Ocean Lakes Church Service

The Bible speaks of heaven in terms of a mansion. But there are other words which are also used to describe the final residence of all those who know Jesus, the Son of God, as their own personal Savior. Today we will take a look at some of these beautiful ideas, terms, to see what God has let us knew about heaven - “A House Not Made with Hands.” For more information on the Campground, insider tips and FAQ's, listen to our General Ocean Lakes Podcast, Campground Conversations.

During this month of September, we are going to be thinking about a subject which is special to many people - HEAVEN. Do you believe in heaven? Many do; some do not. The sermon today will be interspersed with the congregation singing several hymns about heaven. The congregational singing will not be on the podcast, but if you know some of these old favorite hymns, perhaps you can sing them also as we worship together. For more information on the Campground, insider tips and FAQ's, listen to our General Ocean Lakes Podcast, Campground Conversations.

In John’s gospel, chapter 16, the very last verse, Jesus told His followers, “In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” That’s the KJV. In another translation, that verse reads this way: “While you are in the world, you will have to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the world.” That sounds like something we all could use, doesn’t it? For the next few minutes we will be thinking about how Jesus was able to deal with suffering, hardships, and all other kinds of situations. For more information on the Campground, insider tips and FAQ's, listen to our General Ocean Lakes Podcast, Campground Conversations.

If you have ever been totally occupied in giving your full time and attention to some project, and along comes someone who interrupts you in what you’re doing, then you know just how frustrating and annoying that can be. You may be tempted to give that person “a piece of your mind.” The Bible tells us that Jesus was “in all points tempted, as we are, yet without sin.” This may well be the time when a look at how Jesus handled interruptions can help us also. That’s what our subject is this morning: “Jesus and Interruptions.” For more information on the Campground, insider tips and FAQ's, listen to our General Ocean Lakes Podcast, Campground Conversations.

If you were to ask the average person today the question, “Are you a Christian?” you may get a variety of answers. Some may say, “Yes, I am. I try to be good to others; I pay my debts; I am faithful in my marriage; I am a good husband (or wife)” - and on and on it may go. But what is it that determines if a person is truly a Christian or not? That’s what we’re asking in today’s sermon: “How can I be sure I am a Christian?” Can one be sure at all? It’s a good question, and not only our peace of mind on this earth is based on our answer, but also this has a bearing on our eternal destiny. For more information on the Campground, insider tips and FAQ's, listen to our General Ocean Lakes Podcast, Campground Conversations.

Do you know what a parable is? Perhaps you learned long ago that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. There is a parable that Jesus told which is only one sentence long, although in Matthew’s account in chapter 13, it takes up two verses. 45 and 46. This is a story about something which was quite expensive. If you are where you can take your Bible, get it and let’s look together at this parable. It is quite a fascinating story, and it has a message for us all today. For more information on the Campground, insider tips and FAQ's, listen to our General Ocean Lakes Podcast, Campground Conversations.

Several years ago, a popular Bible translator made the statement, “The trouble with many people today is that they have not found a God big enough for modern needs.” Most people have a god of some kind that they worship, but what kind of god is sufficient for our needs today? This morning we will try to answer that question with another question which is the title of the sermon today: “How Big Is Your God?” For more information on the Campground, insider tips and FAQ's, listen to our General Ocean Lakes Podcast, Campground Conversations.

One of the most painful experiences anyone can endure is that of being rejected by someone who is special in your life. Maybe a spouse, a child, a parent, a close friend or anyone whose approval we desire. In our Bible passage for today, the apostle Peter wrote to some people who has been utterly rejected. The reference for our text in the Scripture today is First Peter Chapter Two. Let's look at this together for the next few minutes. Maybe God has a message for YOU today! For more information on the Campground, insider tips and FAQ's, listen to our General Ocean Lakes Podcast, Campground Conversations.

Have you ever seen the cartoon which pictures a little devil sitting on a person’s shoulder, whispering in one ear, and on the other shoulder a little angel whispering in the other ear? This pictures what we all experience when we have a debate going on inside our hearts, having to decide if we will obey God’s will or not. This is what the sermon is about today: “The Cross Pull.” Romans, chapter 7, verse 19 is our key Bible verse. For more information on the Campground, insider tips and FAQ's, listen to our General Ocean Lakes Podcast, Campground Conversations.

