River Church Sermons

Lewis Marsh
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This is the place to listen to CCR's weekly Sunday morning sermons. Messages that are based on the Bible, seek to honor Jesus, are Gospel centered and filled with faith and hope.

  1. 2d ago

    02 Final Orders - Living with Change

    How To Live the Legacy Pt. 2: Living with Change Louie Marsh, 7-26-2026   Change graphics – show 'em   At the end of chapter 13 Jesus tells the disciples that He's leaving – this doesn't sit well with them. They've given up everything for him, left family, friends, businesses for him. The authorities know who they are and aren't happy with them either – so they are faced with a real challenge. Change always presents us with fear and challenges – and Jesus gives us some powerful clues on how to deal with it.   1)  TRUST in God's Care    1  "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2  In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? John 14:1-2 (ESV)   · He  VALUES ME!   26  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26 (ESV)   · He MEETS my needs!   19  And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (ESV)   · He COMFORTS me   4  who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:4 (ESV)   · He never LEAVES me.   38  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)   2)  FOLLOW Jesus the Way.   5  Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:5-6 (ESV)   · Change is easier to deal with when the core of your life NEVER CHANGES.   · Jesus said He's the ONLY WAY to God. o What this doesn't mean: § That people in other religions are inferior, or worse than we are § That we hate other religions or look down upon them or their followers. § That everything in other religions are evil – we share much morality in common.   o What it does mean: § That Christianity is an exclusive faith! § ONLY Christianity presents the way to God AS A PERSON – Buddism has the 7 Fold Middle Way, Islam has the 5 Pillars of Islam, etc. § That the basis for our faith is different from all other religions – they are work based we are GRACE based!   A friend sent me this about a SS class – A teacher stood in front of her class and said, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into heaven?" NO! The children answered! Well if I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into heaven?" Again the answer was NO! Well then if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children and loved my wife would that get me into heaven? Against the answer was NO! Well then how can I get into Heaven? A 5 year old boy in the back shouted out, "YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!" · In the real world there are many parallels to this – 1 + 1 = 2 everywhere – etc. · It's a truth issue, you have to deal with it on that basis, not on a feeling basis.   3) Know God THROUGH Christ.   8  Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." 9  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. John 14:8-11 (ESV)     You don't ask for much do you Phillip? But don't we all make the same request? If only God would do this or that - then I'd believe!   Our Basis of Belief: ·  God's WORD – preferred basis – the only lasting one.   ·  God's ACTS  - okay as a starting point.   5  because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 1 Thessalonians 1:5 (ESV)   Yes, in the New Testament the miracles and the growth of the church have a very interesting relationship. In the book of Acts almost every time that Luke tells us the church grew, he precedes that with a story of a sign or a miracle. He does this 13 times, 2 examples:  Acts 2:1-4 - 2:41-43,47; 19:11-12 - 19:20 God offered both basis of belief in the early church   4) Rely on CHRIST'S POWER to fulfill my mission   12  "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14  If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:12-14 (ESV)   Jesus Did Four Things: 1, Formal Teaching - sermon on Mount 2, Relational Teaching - Woman at Well 3, Modeled - last week - foot washing 4, Miracles Greatest work of all – changed lives!   5) DO IT – don't just say it!   21  Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." …23  Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24  Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. John 14:21,23-24 (ESV)

