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In Haggai 1:12-15, the people who let the temple sit unfinished for sixteen years hear a hard word from God and, this time, they obey. Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the whole remnant respond, and the text tells us why: they feared the LORD. Then comes a short word from God, "I am with you," and a surprising explanation for the change: the LORD stirred up their spirits.This sermon looks at what true repentance looks like, why God's presence is never something we earn by obeying, and how Jesus, Immanuel, is with us and leads us to repentance and faith. It ends with a call to deal with what is in front of you today.Preached by Mark Groen at First Reformed (EPC) in Edgerton, Minnesota.Passage: Haggai 1:12-15Series: Consider Your Ways (Week 2 of 5)

In Haggai 1:1-11, God's people come home from exile, lay the foundation of the temple, and then let the work sit for sixteen years while they build nice homes for themselves. Nobody planned to neglect the temple. They just got comfortable. Into that comfort, God sends the prophet Haggai with a short, pointed message: consider your ways.This sermon walks through the passage verse by verse, looks at why ordinary life stopped satisfying, and points to Jesus, the true temple, who has already brought God near. It ends with one simple question to take into the week.

Why does God call his people to worship together? In this final message of the Worship by the Book series, Hebrews 12 and Revelation 5 show that worship is something God's people step into, not something they start. A look at the purpose of worship, from Sinai to Zion to the throne of the Lamb.

What does it actually mean to worship God rightly? In this third message on the Regulative Principle of Worship, we walk through John 4:19-26 and Jesus's words to the woman at the well, considering what it means to worship the Father in spirit and truth, and why sincerity alone can still miss the mark.

Fully Human, For Us: a communion sermon from First Reformed Church (EPC) on Hebrews 2:5-18. In a moment when artificial intelligence and other pressures have made the question of what it means to be human feel urgent again, this passage answers it not with a theory but with a person: Jesus Christ, who took on flesh and blood, suffered, died, rose, and ascended, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest for his people. Preached at a special evening communion service hosted for the Rivers and Lake Presbytery.

Mark Groen preaches on what the early church devoted itself to when God's people gathered: the teaching of the Word, the breaking of bread, the prayers, and singing. Along the way, the sermon looks at what the Lord's Supper points to, why the church prays the Psalms, and how singing does more than set a mood. God gave His church these ordinary means because this is how He meets with us, shapes us, and holds us together.

What does it mean to worship God "by the book"? In this first message of a new series on the Regulative Principle of Worship, we walk through Deuteronomy 12 and the sobering account of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10 to see why God alone has the right to define how he's approached, and why that's actually good news for his people.

"Known by Who Redeemed You" — a sermon from First Reformed Church (EPC) in Edgerton, MN, on Galatians 2:15–21 and Colossians 3:1–4. Considers what it means to find identity not in what we build or achieve, but in a righteousness received through faith in Christ, and a life now hidden with Him until He appears in glory.

The final sermon in the "Walking in the Light" series through 1 John. As the letter closes, three certainties emerge: eternal life, confidence in prayer, and belonging to God through Christ, capped off with a final charge to guard the heart from anything that would take God's place.

"The Threefold Witness" continues the "Walking in the Light" series through 1 John, working through 1 John 5:6-12. John presents three witnesses to the truth of who Jesus is: water, blood, and the Spirit. Together they build a case that is airtight, and John calls every listener to respond. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son does not have life.

This week's message walks through 1 John 5:1-5 and the connection between faith, love, and obedience. Genuine faith in Jesus produces love for God's people. That love proves itself through obedience, not just feeling. And that obedience isn't a burden, because the outcome of the fight has already been decided. Everyone born of God overcomes the world. Part of the "Walking in the Light" series through 1 John.

No one has ever seen God. So how does an unseen God become known? This message from 1 John 4:7-21 traces the answer through the sacrifice of Christ and through the love believers show one another, a love that also drives out the fear of judgment. Part of the Walking in the Light series through 1 John, from First Reformed Church (EPC) in Edgerton, Minnesota.

This week's message in the "Walking in the Light" series through 1 John is "Listening to the Voice of Truth," from 1 John 4:1-6. John warns the church to test the spirits rather than believing every voice claiming spiritual authority, gives a simple test rooted in the confession of Christ come in the flesh, and assures believers that the one who is in them is greater than the one who is in the world.

Newer is usually better. Cameras, phones, and TVs have all improved dramatically over the decades. But there's one message John says was never in need of an upgrade: love one another. In this episode, we look at 1 John 3:11-24, where John contrasts the hatred of Cain with the sacrificial love shown at the cross, and shows how that love becomes evidence of a settled conscience before God.

Part of the "Walking in the Light" series through 1 John. This week's message asks what it looks like to truly belong to God's family — not proving it to get in, but living in light of it because you're already in. From confidence at Christ's appearing, to the wonder of being called children of God, to the practical evidence of a purified life, this passage shows how hope for the future reshapes obedience today.