John McCants
The Glory of God

The Glory of God

The glory of God can seem like a confusing idea. The Bible makes a big deal of it, even making it a matter of life and death. But we tend not to think about it very much. What exactly is God’s glory? What if understanding and seeking God’s glory dramatically changes...

God’s Unstoppable Purpose

God’s Unstoppable Purpose

We tend to get frustrated when things don’t go our way. And if we’re honest, sometimes our frustration is tied to our stubbornness. But what if God uses tough circumstances to get our attention for a reason? What if He wants to give us a second chance to overcome our...

I Take Refuge in You

I Take Refuge in You

It seems like we spend a lot of our time searching. We chase money, relationships, fame, and plenty of other things, hoping that some of it will deliver a sense of goodness, security, and joy. But those searches ultimately leave us wanting. We tend to forget that...

Debt Matters

Debt Matters

We are created to crave. We all want something. And we all realize that there’s something lacking in our lives, so we always want more. More food, more time, more money, more stuff. But with all of our desire for more, our ability to get more is always limited. So we...

The Gift of Christ

The Gift of Christ

The love of material things often steals our attention. This leads us to focus on growing our collection of possessions, even thinking that those items can somehow provide authentic, deep life satisfaction. And when our idea of Christmas revolves around a misplaced...

The Kingdom of God Now

The Kingdom of God Now

The kingdoms and empires of this world are small compared to God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom is active now. It sometimes operates in obscurity and ordinariness. It is unseen but real nonetheless. And God invites us to participate in this kingdom—to make seeking His...

Your Old and New Natures

Your Old and New Natures

Have you ever felt unprepared? You’ve probably had a time in your life when you were not prepared at all for what was about to happen. As our flesh constantly fights to lead us further away from God, it’s easy for us to feel unprepared for life. But God prepares us by...

New Community

New Community

We all identify with communities in some ways. Even the most isolated individuals acknowledge some basic common ground with other people groups. From sports teams to political parties to hometowns, communities unite us around common ideas. But when we run into...

New Creation

New Creation

It’s easy for us to become consumed with what happens to us and around us. We spend so much time and energy on managing our circumstances that we begin to think those circumstances define us. After thinking this way for a while, we eventually believe that those old...

Adoption

Adoption

Adoption brings up mixed emotions. The term “adopted” can be used to show affection or insult. Our understanding of adoption comes from our picture of family. Many times we have a picture of family that limits our understanding of the truth of adoption. In this...

Parenting

Parenting

We’ve all had parents. They’re responsible for at least some part of shaping how we got to where we are today. And our different kinds of experiences with parents have affected our thoughts on parenting. But what if we could broaden our idea of what it means to be a...

Finishing Well

Finishing Well

How would you end your last words to someone? As Paul ends his second letter to Timothy, he works through a list that feels out of place at first. Honestly, it’s part of the letter that we tend to skip when we read it. But what if God has something significant to...

Suffering for the Gospel

Suffering for the Gospel

As Paul writes his last words, he encourages Timothy to remember the gospel in kind of a strange way: he urges Timothy to join with him in suffering for the gospel. Is there a different way to see suffering? In this message, we’ll see how God empowers us to maintain...

Thankful Now

Thankful Now

Around this time of year, it may be easier for us to have thankfulness on our minds. But do we regularly give thanks throughout the year? What about when things don’t go our way? It seems like we wait to really give thanks until certain things happen the way we want...

Get Your Hands Dirty

Get Your Hands Dirty

Following Jesus calls us out of the bleachers and into the game. But being in the game means we have to get out of our comfort zones and get our hands dirty. This willingness to lay aside ourselves is at the heart of volunteering. In this message, we’ll see how Jesus...

the god of approval

the god of approval

We all want approval. At some level, we all want to be liked and affirmed. Seeking approval by itself is not necessarily bad, but seeking it in the wrong source is. When we make human approval our ultimate value, then we make approval into an idol, worshipping a false...

Come and Go

Come and Go

Have you ever wondered what the Christian life is all about? Jesus Christ calls people to follow Him, to be changed by Him, and to go on mission with Him. His mission is for us to be disciple-makers, disciples who make disciples. That's what He wants our lives to be...

Community

Community

We’re all made to live in community. But today we find ourselves living increasingly isolated lives. As we further disconnect from other people, we lose not only the support of community we need, but we also lose the sense of fulfillment in Christ that God intended...

Commitment

Commitment

American culture gives us almost no need for loyalty. We regularly switch brands or cancel plans via text message. We have learned to avoid commitment as a negative thing, forgetting the benefits that accompany it. In this sermon, we’ll discuss the need to remember...

Relationships, Sowing, and Reaping

God's Spirit gives new life to His people so that we can live like we have new life. This new life only properly functions in community with other people. When we walk in selfless community by God's Spirit, we experience the benefits of new life in Him. Discussion...

The Law and The Gospel

God has a covenant relationship with His people, and He always keeps His promises, no matter what our shortcomings may be. In fact, even our best efforts don't get us into right relationship with God. We only have right relationship with Him because of Jesus. The Law...