  2. Jul 19

    01 Final Orders - Love Like Jesus

    Final Orders Pt. 1: Love Like Jesus Louie Marsh, 7-19-2026   Famous Last Words -   Friends applaud, the comedy is finished. ~~ Ludwig van Beethoven, composer, d. March 26, 1827   I am about to -- or I am going to -- die: either expression is correct. ~~ Dominique Bouhours, French grammarian, d. 1702   Waiting are they? Waiting are they? Well--let 'em wait. In response to an attending doctor who attempted to comfort him by saying, "General, I fear the angels are waiting for you." ~~ Ethan Allen, American Revolutionary general, d. 1789   Am I dying or is this my birthday? When she woke briefly during her last illness and found all her family around her bedside. ~~ Lady Nancy Astor, d. 1964   How were the receipts today at Madison Square Garden? ~~ P. T. Barnum, entrepreneur, d. 1891   Now comes the mystery. ~~ Henry Ward Beecher, evangelist, d. March 8, 1887   I am ready to die for my Lord, that in my blood the Church may obtain liberty and peace. ~~ Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, d.1170   See in what peace a Christian can die. ~~ Joseph Addison, writer, d. June 17, 1719   1) LOVE everyone like Christ   34  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35 (ESV)   · A NEW kind of Love   Loving one another was an old command; Loving like Jesus did was NEW!   · The World Is Our JUDGE.   This was true in the early church. Minucius Felix said about Christians, "They love each other even without being acquainted with each other." Julian said, "Their master has implanted the belief in them that they are all brethren."   · This is the MARK of the Christian   In his commentary of John's letters Jerome writes that when the Apostle John was asked why he constantly said, "Little children, love one another," he replied, "Because this is the precept of the Lord, and if only this is done it is enough."   "2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:2, ESV)   APPLICATION PROJECT: Honestly examine your life and ask God to help you love more like Christ in the weak areas you find.   2) DEVELOP a servant's heart.   3  Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4  rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5  Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:3-5 (ESV)   · Ministry = Service = HUMILITY.   Foot Washing   The menial nature of it in Jewish eyes is shown in its inclusion among works which Jewish slaves shouldn't be required to do.  It was something only Gentile slaves, or wives or children did.   The mother of Rabbi Ishael wished to wash his feet when he returned from Synagogue, he refused, she asked court of rabbis to rebuke him!  They didn't.   The tying of the towel had meaning to Jews.  Their tradition taught that when Hagar was sent away by Abraham she took her shawl and tied it around her loins "that people should know that she was a slave."   Foot washing was a symbolic act of welcome and refreshment to a guest. Servant love does for the soul what foot washing did for the feet - it refreshes, cleans, and makes you feel welcome and accepted!   · A Servant's heart shows itself in ACTION.   APPLICATION PROJECT: Find one selfless action you can do this week to serve someone – and do it!   3) ACCEPT service from others gracefully.   6  He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" 7  Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." 8  Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." John 13:6-8 (ESV)   · Peter's Problem – PRIDE.   He could not believe his Lord would do this! His response in Greek literally reads, "Master, you - my.." or "Master, you - me..." The impression is given of Peter sputtering in astonishment! He tried to be Lord of the Lord! never = "forever" strongest form of negation! Jesus says if he refuses he has "no part" of Him.  Word part used among the Jews as having part of an inheritance, especially in the Promised Land and the Kingdom of God. He got the message? But he didn't really understand it!   Our Problem   Pride cuts two ways, refusing to serve, or to be served.   Example of the latter - how hard it was for me to let people wash my feet in a foot washing ceremony I was in. Refusal to receive service and acts of love isn't humility - it's rooted in pride. It also kills any chance of people showing your their love.   "35In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "" (Acts 20:35, ESV)   If no one receives then no one can give.   APPLICATION PROJECT: If you have this kind of hidden pride, make it a goal this week to allow others to serve you.   ·  ALLOW God to work deeply in you.   Something deeper here as well.  This goes beyond just accepting service, as hard as that might be for some of us.   By doing something so offensive and alien to their culture I believe Jesus is trying to make them face many other issues deep inside them, to allow God to root them out and replace them with Godly responses.   13  for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13 (ESV)   That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure. Phil. 2:13 (Mes)   How do we do this? We have to be willing to face what we fear or hate the most and allow God to touch us in places where we don't want to be touched.   The late Mark Heard talked a bit about this in a great song, Winds of Time:   It takes more than a good intention, it takes more than a cursory line, it takes more than mortal vigor, to withstand the winds of time. It takes a saturated soul, and a faith that will never let go!   You only get a saturated soul by letting God work deep and long in your soul.   4) RELATE to others as an equal.   12  When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? 13  You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15  For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16  Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17  If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. John 13:12-17 (ESV)   First he SHOWS love. By doing the act of the lowest slave, or person.   Second He tells us to do the same.   We are ALL equals, watch out for attitudes, actions, titles, etc that raise you above others. We're all equal under God!   ·  UNDERSTAND your unique relationship with Jesus   Notice what Jesus says about His relationship with them –   1  Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 Corinthians 6:1 (ESV)   You are God's Partner – IF you give your life to Christ and let Him be your Forgiver and Leader.   5) LIVE for God's Glory   "31When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once." (John 13:31–32, ESV)   How do I do this? 1) I give my life Christ, and make Him my Forgiver and Leader 2) I make Him and His Kingdom 1st place in my life 3) I allow God to work deep in me, to transform my character into Christ-likeness.

