The Rock Church

Created

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” — Genesis 1:1

I love starting a new year reading in Genesis! The Creation story certainly affirms my faith and always excites me.

I remember taking a drive with my family years ago. While in the car, we saw the most amazing rainbow I’ve ever seen. Actually, it was a double rainbow, cascading against the Wasatch Mountains. The colors were brilliant. They absolutely surpassed my imagination. In awe, we pulled our car off the road a bit, got out and just stared.

When we got ready to leave, we noticed dozens of cars had pulled off the road to park (just like us). Other awestruck people had their cameras out, all marveling at the incredible sight. I was reminded of Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”

Glory to the Lord

Just looking at God’s Creation (observing a rainbow He made) somehow gives glory to the Lord. There is an inaudible voice declaring, proclaiming, communicating and explaining to us that God is awesome. He is glorious. That rainbow was a shout to the world from God. “Hey, I’m here — I created this earth, and I will also judge it!” Our universe didn’t just happen by itself. Rainbows are a reminder of that fact.

We need to spend time learning, observing and seeking the truth found within the Creation. Our reality is simple. God created it all. Simply put, as we observe His handiwork, our awe of God will grow and we will glorify Him with our lips.

Is God’s Creation glorious? The heavens eternally declare, “Yes!” For this reason, may we see and declare the glory of God this week, as we observe all that He has made.

Rejoicing in Him,

,

Bill

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

Purpose for the New Year

A new year is upon us. For many, it’s a time for assessment, introspection and resolutions. A lot of this personal analysis can be boiled down to re-evaluating two questions: “What is my purpose?” and “How do I fulfill that purpose?”

I believe the answer to those two questions is found in the Great Commandment (Matthew 22). Jesus said the greatest commandment of the law was (vs 37-38), “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton

Greatest Statement Ever

“But as [Joseph] considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” — Matthew 1:20-21

Jesus will save His people from their sins. That might be the greatest statement anyone has ever made. Indeed, we remember this fact as we celebrate Christmas!

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Parable of the Talent

In the Parable of the Talent, a master gave three of his servants a set amount of money. He asked them to manage it (according to their abilities) while he was on a journey. When the master returned, he asked for an account of what they did with their talents. Each servant was judged accordingly.

I’ve read this parable before and focused simply on the talent. I mainly related it to what we are to do with our God-given, natural abilities. Recently, I began to think about it more carefully.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

Miracles of God

In a recent sermon of mine, I mentioned four of my favorite displays of God’s power (found in the Old Testament). They were: Creation, the Flood, parting the Red Sea, and making the sun stand still. 

I’ve had a good time going through Jesus’ New Testament miracles, relating them to miraculous events in the Old Testament. There are a lot of similarities between His miracles and those found in the Old Testament. One thing that has undeniably stood out to me, is how personal all of Jesus’ miracles were. 

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The Goodness of God

“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” — 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NLT)

I’ve often shared these verses with people in an effort to help show the “Goodness of God.” Especially when they’ve made a mistake or experienced some sort of mishap and are feeling down. And quite frankly, for many of us, that happens frequently. Without a doubt, this truth is for all of us.

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Guard Your Heart

Simply put (good or bad), there are many things fighting for first place in our hearts. Our jobs, family, friends, bills, hobbies, “to-do lists”, debts, recreation, wealth, pets, church (and even our houses) — all of these want a little piece of our hearts, don’t they? Here is what the Bible says in Proverbs 4:23, “Guard your hearts above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” In Matthew 6:34 it says, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will be also.” 

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A Worldview Assessment

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” — Colossians 2:8

A few weeks ago, The Rock pastors attended the M28 Alliance Pastor’s Conference. While there, we visited the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter in Kentucky. The exhibits, presentations, conversations and fellowship were great!

One of the exhibits at the museum was on ultimate questions (or worldview questions). A topic we recently covered at church. These questions cover topics of existence, meaning, morality and destiny. 

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God Works for Good

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” — Romans 8:28 (NIV84)

My mom died a few weeks ago. We didn’t expect it. It happened suddenly.

Without a doubt, death is never easy. Grieving the loss of a loved one is not something we look forward to. Neither would we describe such experiences as “good.” They are really hard. They hurt.

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One Thing

Recently, I spoke about prayer at our monthly meeting for The Rock Men. Preparing for it reminded me how important prayer truly is. I was challenged by this question, “What is one thing I can set in place to pray more?”

Prayer really is a lifeline for Christians. Martin Luther said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” It is such an essential and powerful part of our lives. Sadly, it can too easily be put on the back burner in the craziness of life. Simply put, we live in the most distracting time in the history of the world. We have enough content in our phones to fill multiple lifetimes. So, how do we pray more? How do we implement that “one thing”?

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton