Lewes Presbyterian Church Podcast

“In the Beginning” Sermon. Sunday, 2/1/2026.

Intelligent Design
Tale of Two cities
The age of wisdom
Sermon Series: Lessons in Genesis
Scripture Title: In the Beginning
Pastor Greg Wiest
Scripture Reading: Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.”
Sermon Summary:
   In Genesis Chapter 1 we are taken back to the beginning of all things in the world. God is eternal with no beginning and no end. In the beginning God created the heavens in the earth. God created everything in the universe out of nothing. With just His spoken Word, God created light and caused it to illuminate the darkness. God simply says something and it becomes a reality. God brings order from chaos. God separates light from darkness and land from the sea. He creates some creatures for the land and some for the water and some to inhabit the skies. He provides food for all the animals. God made humans in His image. After each day of creation, Genesis 1 repeats the phrase that “God saw that it was good.” After God made man in His image, Genesis concludes in verse 31, “God saw all that he made, and it was very good.”
   Genesis 1 gives us a few guiding principles for navigating through Scripture and through life itself. First, everything begins and ends with God. God is sovereign and the causation of all that happens on the earth. Second, we live and have our existence according to God’s design. Life is precious to the Lord and also to us. Every human being matters to the Lord and we should view other humans as God sees them. Third, because God is the source of everything, he deserves our worship and adoration. We are to praise God and give Him all the Glory. Lastly, God brings light to darkness. If you are in spiritual darkness, God will bring you into the light and give you eternal life if you come to faith in Christ.
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“Make the Lord Visible” Sermon. Sunday, 1/25/2026.

Sermon for January 25 due to snow closure
Discipling Children
Self Identity
Raving fans
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Scripture Title: Make the Lord Visible
Pastor Greg Wiest
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 6:6-9 "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
Sermon Summary:
Today’s message is about the importance of God’s Word and imprinting it on our hearts and on our children’s hearts. The context for our passage is that God had given the Israelites the Ten Commandments. They'd escaped slavery in Egypt and they were a nation of people coming out of a pagan culture. Living in the promised land, they would be surrounded by pagan Canaanite cultures that were saturated with evil and the occult. The Lord was reshaping them to live according to His principles and to become His people. The law was meant to help them live in a way that would help them to flourish and be blessed as a nation and as a people. Today, self-identity has taken center stage in American culture. Much of what our children are taught is confusing and it conflicts with God's Word and His framework for living. As Christians, our identity is in Christ. We need people to see that we belong to the Lord. We can make our identity visible by wearing a cross as a necklace or a bracelet, wearing one of our Got Hope church t-shirts, or having a Christian bumper sticker on our car. We want to build a Christian culture within our household. You could have the Bible and Scripture verses visible in your home. You should have daily family devotions, pray together, and talk about the sermon and the Sunday school lesson after worship. We want children and our families to know what is in the Word of God and how it applies to our lives. When we make God’s Word and his framework central to our lives, we're setting the foundation of following Jesus and living as He would have us live.
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“Training Children” Sermon. Sunday, 1/18/2026.

Discipling Children
Obeying parents has to be learned
Must be consequences for disobedience
Kids natural sense is to disobey and get their way
The most important task any parent or grandparent to do 
Pastor Greg Wiest
Scripture Title: Training Children
Scripture Reading: Proverbs‬ ‭22‬:‭6‬ ‭                
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
Sermon Summary:
The influence of parents on children can never be underestimated. They watch us and copy our behavior, our communications, our attitudes and our values. We set out patterns for living for our children. Our Scripture is about setting the right direction for our children in life. Making sure that they take a pathway that leads to life and fellowship with Jesus. The most critical thing that we can do is introduce our children to Jesus and invite them to put their faith in Jesus through prayer. We want them to understand that eternal life is only through faith in Christ and we want them to have that solid anchor of faith for when the storms of life come. Raising up a child in today’s world is a challenge. We need to build an inner resilience and a spiritual strength within them, so that they will be able to stand strong against temptation and the darkness of the world. We do this by bringing our kids to worship every Sunday and through daily prayer and devotions at home. We do this by raising up our children in Godly behavior through discipline. We teach our children to respect authority, to not use profanity, to be truthful, to apologize when they’ve done wrong, to be kind, and to help and serve others. We teach them a strong work ethic and help them to find their calling in life. As parents, we offer guidance and wisdom and help them to understand the Lord’s place in their calling in life.
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“A Generation That Forgot” Sermon. Sunday, 1/11/2026.

