Ottawa Valley Vineyard Sermons

The third part of our Advent series is Emmanuel: God with us in the seeking. Looking at the story of the wise men, Ahren digs deeper to explore their journey of seeking Jesus, and how God met them in many ways throughout the process, bringing them joy and guiding them to their ultimate destination: a place of worship. We can learn a lot about our own journeys of seeking Christ when we look at the story of the wise men.

In the second week of our Advent series, Ahren speaks on what it means to have God with us in moments of decision. Looking at Joseph's careful and difficult decision about whether to marry Mary (Matthew 1:18-25), we see that sometimes God's way is one we may never have even considered. God's way also isn't always the easiest one. Where might you be tempted to choose a decision that serves you instead of identifying with God's purpose for your life?

As we come into the advent season, we will be exploring the theme of Emmanuel: God With Us. In this first sermon of the series, Ahren speaks on God with us in the waiting. When there is hurt or brokenness, when we feel lost, abandoned, or hopeless, even then we can trust in the promises of God and the hope of His return. Not only that, but we can count on Him to be with us in the difficult times, even as we wait on His promises.

No one can live without hope. At a time when our world and our culture feel so lost in hopelessness, Vince reminds us that we have the only true source of hope in Christ's resurrection and his Spirit present within us. And that hope is not only for us, but for the world, as He is coming again to make all things right.

To continue our series on discipleship, Ahren addresses our societal mistrust of authority (and other people in general) and how this hinders our willingness to let other people speak into our lives. But one important issue this raises is the role and responsibility of Christian leaders and disciplers, and how that should look biblically.

How are we to find the time and energy needed for true discipleship? It seems that chronic exhaustion has become a normal part of our lives and culture. We're exhausted from living life in a way that God never intended for us to live. God offers something different: true rest, and running without weariness, when we rely on him.

Rooted: Growing Up and Growing Deep, is a sermon series on the importance of discipleship. In this talk, Ahren spoke on the Christ-likeness that defines disciples and how that requires holding a very unique, and often hard-to-accept, tension of truth and compassion, of humility and honesty. It's a balancing act – a narrow path, but one that leads to life.

Every man needs a fatherly voice in their life. For Timothy, that voice was Paul, his spiritual father. In honour of Father's Day, Ahren takes us through an examination of Paul's letters to Timothy to see the godly and fatherly advice that he has for Timothy and, by extension, all Christian men. Through Paul's words, we are reminded of God's hope and purpose for all our lives.

The redemptive power of God is the only force in the universe that can transform your identity. Peter was reminded of this in his conversation with Jesus on the beach. Despite all his grandiose promises to follow Jesus and give his life for the mission, Peter fell short. But when Jesus presented him with this opportunity for redemption, he realized that he couldn't live up to that perfect image he had tried to create for himself. All he could offer was his imperfect love and commitment, trusting that Jesus could use him in greater ways by making him who God intended him to be.

The gospel of John features many stories of Jesus' disciples wrestling with their faith. One of the most memorable accounts is that of Peter denying Jesus during His trial, leading up to the crucifixion. Ahren explains how this story serves as a beautiful reminder that, even when we fail God or refuse to own our faith, He still loves us and is working to lead us to where He wants us to end up. Sometimes we just need to hear the rooster's crow to remind us.

Doubting Thomas often gets a bad rap. But John uses his story as the linchpin for his entire gospel account, which was carefully written to highlight specific accounts that would persuade readers that Jesus was Christ and the Son of God. Why? Because we all wrestle with ownership of our faith from time to time. And Thomas' story not only reminds us that this is normal, but teaches us how we can deal with our doubts and hesitations.

To help us celebrate Mother's Day, we are joined by special guest speaker Beryl Orok, who is speaking on the important role that God has given to mothers. While acknowledging how difficult this day can be for some, Beryl reminds us of some powerful examples from the Bible of mothers who followed God's leading and example in caring for their families.

This week, we're joined by three special guests: Murray Cornelius (Executive Director for Internatioal Missions at the PAOC), Pastor Munetsi Zowa, and Bishop Never Muparutsa. They share a little bit with us about the impact of international missions, particularly in Zimbabwe, and how they have seen the church growing. Bishop Never then takes some time to remind us about the importance of the mission, using examples from the accounts of the apostles to show us how easy it can be to lose sight of the mission and get caught up in ourselves.

What keeps us from seeing Jesus? That's the question Ahren answers this week while looking at the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). In this passage, we encounter some disciples leaving Jerusalem after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but what they don't realize is that Jesus is walking alongside them. Why can't they see who he is? There are times or areas in our lives where we are as blind as they were. But the good news is that Jesus meets us in those moments.

Guest speaker David Ruis, Director of Vineyard Canada, shares some words of wisdom and encouragement with us from the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). In our foolishness, we tend to plan our lives out without ever knowing what's coming ahead. When we do, we can easily become overwhelmed when things change unexpectedly. But, through this parable, God invites us to be wise and to look for His leading. We need to be expectant, alert, and ready to pivot.

After the disciples found the empty tomb, 62 personal encounters with Jesus were recorded. Why does the validity of the accounts of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection matter? Ahren explains what the truth of the Easter story means for our lives and how that should change the way we live.

For Palm Sunday, Ivan explores the kingly imagery associated with Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and encourages us to consider the question of how we will respond to His lordship. Are we prepared to let Jesus rule His way in our lives, or do we have our own expectations of what it means for Him to be our Lord and Saviour?

How do we endure and thrive when we are fundamentally at odds with the world around us? That's the question Jesus answers for His disciples in John 15:18-16:33. In this text, Jesus reminds His followers that there should be something distinct about them–about us. We don't live as the world lives. Our priorities, actions, and words should set us apart. There is grief that comes with that. But God promises to be with us in it.

Picking up from his last message, Ahren reminds us that the disciples were feeling troubled that Jesus was leaving them, and how He comforted them by explaining that the mission was to go on. In this second part of the chapter, Jesus further addresses their concerns that they would be alone by teaching them about how the Holy Spirit would come to bring them guidance, love, power, comfort, and connection to God until Jesus returns. The Holy Spirit, as Ahren explains, plays a crucial role in fulfilling the Old Covenant.

In the second part of our "Prepared" series, Ivan takes us through John 15:1-11 and helps us understand how the illustration of the vine and the branches reflects a sincere relationship with Jesus: one in which we are present, obedient, persistent, and faithful. When we abide, we are made more like Christ, we grow closer to God, and we bear the fruits of the Spirit in our lives.