  3. Jul 12

    11 Life Lessons from Jeremiah - Great is God's Faithfulness

    Life Lessons from Jeremiah Pt. 11: Great Is Your Faithfulness By Louie Marsh, 7-12-2026     1) I need to HONESTLY assess myself & situation.   "1I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath;  (Lamentations 3:1, ESV)   Jeremiah's Life…   ·       Darkness is OVERWHELMING him.    2he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; 3surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long.  (Lamentations 3:2-3, ESV)   ·       He is deeply BITTER.    4He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; 5he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation;  (Lamentations 3:4-5, ESV)   ·       He is TRAPPED.    6he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago. 7He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has made my chains heavy; (Lamentations 3:6-7 ESV)   ·       God isn't answering his PRAYERS.    8though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; 9he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones; he has made my paths crooked.  (Lamentations 3:8-9, ESV)   ·       It feels like God is ATTACKING him.   10He is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding; 11he turned aside my steps and tore me to pieces; he has made me desolate; 12he bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow. 13He drove into my kidneys the arrows of his quiver; (Lamentations 3:10-13, ESV)   ·       No one RESPECTS him.    14I have become the laughingstock of all my people, the object of their taunts all day long. 15He has filled me with bitterness; he has sated me with wormwood."  "16He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; (Lamentations 3:14-16, ESV)   ·       He has no PEACE.   17my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; 18so I say, "My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord."" (Lamentations 3:16–18, ESV)   2) But there is always HOPE!   "21But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: ·       God's love and mercy are still there in the BAD TIMES.    22The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.   ·       Even if I lose everything – I still have GOD.    24"The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." 25The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.   ·       A little suffering is GOOD for me.    27It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth." (Lamentations 3:21–27, ESV)   3) BOTH are true, not one or the other.   "31For the Lord will not cast off forever, 32for, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men." (Lamentations 3:31–33, ESV)

