Sermons
What Does it Mean to be Sealed by the Holy Spirit?
I want to begin with the story of Anastasia. She was born to an unremarkable family in the Czech Republic. Eastern Europe has a proud heritage of musical excellence, and her mother—Nadia—had played a little violin as a girl. So, on Anastasia’s eighth birthday, she handed her daughter a small wooden case. By nine, Anastasia... Read More →
What is my Inheritance as a Christian?
There’s an old story about a small kingdom perched high on a mountain—though “mountain” may be generous. It was really a hill, just high enough to lift its people above the valley below. From that height they could see every road and river that ran through the farmland spread beneath them. The mountain folk lived... Read More →
Why Does God Want Us to Praise Him?
There was a season of my life where I worked as a web developer for an agency based out of Kamloops. And while I was there I got to work with some amazingly talented people. One in particular always stands out to me; her name was Lea, and she was one of the greatest designers... Read More →
What Does It Mean to Be a Christian?
Gary turned 40 in 1964, and like every other man of his generation, his attention was captured that spring by the launch of the Ford Mustang. It was magical — the roar of that V8 driving 2,500 pounds of pure Americana, 271 horsepower, and a 4-speed manual transmission. He wanted it desperately, but he couldn’t afford... Read More →
Freedom in Christ
Opening Story I want to start this morning with a story about a single mom. She grew up in a small town, moved away to a big city in another country when she grew up, married a man, had a baby… then it all fell apart. Divorced, isolated, unemployed. She moved back home to be... Read More →
Justified by Faith
Opening Illustration & Setup Once upon a time in a land far, far away… The globe stands at the precipice of war. The world is watching, the people are holding their collective breath. One man, a power-hungry autocrat who thinks his nation has been cheated, wronged by the nations around him and the world at... Read More →
Saved to Sent
Hook Anyone else remember writing “papers” in high school? I remember getting an assignment to write like 3 page or 5 pages on whatever-it-was and just sweating… like, how am I supposed to write so much!? This is insanity! No human being could accomplish this feat! Then I went to college and my term paper... Read More →
Godly Sorrow vs Worldly Sorrow
[INTRO YOURSELF] [ANNOUNCEMENT: ONE SERVICE NEXT SUNDAY] [HAND OUT BIBLES] HOOK It might surprise you to learn that I was not a very good student in high school… that probably why I ended up in Bible College rather than a real school. Anyway, one class stood out above the others in my grade school career.... Read More →
Batman, Barbie, and Jesus
Hook Good morning all, my name is Conrad and I am one of the pastors here. If you need a Bible to follow along in our Bible study this morning, put your hands in the air and one of our ushers will make sure you get one. I have long said that my two favourite... Read More →
The Advent of Grace
HOOK [Introduce yourself, get a Bible, turn to Titus, Pastor Joel is sick] In 2005, a small, neglected painting was put up for auction in New Orleans. It was a modest piece—darkened with age, overpainted to the point of obscurity, and regarded as little more than an above-average attempt to copy of one of the... Read More →
The Picture of Love
Hook [Introduce yourself and hand out Bibles] You might not know it to look at me, but I am a nerd. I used to write code for a living. I have a wall full of Marvel and DC comic books. I have created my own board games AND attended a board game convention… three times.... Read More →
The Church As… the Building
HOOK This morning I’m going to do the most controversial thing I have ever attempted from the pulpit. I am going to use Harry Potter as a sermon illustration. Send your complaints to brady@mountainspringscc.com. If you look past all the fantasy elements of wizards and magic and flying broomsticks the story is a classic tale... Read More →