of our Savior.

Listen Online: Isaiah 9

Read Online: Isaiah 9

Isaiah 9:1-7 - Wonderful Counselor

Today is the second Sunday of Advent.

Pastor Dan Breed will be bringing God's Word to us this morning from Isaiah 9:1-7, Pastor Breed is originally from the Madison area, but currently lives with his wife Erin and four little girls in Appleton where he leads the Fox Cities Project to plant a PCA church in the Fox Valley Area. As one who continues to seek God's counsel for how to reach the Fox Valley area of northeast Wisconsin, Dan comes with plenty of experience on how Christ is indeed a Wonderful Counselor.

Listen Online: Isaiah 9:1-7

Read Online: Isaiah 9:1-7

Isaiah 9 - The Gift of Christ

Today is the first Sunday of Advent.

This Advent season we will look at Isaiah 9, considering the great gift of Christ. Beginning next week, we will look at each of the names given to the Messiah in this passage and our Christmas Eve Service will tie them all together. The music of this season begins on a note of reflection in anticipation of the celebration of Christ’s birth.

Just as Israel longed for redemption in the midst of darkness, so the advent songs reflect longing for the need of deliverance and redemption. As we move closer to Christmas Day, the music focuses more on the joy and hope realized by Christ’s birth, the deliverance and hope that it brings.

Listen Online: Isaiah 9

Read Online: Isaiah 9

1 Kings 6:1-13 - God's Presence Providers Obedience

The Church, the body of Christ, the dwelling place of God, is pictured in the Old Testament by the Temple. When Solomon began construction (1 Kings 6:1-13), the physical dimensions of the structure are highlighted, but so is the presence of God with His people. To this day, the joining of these two pictures, the building and the planting, the physical and spiritual, well describe what it means to have God with us.

Listen Online: 1 Kings 6:1-13


Read Online: 1 Kings 6:1-13

Jeremiah 15

In this sermon, we are reminded that living as followers of Jesus Christ is not always easy. In fact, as Jeremiah’s life shows, striving to fulfill the calling that God has placed on believers can be frustrating and discouraging. Jeremiah 15 reveals Jeremiah’s confidence in the Lord’s presence and provision, confidence which still sustains us today.

Listen Online: Jeremiah 15

Read Online: Jeremiah 15

1 Kings 4:20-34

While Solomon’s reign was characterized with peace and prosperity, signs of its brokenness are already evident. 1 Kings 4:20-34 calls for us to rejoice in what God provides in our world, but be ever mindful that the good we have is not the best that will ever be. We await the consummation of the ages when redemption comes in its fullest.



Listen Online: 1 Kings 4:20-34

Read Online: 1 Kings 4:20-34

1 Kings 3:16-28

In this message, we look at Solomon’s life with the story of the two mothers claiming the one child as their own. Solomon’s wisdom provides the answer, but 1 Kings 3:16-28 points us to the wise reign and rule of Jesus Christ.


Listen Online: 1 Kings 3:16-28

Read Online: 1 Kings 3:16-28

Psalm 103

In this message, we look at Psalm 103 with Rev. Bob Allums. This Psalm celebrates God’s covenant love and faithfulness that is certain in the past, present, and future.

Pastor Bob Allums will be teaching us from God’s Word this morning. Bob has served in the pastoral ministry for 14 years, has served Christian publishing companies such as InterVarsity Press and Crossway Books & Bibles, yet his passion and calling is teaching seminars, especially A Praying Life. He has been regularly teaching both in the USA and internationally for over eleven years. He is the Director of A Praying Life Ministries for seeJesus. Bob and his wife, Helen, have three grown children and live in the Chicago area.

Listen Online: Psalm 103

Read Online: Psalm 103

Psalm 115:1-18

In this message, we look at Psalm 115, an exhortation for the people of God to worship Him as He truly is, in comparison to the many false gods that fill our culture. We will focus upon an attribute of God that is central to who He is, yet infrequently discussed in Christian circles today, namely His sovereignty.

Listen Online: Psalm 115:1-18

Read Online: Psalm 115:1-18

Jeremiah 13:1-11

This passage reminds us of our calling as the people of God and how, like Israel, we fail to fulfill that purpose. Jeremiah warns Israel of the coming punishment for that failure, a punishment that would be our fate as well were it not for the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ.

