REMINDER: Worship at Bishop O'Connell High School this week

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from selections in Proverbs on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 2013

Bishop Guernsey speaks to The Falls Church from Proverbs 25 and Matthew 5.

Wisdome comes from God - fearing God and walking God's path. We develop a wise character by the daily choices we make.

When Jesus calls us, it's not just to himself, it's to the good of all.

Are the things we pursue in life worthy of Christ? Did he give himself for us so that we could pursue these things? “Once you really realize how Christ sacrificed for you, you won't spend the rest of your life living to fulfill your own human desires and appetites, but you live for what God wills.” (1 Peter 4:2) Sometimes we need Godly rebuke and sometimes to rebuke another.

God gives us a lot when we say "Yes" to Jesus: we’re also called to live without some things.

What are the Ten Commandments for? Just to obey a demanding God? No, they show us how to live in grace - the grace God gave the Israelites by bringing them to Himself out of Egypt on eagles' wings. The Law is a mirror that shows us our hearts and a path for us to walk on.

To the man who doesn’t take God seriously, eventually God becomes silent. God will not be trifled with.

Jesus never stops loving you, but unless you love him *back*, he will let *you* go.

Which is better, duty or delight? Which is better, to serve your spouse, friend, child out of a sense of duty, or out of a heart of delight? Although Jesus is pleased with the Churches good deeds and sound doctrine, He is ultimately after their hearts – their delight. This was the case in Ephesus, and is the case today.

Solomon’s life is a story of a man who had it, and blew it. How can we finish well?

How can all Christians live faithfully to God in an oversexed and permissive culture, particularly if they are single?

Along our Lenten way, looking ahead to the great drama of our redemption which we will shortly be celebrating at Holy Week and the Easter feast, we pause to sing a song of ascents which paradoxically begins “out of the depths.” How can that be? By waiting for the Lord. Why? Because he is God and we are not. Yes, but how? First, we wait actively, as St. Paul directs us in our capacity to set our minds on the Spirit and not on the flesh. Secondly, in our incapacity, we wait passively, like Lazarus. His contribution? It was twofold: he was dead and he stunk.

In John 15 Jesus calls us to life in the vine, abiding in him and bearing much fruit. This call to bear much fruit is not a demand to a moral checklist, but an invitation to the life that is truly and eternally life.

Bearing fruit for Christ involves our choice to abide in him, and letting him abide in us. We abide in his love as he abides in the Father's love.

God loves me and has designed me to draw life from him as I remain connected to the vine which is Jesus Christ. As a loving Father, he prunes back areas of my life that may potentially become the things from which I draw my ultimate satisfaction, security and fulfillment. And he does this so that we can draw more deeply from Him and be more fruitful, reflecting the character of Jesus Christ.

"The Kingdom of God" is The Age of the Spirit. In this age God pours out His Spirit on the elect and comes to dwell in their hearts in the Person of the Holy Spirit. No one is saved apart from the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, the process of sanctification is all about learning to walk in the Spirit, submitting more and more of your life to the Spirit. The key question is not “how much of the Holy Spirit do you have?,” but “how much of you does the Holy Spirit have?” One implication of being filled with the Spirit is worship!

When Jesus looked at the crowd he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus tells us that the way to address these needs is to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for the harvest. May we follow Jesus’ example and (1) be people who see and people who care, (2) be people who asks God to send out workers for the harvest, and (3) be the people who uses us to answer our prayer and make us disciples who make disciples!

The Rev. John Yates speaks about how the Wise Men show us how to respond to Jesus by worshipping him, giving gifts to him, becoming changed people, and by being totally truthful.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from 1 Peter 4:1-7. Growing up in Christ requires us to learn to think like Jesus - we are to learn to pray with a mind that is anchored in reality (not appearances) and a heart set on discovering and doing the will of God. This is particularly true in praying about how to handle our money.

The Rev. Robert Watkin speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 12:3-17. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 12:1-2. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Kathleen Christopher speaks to The Falls Church from Genesis 18:9-15 and Hebrews 11:11. This message was given at the 9 a.m. and large 11:00 a.m. informal service.