  4. Jul 5

    10 Life Lessons from Jeremiah - Taking the Long View

    Life Lessons from Jeremiah Pt. 10: Playing the Long Game By Louie Marsh, 7-5-2026   The Setting…   "1The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah. 3For Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying, "Why do you prophesy and say, 'Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall capture it; 4Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye. 5And he shall take Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall remain until I visit him, declares the Lord. Though you fight against the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed'?"" (Jeremiah 32:1–5, ESV)   1) God's plans often seem IRRELEVANT.   "6Jeremiah said, "The word of the Lord came to me: 7Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you and say, 'Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.' 8Then Hanamel my cousin came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, 'Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord." (Jeremiah 32:6–8, ESV)   ·  Jeremiah TESTS the Word of the Lord.   · God promises FAILURE.   · In the midst of national destruction He's looking at LAND?   2) Whether it makes sense or not – I must OBEY,   "9"And I bought the field at Anathoth from Hanamel my cousin, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver." (Jeremiah 32:9, ESV)   ·  Practice UNLIMITED forgiveness.   "21Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 22Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times." (Matthew 18:21–22, ESV)   · Love my enemies, not just TOLERATE them.   "43"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:43–45, ESV)   3) If I don't understand it TALK to God about it.   "14'Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time. 15For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.'" (Jeremiah 32:14–15, ESV)   "23And they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey your voice or walk in your law. They did nothing of all you commanded them to do. Therefore you have made all this disaster come upon them. 24Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it. 25Yet you, O Lord God, have said to me, "Buy the field for money and get witnesses"—though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.' "" (Jeremiah 32:23–25, ESV)   · All of God's plans are LONG TERM.   · It all comes down to TRUST.   "3Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases." (Psalm 115:3, ESV)   4) Never forget, God plays the LONG GAME.   "36"Now therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, 'It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence': 37Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. 38And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 39I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me." (Jeremiah 32:36–40, ESV)   "3to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified." (Isaiah 61:3, ESV)

  5. Jun 28

    09 Life Lessons from Jeremiah - God's Plan

    Life Lessons from Jeremiah Pt. 9: Living God's Plan By Louie Marsh, 6-28-2026     1) The historical setting:   "1These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. 3The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: (Jeremiah 29:1–3, ESV)   2) HOW does God want us to live?    4"Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:   · Settle down & live a PRODUCTIVE life.    5Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce.   "23Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds," (Proverbs 27:23, ESV)   · Live a NORMAL life, focus on the future.    6Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.   "28And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…(Genesis 1:28, ESV)   · Be a BLESSING to your culture.    7But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.   "12so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one." (1 Thessalonians 4:12, ESV)   · Don't let false prophets PROFIT off of you.    8For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, 9for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 29:1–9, ESV)   3) God's promise – for us or Israel or both?   "10"For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile." (Jeremiah 29:10–14, ESV)   · God has good plans for us- a FUTURE   11For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future...   (Jeremiah 29:11, ESV)   · There is hope but only in CHRIST.   11… and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11, ESV)   "3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you," (1 Peter 1:3–4, ESV)   · God will hear me when I PRAY.   12Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  (Jeremiah 29:12, ESV)   · I'll find God if I seek Him with ALL my heart   13You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  (Jeremiah 29:13, ESV)   · VS 14 – ISRAEL ONLY.   14I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."   4) Summation.   "15I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." (John 17:15–16, ESV)

  6. Jun 21

    08 Life Lessons from Jeremiah - I Am the Clay

    Life Lessons from Jeremiah Pt. 8: I Am the Clay By Louie Marsh, 6-21-2026     1) Following Jesus can get STRANGE.   "1The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2"Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words."  (Jeremiah 18:1, ESV)   "2As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, 3the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,' ""…"6Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey." (Mark 1:2-3,6, ESV)   "1Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. (Genesis 12:1–2, ESV)   2) Spiritual truth often PARALLELS real life.   3So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.  (Jeremiah 18:3-4, ESV)   "24He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field," (Matthew 13:24, ESV)   3) If Jesus is Lord I allow Him FREE REIGN in my life.    5Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.  (Jeremiah 18:5-6, ESV)   "13You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am." (John 13:13, ESV)   4) God is the Sovereign of the Universe, in the end His will is DONE.    7If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.  (Jeremiah 18:7-10, ESV)     5) In light of this – I must REPENT.   11Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 'Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.'  (Jeremiah 18:11, ESV)     6) The unbelieving world WON'T DO this.    12"But they say, 'That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.'" (Jeremiah 18:12, ESV)