Listen Online: Jeremiah 13:1-11

Read Online: Jeremiah 13:1-11

1 Kings 3:1-15

In this message, we turn to 1 Kings 3:1-15 where Solomon prays for wisdom. While the chapter opens with disconcerting acts of foolishness, God graciously gives Solomon discernment to govern God’s people. For the remainder of his life, Solomon is known for his wisdom…and for poor choices, yet through it all, God directs His plans to fulfillment, the bringing of His Son, Jesus Christ, to David’s throne.


Listen Online: 1 Kings 3:1-15

Read Online: 1 Kings 3:1-15

1 Kings 2

In this message, we are confronted in 1 Kings 2 with Solomon’s commitment God’s Word and the ruthlessness of revenge. Passages such as this one gives us pause to consider the importance of obedience, not forgetting that “as there is no sin so small, but it deserves damnation; so there is no sin so great, that it can bring damnation upon those who truly repent" (WCF 15.4).”

Listen Online: 1 Kings 2

Read Online: 1 Kings 2

1 Kings 1:1-14,28-53

In this message, we return to the Old Testament, picking up on the life of David. As 1 Kings opens, the once mighty warrior is dying. As power is transferred to Solomon, the story of Kings makes clear that God’s promised salvation through the Davidic line would come, but not through the old hopes of the kings, the priests or the prophets, but through one who would embody all offices, Jesus Christ.

Listen Online: 1 Kings 1:1-14,28-53

Read Online: 1 Kings 1:1-14,28-53

Luke 5:1-11 - Jesus, take the reel

Our visiting missionary, Andrew Lupton, will open up Luke 5:1-11 where Jesus calls His first disciples.

MTW Missionaries Andrew and Laura Kate Lupton and baby Fox who are worshipping with us this morning. Andrew and Laura Kate met in 2003 while playing mud volleyball at Campbell University. Their common love for bluegrass, Reformed theology, and Latin America drew them to one another. Andrew, a mountain boy from western NC, convinced Laura Kate, a musician from the suburbs of Raleigh, to marry him in 2005. Andrew received his M.Div. from Covenant Seminary and Laura Kate taught elementary music and Spanish. Their love for Third Culture Kids drew them to MTW’s Global Youth and Family Ministry. The vision for reaching the next generation in Latin America was made clearer after visiting Bogotá, Colombia. The Lupton family hopes to move to Colombia in the fall of this year.

Listen Online: Luke 5:1-11

Read Online: Luke 5:1-11

Jeremiah 14-15:4

Jeremiah prays on behalf of his people in the midst of a severe drought. Sadly, Israel continued to ignore the example of Jeremiah's penitence and acknowledgement of God as ruler of all. In our busy lives, we often fall into the same pattern, expecting God to submit to our will, as though he can be manipulated by our worship into doing what we want.

Listen Online: Jeremiah 14-15:4

Read Online: Jeremiah 14-15:4

1 Timothy 6:17-21

Our passage, 1 Timothy 6:17-21, reminds us to have an eternal perspective. Rather than fixing our hopes on what fades with time, we are to take hold of what lasts, eternal life. The final verses of Paul’s letter to a young pastor return us to the beginning of his letter, bringing right knowledge and right living into focus.

Listen Online: 1 Timothy 6:17-21

Read Online: 1 Timothy 6:17-21

1 Timothy 6:11-16 - Committed to a Long Obedience in the Same Direction

In this very special sermon, hear what happens when the decency and order of a Sunday service is interrupted by a power outage. The audio is faint, recorded from a microphone in the back of the sanctuary.

Listen Online: 1 Timothy 6:11-16

Read Online: 1 Timothy 6:11-16

Jeremiah 12:7-17 God's Covenant Compassion

In this message, we are reminded of God's covenant faithfulness and compassion upon His people as we see God's promise to restore Israel after the exile. We are also reminded of God's compassion upon His enemies, which may make us uncomfortable until we remember that we too were once God's enemies.

Listen Online: Jeremiah 12:7-17

Read Online: Jeremiah 12:7-17

1 Corinthians 12:4-26

In this message, our focus will be on the unity and the diversity of the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12 shows us that God’s gifting in the Church calls us to each participate in such a way that values the differences we each possess.