Discipling Children
Building Solid Relationships
Digital Natives
Gen Z
Pastor Greg Wiest
Sermon Title: A Generation that Forgot
Scripture Reading: Judges‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬-‭12‬
“After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger”
Sermon Summary: Gen Z has grown up during one of the greatest declines of Christianity in America. Today only 20% attend church regularly. On a positive note, the largest uptick in people coming back to church have been young men in Gen Z. The easiest people to reach with the Gospel of Jesus Christ are kids. People 16 and under are most open to becoming followers of Jesus. Our nation has become less Christian because we haven’t been as intentional as we could be in raising our children up in the Lord. The influences of the world on our children has been more profound than ever, especially with the digital world pervading every aspect of our lives. In our passage today, we are told that an entire generation grew up who had forgotten the Lord and what He had done for Israel. We forget our identity in the Lord, often because the generation before us did not teach it to us. This is what happened to Israel and what has happened today. There is a price to pay for skipping church and not teaching the Bible. Worship etches into our kids hearts and our own hearts the importance of God and His Word. Nearly 60% of kids who are in church drop out when they are old enough to decide for themselves. So how do we win the next generation back to the Lord. We need to teach them that the world and all that it has to offer cannot even begin to compete with Jesus. Jesus is the source of life and truth. He offers real love and joy to those who find Him. Gen Z has already seen what the world has to offer and found that the world is hollow and unfulfilling. They’ve come to Jesus because Christ has something real to offer. Real forgiveness, eternal life and a real meaning and a purpose for living. To reach the next generation requires building solid relationships with them as a bridge to the Lord. Parents need to begin at home by talking about the Lord and praying together. Befriend a Gen Z person and take an interest with the hope of sharing the Gospel with them.
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”Living on Purpose “ Sermon. Sunday, 1/4/2026.

Living each day well
Gaining a Heart of Wisdom
Enjoy today - it is a gift to you
Things that Really Matters
Mary and Martha
Scripture Title: Living on Purpose
Guest Preacher: Rev. Suzie Goodenough
Scripture Reading: Psalm ‭90‬:‭12‬ ‭ “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
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”Jesus in Egypt” sermon. Sunday, 12/28/2025

Two Herod's
Two years in Egypt
Pastor Greg Wiest
Scripture Reading: Matthew‬ 2‬:‭13‬-‭18‬ ‭
“When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more”
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Christmas Eve Worship Service. Wednesday, 12/24/2025.

Pastor Greg Wiest
Scripture Reading: Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬-‭25‬ ‭
“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”
Sermon Summary: In the Bible, God used ordinary people, who believed in Him, to do extraordinary things. Abraham was a herdsman. David was a simple shepherd. Peter, James and John were ordinary fisherman. Joseph was a carpenter and both Mary and Joseph lived a poor, simple life. God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. Shepherds out in the field were the first witnesses to the birth of Jesus. Jesus grew up in an obscure village, handed over to His enemies, went through a mockery of a trial, nailed to the cross, and Roman soldiers gambled for His clothing. And today, Jesus is the central figure of the human race. Nobody has had more of a powerful impact on humankind. Because of Jesus, God in the flesh, this life is not all that there is. Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world. Those who have faith in Him will have forgiveness of sins and life after death. A life lived for Jesus is a life with purpose and meaning. When you join your life with Christ, your life will have an eternal impact on the world. God is looking for some ordinary men and women who simply trust in Him and are willing to say yes when He says will you live for me. Isaiah 6:8 said, “I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Whom shall I send? Then I said here am I, send me.” God knows you by name and everything about you and He wants to do something extraordinary in your life if you’ll just say yes Lord, here I am.
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“Like a Shepherd” Sermon. Sunday, 12/21/2025.

