How do we grow in grace? This would seem an impossible task since grace is something that is given to us. As we look at the final passage in our 2 Peter Sermon series called "Growing in Grace," we will see that Peter gives us several ways that we can grow in grace. We need to nurture a focus in our lives on what Christ has done for us through his d…

I've called this sermon on 2 Peter 3:8-14 "Preparing for the End of the World." (How's that for an attention-grabbing, click-baity title?) I have found that there are basically two types of Christians: those who get obsessed with studying the end times and those that want to avoid anything to do with it (largely because they want to avoid talking a…

By Rachelle Wechsler

Some people struggle with feeling like God just doesn't care or that he really isn't involved in the affairs of this world. Just over 2000 years ago Jesus ascended into heaven and said he would come back to take us to be with him. But where is he? As time goes by, it is easy to give up hope. In a sermon called "The Power of God's Word" we look at 2…

By David Hoeflein

In all of the political turmoil going on right now, never once have I heard someone say, "You know what we need? We really need to go back to being a British colony!" Can you imagine going through the Revolutionary War, fighting for freedom, winning, gaining our independence... and then just going back? In a sermon called "Trading Treasure for Tras…

By Max Ramos

In a sermon called "A Problem with Authority," we look at 2 Peter 2:1-12 as part of our sermon series on 2 Peter called "Growing in Grace." In chapter two of this letter, Peter highlights some false teachings that have infiltrated the church. He warns the people against these teachings and these teachers. We look at the first aspect of their false …

By Bonny Hoeflein

We continue our sermon series called "Growing in Grace" on 2 Peter by looking at 2 Peter 1:12-21 in a sermon called "Reminded of Truth." We all need to remember important things. In his letter of 2 Peter, Peter says again and again that he is writing to remind his readers of important things. We look at why we need reminders and why it is important…

Sin is rampant. There is war, disease, and natural disasters. In addition to this, the world is against God and his church. At best Christians are seen as foolish, naive or backwards. At worst, the church is hated and persecuted. Within the church, there is corruption, abuse and false teachers. As we look around it seems overwhelming and we wonder …

By Zack Wechsler

As we continue our "Growing in Grace" sermon series on 2 Peter, we will look at 2 Peter 1:5-11 in a sermon called "Faith in Action." Grace is not something we can know but remain unchanged. If we believe in what Jesus has done in our lives then we cannot remain who we were when we were saved. Peter challenges us to "make every effort" to live out o…

By Zack Wechsler

Have you ever packed for a trip and then had that feeling like you were forgetting something? I feel this way every time I pack! I can't imagine leaving the house for a trip and being absolutely sure that I had everything I needed. In our "Growing in Grace" sermon series on 2 Peter, we are looking at 2 Peter 1:1-4 in a sermon called "Everything We …

By Max Ramos

We are starting a new sermon series called "Growing in Grace" which will cover the New Testament book of 2 Peter. In this short letter, Peter, knowing his life would soon be over, gives some final reminders to people he cares about. Most importantly, he wants them to know the grace given to them through Christ and for them to be diligent to live li…

By Zack Wechsler

When we became followers of Christ, we began to look at the world differently. Almost as if we were given brand new eyes to see with. The way we view our culture and the world changes when Christ comes into our lives. But in a sermon titled "Spiritual Blindness" we look at an encounter between a physically blind man and Jesus that shines a light on…

By Zack Wechsler

We conclude our sermon series on the local church called "A Peculiar Unity" by looking at Ephesians 3:20-21 in a sermon titled "The Power and the Glory." There are times throughout history when having faith in Jesus has not been popular. Followers of Jesus face persecution and ridicule. It is easy to get discouraged and feel like being a Christian …

By Rachelle Wechsler

We continue our sermon series called "A Peculiar Unity" where we are looking at the importance of the local church in God's plans. In a sermon called "Guardrails," we look at how our unity must be shaped by a common mission and shared values as we look at the mission statement and core values of Orchard. I hope we are all be challenged to make sure…

I remember as a kid watching reruns of the show called "The Lone Ranger." Just the title gives away the basic idea which is that there is one person, who is all by himself, taking on the world. Of course, he wasn't actually all by himself as he had help along the way. But our culture today values the idea of a person who does not need anyone and is…