Listen Online: 1 Corinthians 12:4-26

Read Online: 1 Corinthians 12:4-26

Guest Bio: Dan Quakkelaar was a member of Cornerstone from 2000 until 2006 when a job change moved him to Columbus, OH. He served as a Ruling Elder at Northwest Presbyterian Church where he taught and provided one-on-one shepherding of members. In 2009 Dan’s position as VP Database Marketing & Analysis at Highlights for Children Magazine was eliminated, at which time he sensed a call to seminary which was confirmed by his Session, family, and friends. Dan is at Covenant Seminary and will graduate with an M. Div. in May. Much of the emphasis in his education is in church planting which he intends to pursue after graduation.

1 Timothy 6:3-10 - Finding Contentment

We are reminded in 1 Timothy 6:3-10 that contentment is found in holding the faith handed down from the Apostles, what we often call theology; and possessing a life engaged in our world, what we refer to as ethics.

Listen Online: 1 Timothy 6:3-10

Read Online: 1 Timothy 6:3-10

1 Timothy 6:1-2

In this passage, we look at how we are to view those who have authority over us. The thorny issue of slavery in 1 Timothy 6:1-2 evokes both pangs of conscience and a distance that makes application hard.

Listen Online: 1 Timothy 6:1-2

Read Online: 1 Timothy 6:1-2

Jeremiah 11 - He Who Has Ears, Hear!

In this passage, we hear God recall call after call to Israel to “hear” his words and his warning. Sadly, Jeremiah 11 tells us that time has run out for Israel and punishment will soon fall on those who refused to listen. Jeremiah, one of those who has listened to God, takes his security in the fact that God will vindicate him before those without hearing ears who are seeking his life and will punish them.

Listen Online: Jeremiah 11

Read Online: Jeremiah 11

1 Timothy 5:17-25 - Shepherding the Shepherds

In this message we consider the role and responsibility of elders. In 1 Timothy 5:17-25, Paul instructs Timothy to see that leaders in the church are honored, but also held accountable. The reality of sin, both moral and theological, pervades all aspects of the church and for that reason the work of Christ is needed in every corner of the God’s household.

Listen Online: 1 Timothy 5:17-25

Read Online: 1 Timothy 5:17-25

1 Timothy 5:9-16 - Celebrating Marriage and Family

The centrality of the family as the building block of the church remains Paul’s emphasis in 1 Timothy 5:9-16. As Paul continues to address how best to provide for widows, he reveals underlying assumptions as to the importance of marriage, family, and work.

Listen Online: 1 Timothy 5:9-16

Read Online: 1 Timothy 5:9-16

Jeremiah 10 - Are you Afraid?

In this passage, Jeremiah calls upon Israel to not fear or have faith in powerless, lifeless idols. Bridging the gap of three thousand years may seem difficult given the fact that we no longer place our confidence or are caused to tremble by idols. Sadly, though, we are just as likely to place false trust or receive false trepidation from other facets of our own culture that are just as lifeless, powerless, and remove proper focus of fear and faith from God our Father.

Listen Online: Jeremiah 10

Read Online: Jeremiah 10

1 Timothy 5:1-2 - Relating to One Another as Family

We are reminded that the church is a family, and as such we are to treat one another with the mutual respect that should exist in our homes. In 1 Timothy 5:1-2, Paul instructs young Timothy how he, as a pastor, should relate to the various members of his congregation. The encouragement afforded to each member should be that of a parent or sibling. This picture of community reflects how God works His grace through His people.

Listen Online: 1 Timothy 5:1-2

Read Online: 1 Timothy 5:1-2

1 Timothy 4:11-16

We hear Paul’s instructions to Timothy that were to be read to the whole church. The pastor’s duties outlined in 1 Timothy 4:11-16 help us all to better understand the centrality of God’s Word and the necessity of a life that reflects the Gospel.

Listen Online: 1 Timothy 4:11-16

Read Online: 1 Timothy 4:11-16

1 Timothy 4:6-10

While all of creation is good (1 Timothy 4:4), we are faced daily with choices of how to conduct our lives. In 4:6-10 Paul calls us to nourish ourselves in the faith and good doctrine and to train ourselves for godliness.

Listen Online: 1 Timothy 4:6-10

Read Online: 1 Timothy 4:6-10

1 Timothy 4:1-5 - Receiving God's Grace in Creation

This week, we return to 1 Timothy where Paul, at the end of chapter 3, has declared that the church is the pillar and buttress of the truth, and that we confess the mystery of godliness when we speak of the work of Christ. This morning in 4:1-5, Paul takes us from the heights of that song in chapter 3 to the depths of demonic doctrines. False teaching, however, cleverly presents itself in a spirituality that sees holiness as attained by abstinence, where the gospel calls us to engage creation through thankfully receiving God’s gifts.

Listen Online: 1 Timothy 4:1-5

Read Online: 1 Timothy 4:1-5

Jeremiah 8:18-9:26 - Do We Care?

In Jeremiah 8:18 – 9:26 we are presented with a lament by the prophet Jeremiah, one of the many in the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations. The weeping of Jeremiah and the deep sense of compassion and caring in these verses are quite different from our culture today, especially in how we view those who reject the gospel. Rather than seeming a little odd, Jeremiah’s lament should cause us to examine ourselves to see if we simply do not care about the fate of the lost and what this says about our understanding of the gospel.

Listen Online: Jeremiah 8:18-9:26

Read Online: Jeremiah 8:18-9:26

Jeremiah 8:4-17

In this passage, we read of Israel's perpetual refusal to repent of their sin due to confidence in their own wisdom and assurance that what they were doing was okay. Jeremiah's words remind us that even today we justify our sin by using human wisdom to allow what God has forbidden and attempt to remove the penalty for such sin.



Read Online: Jeremiah 8:4-17

Jeremiah 7:1-26 - False Confidence in False Worship

God gives Judah a history lesson in Jeremiah 7, a history lesson they fail to learn for themselves. Will we learn from Judah's failures, or will we also value our actions in worship over the God who is worshipped? Read Online: Jeremiah 7:1-26

Jeremiah 3, 4:1-4 - Taking It All For Granted

Last week in Jeremiah 2 Israel willingly exchanged God Almighty for false gods and fallible human powers. We fall into these same pitfalls today. Jeremiah 3 offers the explanation for why they would do such a thing. They had lost sight of the greatness of their God, the greatness of His mercy, and the greatness of their sin. Are we guilty of having a small view of God?

Listen: Jeremiah 3, 4:1-4
Read: Jeremiah 3, 4:1-4

Jeremiah 2 - Alternative Gods

In this message, we are reminded of the utter stupidity of seeking after anything else to satisfy our deepest desires than our God. Nothing else can deliver us from our sin; nothing else can deliver us from our enemies. To search after anything other that God is to be satisfied by that which cannot profit.

Listen: Jeremiah 2
Read Online: Jeremiah 2

Jeremiah 1 - Courage in Calling

In this message, we will be studying the call of the prophet Jeremiah. Although fearful for his life and his lack of skill to accomplish the task, Jeremiah was comforted in the knowledge that he was equipped and defended by God Himself, promises of God which apply to our own calling today to be God's mouthpiece.

Read Online: Jeremiah 1

1 Timothy 3:16 - The Open Secret of the Resurrected Life

Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ as we look at an ancient hymn of the church in 1 Timothy 3:16. At the climax of Paul’s letter, we see the open secret of Jesus’ move from humiliation to exultation, moving from His earthly ministry to His work through the Church. The reason for this great triumph is the resurrection we celebrate every Lord’s Day and each year at Easter.

Read Online: 1 Timothy 3:16

1 Timothy 3:14-15 - Conduct Befitting God's Household

1 Timothy 3:14-15, brings us to the apex of Paul’s letter to the young pastor Timothy. The letter guides us as to how to order our lives as a family which is what the church is. The church as a household is built upon a strong foundation of God’s truth.

Read Online: 1 Timothy 3:14-15

1 Timothy 3:8-13 - Qualified to Lead: Deacons

In today's message, we continue to consider how God governs the Body, His Church. In 1 Timothy 3:8-13, Paul describes the character qualities of a deacon. This role of service in the church expresses the compliment of the role of teaching, pointing us to the dual function of the church to instruct and to serve.

Read Online: 1 Timothy 3:8-13

1 Timothy 2:11-15 Culture, Creation and Cradles

This is a difficult passage for many today and Christians in recent generations have been divided as to its application. Despite that, the demeanor and role of women is laid out against the backdrop of the creation account, so that we are to define ourselves and our callings in light of the God who made us for His glory.