  7. Jun 14

    07 Life Lessons from Jeremiah - Real Spiritual Warfare

    Life Lessons from Jeremiah Pt. 7: Real Spiritual Warfare By Louie Marsh, 6-14-2026   1) Ever felt like God has TRICKED you?   "7O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me.  8For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, "Violence and destruction!" For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.  (Jeremiah 20:7–8, ESV)   "6know then that God has put me in the wrong and closed his net about me." (Job 19:6, ESV)   then know that God has wronged me and drawn his net around me.  (Job 19:6, NIV) . 2) If I'm called by God, I must ANSWER that call.    9If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.  (Jeremiah 20:9, ESV)   "16For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. 18What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel." (1 Corinthians 9:16–18, ESV)   3) Doubt & fear work to DESTROY me.    10For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! "Denounce him! Let us denounce him!" say all my close friends, watching for my fall. "Perhaps he will be deceived; then we can overcome him and take our revenge on him."  (Jeremiah 20:10, ESV)   4) But God will OVERCOME them.   11But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. 12O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause.  (Jeremiah 20:11-12, ESV)   5) I must WORSHIP Him for delivering me.    13Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.  (Jeremiah 20:13, ESV)   6) Be PREPARED for the struggle to continue.    14Cursed be the day on which I was born! The day when my mother bore me, let it not be blessed! 15Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, "A son is born to you," making him very glad. 16Let that man be like the cities that the Lord overthrew without pity; let him hear a cry in the morning and an alarm at noon, 17because he did not kill me in the womb; so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb forever great. 18Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?" (Jeremiah 20:14–18, ESV)   "3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted." (Isaiah 53:3–4, ESV)

  8. Jun 7

    06 Life Lessons from Jeremiah - My Deceitful Heart

    Life Lessons from Jeremiah Pt. 6: My Deceitful Heart By Louie Marsh, 6-7-2026   1) I must LEARN to trust in God alone.   "5Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. (Jeremiah 17:5–6, ESV)   The person whose "heart turns aside from Yahweh" is "cursed." In ancient Israel's theocratic monarchy, turning away from God was considered rebellion and treason, crimes still punishable by death in most countries of the world today. Such a rebel Jeremiah compared to the, "juniper," of the "wilderness, a land of salt and not inhabited" (17:6). This description leads to the identification of the with the Sodom apple of the Dead Sea region. This tree has broad leaves that appear to be upturned in prayer. It bears a fruit about the size and shape of a lemon and is attractive in appearance. But when opened, this fruit reveals only dry, silky, threadlike fibers that carry the seeds on the wind, much as the milkweed. A person who makes his home in the barren wilderness of the soul and orders his life so as to produce only desiccated, disappointing "fruit" "will not see when good comes." - Gregory A. Lint, ed., Jeremiah–Lamentations, The Complete Biblical Library: Study Bible (World Library Press, 2000), Je 17:5–8.   · When I trust myself, I get NOTHING!   2) My life will be STABLE & FRUITFUL if I do.    7"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7–8, ESV)   "9(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)," (Ephesians 5:9, ESV)   3) My big problem – My Heart has a TERMINAL disease.    9The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10"I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."  (Jeremiah 17:9–10, ESV)   "26And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26, ESV)   4) If I follow my heart alone I will end up a FOOL.   11Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool. 12A glorious throne set on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. 13O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water.  (Jeremiah 17:11–13, ESV)   5) Only God can HEAL my heart.    14Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.  (Jeremiah 17:14, ESV)   "28Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."" (Matthew 11:28–30, ESV)   6) So I will follow God's CALL thru good times & bad.   15Behold, they say to me, "Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come!" 16I have not run away from being your shepherd, nor have I desired the day of sickness. You know what came out of my lips; it was before your face. 17Be not a terror to me; you are my refuge in the day of disaster.  (Jeremiah 17:5–15-17, ESV)   7) I will TRUST  God & let Him deal with my enemies   18Let those be put to shame who persecute me, but let me not be put to shame; let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed; bring upon them the day of disaster; destroy them with double destruction!" (Jeremiah 17:18, ESV)

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This is the place to listen to CCR's weekly Sunday morning sermons. Messages that are based on the Bible, seek to honor Jesus, are Gospel centered and filled with faith and hope.

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