Morning Psalms and Prayer: Psalm 119:9-16
As we come to the second section of Psalm 119, we see something very important. The focus here in Psalm 119 is on the word of God. And what we see is a question, how can a young man keep his way pure? Well, that goes for anybody. How can an older man? How can a younger woman or an older woman? How can any of us keep our way pure? And the answer that the Psalmist has is by guarding it according to your word. That is important. If we want our way to be pure, we need to guard our lives according to the law of God, according to the word of God. We see here in verse 11 what the solution is, to store up God's word in our hearts that we might not sin against him. We often might pray, God, deliver me from sin. That's a wonderful and good prayer. We should pray that every day. But often we think that that somehow is magically going to happen. But that isn't how any of this works. God works through his word and through his spirit. We need to have his word within us, to be working and sanctifying us.
Morning Psalm and Prayer: Psalm 119:1-8
So as we begin to look at Psalm 119, what we are going to see is that Psalm 119 is primarily about the word of the Lord. It's about his word and what it does for us. And so as we come to this, we see this first statement, and it really lets us know where we're going, right? Blessed are those whose way is blameless who walk in the law of the Lord. If we want our way to be blameless, if we want to walk in the law of the Lord, we need to know his word. We can't just arbitrarily come up with ideas on what God wants us to do. We need to know his word. And so that is how we are blessed. That is how we know the goodness of God, not only in keeping his law, but also knowing his gospel, knowing that we have a way to live that God has designed, but also that when we fail and when we sin, when we reject God's law, we have forgiveness in Christ Jesus. It is blessed for us to know those things. And so now we also see that verse 5, Oh, that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes.
Noah Found Favor | Genesis 6:1–8 | Grace in the Midst of Judgment
Genesis 6:1–8 is a passage that often stirs questions—about giants, judgment, and God's grief. But at its heart, it’s a deeply theological and gospel-rich portion of Scripture. In this sermon, Pastor Mark Groen helps us see how the lines of Seth and Cain intertwine, why the earth was ripe for judgment, and how Noah stands as a signpost of God’s mercy in a world gone mad. This is not a tale of random destruction—it’s a story of covenant faithfulness, of righteous grief, and of grace that saves.
March 1 Sermon: And He Died
When I was a kid my cousins from Chicago would come to visit for two weeks or so every summer. I looked forward to it because Prentice was only a few months younger than I was and Judy was a year behind us. For two weeks a summer I knew that we would be together nearly every waking hour. A few years ago when I was in the Chicago area for a conference I had supper with Judy at a small restaurant near the University of Chicago and we reminisced about these days of summer. Days filled with driving our golf cart around the acre of land that surrounded our house. Going to the swimming pool. Riding bike around town and exploring. These were things she appreciated because she normally didn’t get to do those things. She shared with me that even though she is a Chicago girl through and through she felt so blessed to be able to have two weeks of a small town experience every year. One of the things we recalled was in the mornings before the pool would open we would sometimes get bored of being limited to the confines of our grandparents house and their black and white TV. Even the mean streets of Lennox didn’t offer enough adventure for us so I would jump on my bike and my cousins would get on my grandparents bikes and we would make the roughly 1 mile trek outside of town to the cemetery. A strange destination but we would go from gravestone to gravestone to find the headstones of our family members.
February 23 Sermon: Call Upon the Name of the Lord
When it comes to sin, I believe we are extremely aware of a serious truth. It doesn’t usually end with one sin. Sin is compounded. We do one thing and it leads to another. In a very public example like Watergate in the early seventies, we see that really the compounding sin ends up being worse than the initial transgression. We want to hide our sin or maybe downplay the significance of it.