By Zack Wechsler

If we want a cup of coffee, we have a lot of different places to go. We can go to Tim Hortons one day, McDonalds on another day, and then Starbucks on another day. There is nothing wrong with this. But what if we have this attitude toward the church? There should be a difference between our attitude toward our place for coffee and our local church.…

There are many ways to be united with other people. You can find others who are just like you. You can find others who like the same things you like. You can find people who hate the same things you hate. But at some point something can change. Maybe you don't like or hate the same things anymore. What happens to the unity then? If our unity is dep…

By Zack Wechsler

"When God wanted to bring the incredible message about new life through His Son’s death and resurrection to the world, He didn’t create a program, build a structure, or start a country. He used a group of people. Though these people were different from each other and were each flawed, what joined them together was that they had been changed by Jesu…

By Rachelle Wechsler

We celebrate the most important, history-changing, life-altering event in the history of humanity. It is impossible to overstate the magnitude of the impact of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the grave. We look at the greatest problem of humanity, the greatest act of love ever committed, the most profound act of bot…

There comes a point in a journey when you are almost to your destination. When the journey is long, that time when you are almost there is both exciting and agonizing. You long to be where you are going, but you still have a little ways to go before you get there. We conclude our sermon series called "Are We There Yet? Glory, Grace and Grumbling in…

There was a phrase I would often use with my kids as we pulled into whatever place we were going. It was the phrase, "Now, remember..." and then I would proceed to remind them about their manners, things they were allowed to do or not allowed to do, that they needed to stay where we could see them, or just anything that they needed to remember wher…

By Zack Wechsler

We look at a very difficult passage in the book of Numbers. In Numbers chapters 31 and 32 God's people are faced with several very difficult choices. Understanding these chapters for us is very difficult as well, since the issues facing God's people are very foreign to us. But by looking at the choices they made - some good, some not so good - we c…

By Zack Wechsler

The day I was leaving for college was a very memorable day because of the words my dad gave me. The conversation was direct and void of any waste. My dad wanted to give me some final advice before he dropped me off for college with the hope that I would remember some critical things to help me survive till I would see him again in November. What wo…

By Sarah Wechsler

We are forgetful people. This is why so often in the Old Testament God teaches His people to be intentional about remembering what He has done for them. In a sermon called "Intentional Remembering," we look at Numbers chapters 28-30 where God gives His people specific things to help them remember Him when they come into the Promised Land. We learn …

By Zack & Rachelle Wechsler

Sometimes starting over is hard. You get to the end of a project and realize you made a mistake and you have to start over again. That can be frustrating. But sometimes starting over is exciting. You get a new beginning to avoid the mistakes you made the first time. In a sermon called "New Beginnings", we look at Numbers chapters 26 and 27 as part …

By Zack Wechsler

It is an amusing sight at a kids sporting event when someone takes the ball in the wrong direction and scores for the opposing team, but it would not be so funny if that happened this weekend in the Super Bowl! There comes a point when people understand what is at stake and should know better. In a sermon called "Helping the Enemy" we look at Numbe…

By Zack Wechsler

In this sermon we look at a classic story from the book of Numbers - the story of Balaam and his talking donkey. It reminds me of Sunday School stories as a kid or illustrated children's books. But the book of Numbers is no children's book and the account of Balaam is much more complicated and sinister than what we might typically teach to kids. In…

Where do we go when we need help? Where do we turn when things seem like they are falling apart? This sermon on Numbers 20:14 - 21:45 is titled "Look Up and Live" and looks at a time when the Israelites, once again, got themselves into trouble in the book of Numbers. God had done so much for them, yet again they grumble and complain against him. As…

By Rachelle Wechsler

We struggle with wanting to be first. Or maybe just wanting to be right. Or just wanting others to think that we are right. Every aspect of our culture feeds the flame within us that says we are right and we should get what we want. This sermon looks at a very difficult passage in Numbers 20:1-13. We need to look carefully at these 13 verses becaus…

By Rachelle Wechsler

We return to our sermon series "Are We There Yet? Glory, Grace, and Grumbling in the Book of Numbers." We are stepping back into the wilderness between Egypt and Israel where God's people struggled to accept God's grace at work in their lives. In a sermon called "Life in a World of Death" we look at Numbers chapter 19.…