Today our worship service is quite different from the normal. We are celebrating today “Christmas in July.” Perhaps you have heard it said that the Christmas carols are so beautiful, it is sad that we sing them only once a year. Well, today we are having a Christmas celebration, with music and the sermon all on a Christmas theme. The title of today’s sermon is “In Defense of An Innkeeper." For more information on the Campground, insider tips and FAQ's, listen to our General Ocean Lakes Podcast, Campground Conversations.

Even though Independence Day is now past, we are continuing to celebrate today with another patriotic service. I want to use our time together this morning to reflect on some aspects of what America celebrated two days ago. Many who are sharing this service by podcast are not Americans, nor do you live in America. However, we pray that the thoughts you hear today may be applied to any nation, as we remember what the scripture says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.” For more information on the Campground, insider tips and FAQ's, listen to our General Ocean Lakes Podcast, Campground Conversations.

Since Independence Day, July 4th, falls on a Friday this year, we here at Ocean Lakes are going to be celebrating America’s freedom on TWO Sundays this year - the Sunday before and the Sunday after. Our gathered congregation will sing “God Bless America” on both of these Sundays. But the question for us today is, “When Can God Bless America?” For more information on the Campground, insider tips and FAQ's, listen to our General Ocean Lakes Podcast, Campground Conversations.

Twice each year most states in our nation go through an ordeal of remembering to change our clocks – either forward or backward. “Spring forward – Fall backward” we say. Getting the right time is very important to most people. In the 90th Psalm, verse 12, there is a reminder from God that we are to “number our days.” We’re thinking about that this morning, as we look at “Just a Tiny Little Minute.”

On this Father’s Day this year we are thinking about gifts - not gifts that we might give to our earthly fathers, but rather the gifts that we have all received from our heavenly Father. What are some of these gifts? We could never name them all, but let’s look today at just a few. Thank you for worshiping with us today from Ocean Lakes Family Campground.

Have you ever had the unfortunate experience of standing outside a door and constantly ringing the doorbell or knocking on the door - all to no effect? Nobody is answering. Did you know that there is just such a situation in the Bible? We will be reading this story from Acts 12, the first 19 verses. If you are where you can get your Bible, follow along as we explore this story today!

The title of today’s message is one which may be confusing to some people: “Half-Way Christians.” One might say that a person is a Christian or not, but you can’t be just “half-way.” Actually this title is what is called an “oxymoron.” This is a figure of speech in which two or more words are put together which are actually opposites; they contradict each other. Some examples are: “minor surgery” – “new used car” – or “good grief.” Let’s look at this subject together this morning to try to get some answers.

If you look at the title of today’s message, you may get the wrong impression that we’re thinking today about some musical subject - “Blowing the Trumpet.” Actually, Jesus was talking about some people of His day who did good deeds, but wanted everybody to take notice. It is a very interesting analogy that Jesus used, and there is a real important lesson for us all in His words from Matthew, chapter 6, verse 2. What did Jesus have in mind in these words from the Sermon on the Mount? Let’s find out together.

The title of today’s sermon is one which many people may think that they would never hear from a preacher. We’ve all heard critics of the organized church say, “All they talk about at church is money.” Jesus did not do that, and in fact, there were times when He told people that they could just leave their money at home. That’s the subject of today’s sermon, so stay with us and let’s see what Jesus was talking about when he said that.

During the years when Jesus was on this earth in person, there were many who heard His words, but could not understand what He was talking about. One of His sayings which was so hard for people to take in is recorded in Luke’s gospel, chapter 9, verse 24. In essence, Jesus was saying, “Save your life and lose it; lose your life for My sake, and you will save it.” That’s our subject for today, “Finding Through Losing.”

Every time a preacher steps to the pulpit to bring a message to the people, there surely must be an awareness that someone out there in the congregation is in great need of a message from God which will give strength for the facing of the next days, weeks, months, and even years ahead. The question is not, do you have any burdens, but rather, the main question is “How Do You Face Life’s Trials?” This is what we are going to be thinking about during the next few minutes.