February 16 Sermon: Fall and Promise
As we look around us there is no doubt. On a large-scale we see this in the world around us. Wars, terrorism, political unrest, and violence. On a small level we see discord in families and people who are suffering. We see the sin in our own lives, and we are not just victims in this broken world we end up as willing participants in it. We like to think there are human solutions to this problem. We see multiple political philosophies put out there as a solution with the goal of bringing about utopia. Yet, deep down we know our inability to do this. One of the key components of what we believe as Reformed Christians is the idea of total depravity. We believe that we are born dead in our trespasses in sins and we are incapable of saving ourselves.
February 9 Sermon: Family Foundations
Why? I think every toddler has a phase in their development where that is the number one word coming out of their mouth. Even when you give the answer they may still ask why again. At some point I think every parent has made the statement whether with a toddler or with even their teenage children where they say the phrase “Because I said so”. Sometimes, you just need to go there, right? If ever there was someone who could say “Because I said so” and have it be the best possible answer, it would be God. His word is truth. His word is absolute but at the same time his commands for us are not just arbitrary or out of nowhere. The commands in holy scripture that God gives to us have a deep rooting in his very nature. They have a root in how he intended his creation to be.
January 28 Sermon: Creation or Chaos?
Over the years of doing youth ministry, I have had several times where after a lesson I opened up the floor for any question that the students might have about the Bible or God in general. There is one question that has come up more than all of the others. This question is so common and yet I can still see the faces of some of the students over the years who have asked me it. Some of these students are now 30 years old with children and families of their own but I still have a clear image in my mind of them raising their hands and asking me the question. I’m not sure why it is so clear to me and why it has stuck out but this question has been a regular over the last 19 years. You may have already guessed what the question is but here it is for you. If God made everything, then who made God?
Devoted to Good Works | Titus 3:1–15 | Living the Gospel in Ordinary Faithfulness
In this final message from Titus 3:1–15, Pastor Mark reminds us that good works aren’t grand gestures done to earn God’s favor—but everyday faithfulness that flows from being justified by grace. The Christian life isn’t shaped by a smorgasbord of ideas but by the consistent truth of God’s Word and the renewing work of the Holy Spirit. Whether it's standing for truth, serving quietly, or resisting cultural confusion, believers are called to live lives of gospel-shaped obedience that glorify God in both the ordinary and the extraordinary.
A People for His Own Possession | Titus 2:1–15 | Living Out the Gospel with Grace and Conviction
In this sermon on Titus 2:1–15, Pastor Mark unpacks how God’s love isn’t just a distant concept—it’s a reality revealed in the person and work of Christ. As people redeemed by grace, we are called to live distinct lives that reflect the gospel in every season and station. From older men and women to young believers and those in challenging circumstances, the Christian life is marked by holiness, love, and good works. This message challenges us to embrace our identity as God’s people and live out our faith in tangible ways that impact the world around us.
Be Sound in the Faith | Titus 1:1-16 | Guarding the Gospel and Living It Out
What we believe shapes how we live—and the book of Titus makes that connection unmistakably clear. In this sermon on Titus 1:1–16, Pastor Mark begins a short series through this pastoral epistle by focusing on the link between doctrine and discipleship. We are reminded that faithful preaching, godly leadership, and spiritual discernment are essential to the health of the church. Whether we’re elders, parents, teachers, or simply followers of Jesus, we’re called to guard the gospel and live it out with faithfulness and love.
November 10 Sermon: Let No One Disqualify You
Noble Doss dropped the ball. One ball. One pass. One mistake. In 1941, he let one fall. And it's haunted him ever since. "I cost us a national championship," he says.
The University of Texas football team was ranked number one in the nation. Hoping for an undefeated season and a berth in the Rose Bowl, they played conference rival Baylor University. With a 7-0 lead in the third quarter, the Longhorn quarterback launched a deep pass to a wide-open Doss.
"The only thing I had between me and the goal," he recalls, "was twenty yards of grass."
November 3 Sermon: Canceled Debt
It is likely that you have seen a sign at a business establishment that informs the customers that they are under new management. When I see this sign I generally assume that the place must have been in pretty bad shape or there must have been a series of bad customer service experiences that the new people in charge are trying to distance themselves from. Maybe you have had an experience like I had recently. You are at a hotel and you see this sign of it being under new management and at the end of your stay you wonder how bad it must have been in this place to actually be worse than what I experienced while staying there.