The Rev. Bill Haley speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 10:19-30. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Bill Mugford speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 9:1-10. This message was given at the 9 a.m. and large 11:00 a.m. informal service.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 8:1-13. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Right Rev. FitzSimons Allison speaks to The Falls Church from 2 Corinthians 3:2-6. This message was given at the 9 a.m. and large 11:00 a.m. informal service.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 7:1-28. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. John Kurcina speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 6:13-20. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Bill Haley speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 6:1-12. This message was given at the 9 a.m. and large 11:00 a.m. informal service.

The Rev. John Kurcina speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 4:14-5:10. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Right Rev. David Bena, Suffragan Bishop, speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 4:1-13. This message was given at the large 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Confirmation services.

The Rev. Kristen Yates, Deacon, speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 4:1-13. This message was given at the Saturday 5 p.m. service.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 3:7-19. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. Robert Watkin speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 3:1-6. This message was given at the 9 a.m. and large 11:00 a.m. informal service.

The Rev. Bill Haley speaks to The Falls Church from Hebrews 2:1-8. This message was given at the 9 a.m. service and both 11:00 a.m. services.

The Rev. James Swynford speaks to The Falls Church from 2 Corinthians 3:2-6.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Luke 2:1-20 during the Christmas Eve service.

The Rev. John Kurcina speaks to The Falls Church from Ephesians 6:10-24 and describes the spiritual battle that Christians have with Satan.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Ephesians 5:3-20.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Ephesians 4:17-5:2.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Ephesians 4:1-16.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Ephesians 3:14-21.

The Rev. Bill Haley speaks to The Falls Church from Ephesians 2:11-20.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Ephesians 2:1-10. NOTE: This message followed a reading from John 3:1-8.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Acts 19, setting the stage for the fall series on the book of Ephesians.

The Rev. John Kurcina speaks to The Falls Church from Luke 15:11-20, the parable of The Lost Son.

The Rev. Dean Miller speaks to The Falls Church from Luke 15:11-32, the parable of The Lost Son.

The Rev. John Kurcina speaks to The Falls Church from Luke 15:1-10, which includes the two parables which precede The Prodigal Son: The Lost Sheep and The Lost Coin.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Luke 18:18-29, the encounter between Jesus and The Rich Young Ruler.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Luke 16:19-31, the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus, about generosity as a check for materialism.

The Rev. Dean Miller speaks to The Falls Church from Luke 19:1-10, the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus, "The Rich Public Servant".

The Rev. Kathleen Christopher speaks to The Falls Church from Luke 16:1-13, the parable of The Rich Employer. This message was given at the Saturday 5 p.m. family service.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Luke 16:1-13, the parable of The Rich Employer.

The Rev. Robert Watkin speaks to The Falls Church from Luke 12:13-21, the parable of The Rich Fool.

The Right Rev. Martyn Minns, missionary bishop for the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, speaks to The Falls Church on the Sunday of Pentecost, at a service of Confirmation. He speaks from Romans 8, about God's Holy Spirit as an "power source" for living.

The Rev. Jim Byrne, Director of Student Ministries, speaks to The Falls Church from 1 Corinthians 15:12-28 about the reality and essentiality of the resurrection.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church on Easter Sunday from 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. He talks about the reality of the Resurrection, its accompanying gospel message, and its implications on our lives.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church from Mark 10-35-45, about Christ's example and call that we serve each other.

The Rev. Robert Watkin speaks to The Falls Church from Mark 1:16-20, about the call to be and the cost of being a disciple.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church, unpacking the Beatitudes and how they relate directly to Biblical Manhood.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church about the role a mother plays in the development of boys as they grow to become men.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church about the role a father plays in the growth and development of boys and young men.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church in the first message in his preaching series on the crisis in masculinity.

The Rev. John Yates speaks to The Falls Church about the call of Christ to His Church.

John Yates speaks to The Falls Church about the church and its approach to culture.

John Yates teaches The Falls Church about the characteristics of the early church.

A sermon given to The Falls Church on Palm Sunday 2008.

The Test of Hypocrisy