The Good Shepherd
The Shepherds sheep dogs
AI relationships
Scripture Title: Like a Shepherd
Pastor Greg Wiest
Scripture Reading: Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ “You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” ‭
Sermon Summary:
According to the American Psychological Association, 1 in 3 Americans are lonely and disconnected from others. What is the answer to the deep question of feeling alone in the universe and not experiencing love and acceptance? The answer is a relationship with the God who created us. In our Scripture passage, the prophet Isaiah was addressing the existential loneliness and disconnectedness that Israel was experiencing because of their sin and rebellion against the Lord God. Thom Rainer in his podcast shares that the largest demographic of unchurched people are people who had a past connection with a church but something happened and they drifted away from the Lord into the darkness of the world. If you speak with these people, there is something missing. They are far from God and they have no eternal outlook into the future. Often there is loneliness. The good news from Isaiah to Israel and the good news to us today is that we are not alone. There is a God who loves you and cares for you and wants to be in relationship with you. Jesus, God in the flesh, came and lived among us beginning at Christmas in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. Christ died on the cross for our sin and rebellion and removed all of the barriers to fellowship between us and God. If we put our faith in Jesus, He will forgive us. He will fill that emptiness that is within us and take away our loneliness. Isaiah describes Jesus, the Messiah, as a sovereign and mighty ruler of the universe who is able to solve the deep problems that plague humanity. He also describes the Messiah as the good shepherd who cares for His flock, protects us from the enemy, and when we are hurting, He carries us and holds us near to him. Jesus lifts us out of the pit of dark despair and into the light. Invite Jesus into your heart and draw near to Him because He cares for you.
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“Prepare the Way” Sermon. Sunday, 12/14/2025.

The Voice in the wilderness
Pride and Arrogance
Mercy and Grace
Scripture Title: Prepare the Way
Pastor Greg Wiest
Scripture Reading: Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ “A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.””
Isaiah’s message to the entire nation of Israel was to repent of the sin that is preventing you from fully embracing the Messiah. They needed to remove the barriers and obstacles of rebellion for His arrival. Things like pride and arrogance. Being too tied up in this world. Lacking in belief that the Messiah was actually coming. They were saying one thing and doing another. Often the inroads to the heart are blocking Jesus the Messiah from fully entering in and bringing about salvation and transformation. More often than not it is sin that we refuse to let go of. For the unbeliever, repenting or changing direction begins by admitting “I am headed in the wrong direction about the meaning of life and what God desires of me.” This is the greatest obstacle on Christ’s road to your heart. Ultimately, the Lord calls you to follow Him. He wants to come into your life. But you have got to admit that he is right and you are wrong. You have got to get out of the way and let him come in. Once He comes in, He will do the heavy work of transforming your life. Sometimes there is sin in our lives that we aren’t even aware of. And when God brings it to light, he wants us to smooth out those rough pathways to our hearts. He wants us to straighten up the way for his presence into our lives. This involves changing our minds about the way we are doing things. Ultimately, you and I must surrender to the will of God in our lives. We have got to go along with the Master’s design for our life. The promise is that God’s glory will be reveled in us. We will see God in our lives today and will see him face to face in eternity. The message of Isaiah is repent, change your mind, change direction for the Messiah is at hand. Leave the darkness and come into the light.
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“A Great Light” Sermon. Sunday, 12/07/2025.

Spiritual Darkness
Prince of Peace
Advent
Scripture Title: A Great Light Scripture Reading: Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬-‭6‬ ‭ “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
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