October 6 Sermon: In Him All Things Hold Together
If you are like me, you probably remember the first time you experienced a premium product. I will never forget the first time I rode with my uncle in his Jaguar XJS. It was not just fancy looking on the outside you could tell everything about premium. I had the same experience the first time I played a Gibson Les Paul guitar. We were at a conference at a church in Sioux Falls and someone I knew pretty well because our bands had played shows together when we were in high school was there. He was playing guitar with the group that was leading the praise songs and during one of the breaks we were chatting up front.
September 29 Sermon: Delivered and Transferred
It seems as though we are all looking for the next upgrade or the next big thing. Our culture is used to seeing people waiting in line for a phone that isn’t even a big jump from the one already in their pocket but people wait out in the elements to acquire what is new and better. Whether it is a new vehicle or a new piece of technology we seem to be people who think we need an upgrade. In fact, think of the effect just a little satisfaction with what we have would do to our economy. Imagine what would happen to a particular tech stocks if suddenly the next big thing was released and a significant majority of people said “Nah, I’m good with what I have. This is sufficient for what I need it to do.”
September 15 Sermon: Sing Praise to the Lord Most High
On our short expedition through the first eight Psalms we have come into contact with a range of human emotions. We see joy and anger, devotion and betrayal, and we have seen more lament than you probably expected. We land in Psalm 7 today and we see something else most of us have experienced. David is being falsely accused of something. I think we have probably all been there at some point in our lives. In a matter of moments you experience thoughts and feelings in a flash. Perhaps anger is the first thing to course through you.
He Makes Me Dwell in Safety | Psalm 4 | Confidence in the God Who Guards Us
Where do you find your peace? Psalm 4 invites us to ask deep questions about safety and trust. In this sermon, Pastor Mark Groen reflects on David’s bold confidence in the righteousness and refuge of God. Whether you’re facing hardship, wrestling with anxiety, or navigating spiritual weariness, this message reminds us of the sufficiency of the gospel, the strength of God’s promises, and the security of resting in Christ. God alone makes us dwell in safety—and that’s where our confidence begins.
A Different Perspective
Two weeks ago, I felt a buzz in my pocket. I pulled my phone out and put my index finger to the sensor on the back and the little rectangle glowed to life. The notification was an annoying blip from the Amazon app announcing an item on my wish list was on a temporary sale. Annoyed, I placed my thumb on the notification and went to swipe it into digital oblivion. As I slid it away, the little annoyance caught my eye. The notification was for an amazing bargain on a drone I had been eyeing for months and with the gifts cards I had banked the deal was too good to let pass. After receiving the device there were three or four crashes, but soon flying became easy, so the next step was taking photos with the camera.
Detours and Covenants
There has been an abundance of rain this spring. This has caused changes in planting schedules and caused the rescheduling of many softball and baseball games. News reports have been filled with images of flooding and stories of those who have been facing hardship because of the rising waters.
Recently, I went on vacation to Missouri and as we traveled south signs informed us that the road was closed, and the GPS quickly gave us a route that would put us around the flooding that was causing the closure. I had heard about the flooding but hadn't paid much attention to any photos or videos of the damage. Over the course of our journey, we were routed back to the freeway, and we got closer to the Missouri River and able to see where the water had left its appointed boundaries.
Mercy: Jonah 4 | A Prophet’s Pity, God’s Compassion
Jonah ends not with triumph, but with tension. The final chapter reveals a prophet angry about mercy, a God abounding in compassion, and a question that confronts us all: do we share God’s heart?
As we conclude our series in Jonah, this sermon challenges us to examine our own responses to God's grace. Do we rejoice when the lost are found? Or do we, like Jonah, resist the wideness of God's mercy?