Read Online: 1 Timothy 2:11-15

1 Timothy 3:1-7 Qualified to Lead; Elders

In this message we reflect on God’s working in the Church. Christ’s death and resurrection gathers together God’s people to be His Body. That body possesses structure and order, which can be seen among its leaders. In 1 Timothy 3:1-7, the noble task of the overseer is described not by what the leader does, but by what he is to be.

Read Online: 1 Timothy 3:1-7

Mark 12:28-34 - Knowledge vs. Action, Knowing the Right Answer vs. Truly Believing

In today's message, we examine the “Greatest” and “Second Greatest” commandments in Scripture. We are reminded by both that God wants not just our sacrifices and formal worship, but our everything in service to Him and others. Nothing less than all is sufficient. Jesus’ statement of being “not far from the kingdom” reminds us that the daily reality of our service to God and others is less than our all, even when we know that is what He requires. We need to realize in faith that Christ gave His all because we do not.

Read Online: Mark 12:28-34

1 Timothy 2:8-11 - Self Control

In today's sermon, we consider what God has to say about self-control in 1 Timothy 2:8-11. Paul addresses men and women differently in this area, commanding men to moderate their anger and women to moderate their dress. Godly deportment is a heart issue that spills out into our lives by how we present ourselves.

Read online: 1 Timothy 2:8-11

1 Timothy 2:5-7 - Exclusive Faith, Inclusive Mission

We continue our study in 1 Timothy as Paul points the early church, and God continues to direct us, to pray for our world (2:1-4) because the God of Creation has but one mediator, Jesus Christ (2:5-7). Our exclusive faith (there is one God, and no other) leads necessarily to our inclusive mission (the one God wants all men to be saved) (from John Stott’s Guard the Gospel, p67)

Read Online: 1 Timothy 2:5-7

Mark 11:12-19 - True Worship

In our passage this morning, Jesus condemns the Pharisees for appearing spiritual on the outside, but really being fruitless on the inside. The issue that Jesus condemns is the Pharisees’ self-centered worship. This serves as reminder to us that true worship is focused on God and affects the way we view those around us.

Read Online: Mark 11:12-19

1 Timothy 2:1-4 - Pray for All People

Paul commands prayer be made for all people, especially for those in authority. In this election year, making prayer a priority for those in authority is still a very critical component to church life.

Read Online: 1 Timothy 2:1-4

John 3:22-35 - Transitions

In this sermon, we are reminded that our ultimate joy rests in glorifying God, as told through this passage were John the Baptist steps aside from his ministry to point people to Christ.

Guest Preacher: Dan Breed

We welcome Pastor Dan Breed to the pulpit this morning. Dan and his wife, Erin, moved to Wisconsin from Colorado in December to plant a PCA church in the Fox Valley area. In the meantime, Dan is working with Jacob’s Well PCA in Green Bay and building relationships in the Fox Valley. Dan and Erin have three daughters and a fourth child on the way.


Read Online: John 3:22-35

1 Timothy 1:18-20 - The Gospel Trust

Paul, in 1 Timothy 1:18-20, encourages young Timothy to fulfill his responsibilities by holding firm the faith and a good conscience. He likewise warns Timothy that when a good conscience is lost, so also is the faith, the content of what we profess to be true.

Read Online: 1 Timothy 1:18-20

1 Timothy 1:12-17 - The Heart of What We Believe

Paul, in 1 Timothy 1:12-17, describes how God, through the Gospel, transformed his life, taking him from persecutor to preacher.

1 Timothy 1:12-17

1 Timothy 1:8-11 - The Laws of God

1 Timothy 1:8-11 explores the relationship between the Law and the Gospel. Paul says that the law is good only insofar as we use it lawfully, but what is the lawful use of God’s Law? As opposed to those who were speculating and toying with God’s Word, we are to see our fallen condition so that we can hear the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Read Online: 1 Timothy 1:8-11

1 Timothy 1:1-7 - Introduction to 1 Timothy

We begin the New Year by looking at 1 Timothy. While Paul writes affectionately to a young pastor, he also addresses apostolically the church as a whole. The theme of the letter comes out in 1:1-7: the stewardship from God. This stewardship is our responsibility in ordering the household of God, the Church.

Read Online: 1 Timothy 1:1-7