A New Life Through Death
More from this series:
Ok, here we are. The final words of Paul's letter to the Romans. The letter closes with a worshipful doxology, declaring that God is worthy of all glory forever. As Paul glorifies God, he reminds us of an important reality that we must cling to as we close this book: the gospel is not only the power to save us, it is the power to strengthen us as well. So as we close our series in the book of Romans, we do so with the strong reminder that God, who strengthens us in the gospel, is worthy of all glory forever.
The end of Romans has many features customary of how Paul closes a letter, but there are two unique features. One of these uniquenesses is that he interrupts his greeting section for some final exhortations and encouragements to the church. Today we look at what was so important to Paul that he interrupts his greetings to make sure he says these final words to the Romans. In this, he highlights a problem for us to watch out for, a promise for us to believe, and a prayer for us to live by.
You open to Romans 16, and what do you find dominating the first 16 verses?
Names.
27 of them to be exact.
It's easy to come to sections like this of Paul's letters and speed read through them. But we need to slow down here. What do all these names and descriptions tell us about a congregation and people known and loved by Paul? How does this section help us understand that all the gospel doctrine and ethics Paul has laid down in this letter are rooted in a deep love for the people on the other side of the letter? We have much to see here for how gospel doctrine gets lived out in the context of personal relationships within a congregation.
Paul had an ambition to preach the gospel where Christ had not yet been named. In other words, Paul lived with a passion for the gospel frontiers. He wanted to go to the places where the gospel had yet to go and announce the good news of Christ there. In this week's passage, we see Paul's eyes fixed on a new gospel frontier of Spain. As we walk through this together we want to pull out four factors for forward movement to gospel frontiers. Let's let God's word fill us with a greater zeal for the gospel frontiers in our day where the gospel must go forward!
Why witness? How should we witness? This morning we unpack the heart of witness—We witness to the glory of God, so the lost can experience our glorious God.
In the church at Rome there were some conscience controversies:
"Should we eat that or not?
"Should we drink that or not?
"Should we celebrate that day or not?"
In our congregation today there are unique matters of conscience as well. Last week we looked at Five Gospel Unifiers for us on matters of conscience. Those Five Gospel Unifiers from last week lay a foundation for us to build on as to how we practically live with one another in these matters. Today we tackle this by looking at Romans 14:13-15:13 and from this passage will make 3 resolutions to love my neighbor in matters of conscience.
It is evident how much Paul wants to drive home the reality that people who have come to believe the gospel will now live lives marked by gospel-empowered love. In this passage, Paul summarizes that to love is to fulfill the law. He also helps us see that walking in love and walking in the light go hand-in-hand. Let's look together at what a gospel-empowered life of love and light looks like.
It is evident how much Paul wants to drive home the reality that people who have come to believe the gospel will now live lives marked by gospel-empowered love. In this passage, Paul summarizes that to love is to fulfill the law. He also helps us see that walking in love and walking in the light go hand-in-hand. Let's look together at what a gospel-empowered life of love and light looks like.
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities..."
Crickets.
Really? But Paul, do you have any idea what our governing authorities are doing? Certainly this doesn't apply to us in the political climate we are in, right? Well, let's take a look at what this passage says. It is very clear. The Word here has important truth for us to understand in the political climate we live in and this election season we find ourselves in the throes of. There is no better passage for us to understand what it looks like for us to live as gospel citizens as it relates to how we live subject to our governing authorities. Buckle up...here we go.
Paul comes to what we call a "rapid fire" section of his letter. A series of commands and instructions that come quickly and pointedly in Romans 12:9-21. Though it is rapid fire, they aren't entirely disconnected. Verse 9 serves as a proper header for these verses around the theme of genuine love. Last week we looked at what genuine love for one another in the body of Christ looks like. This week we tackle what genuine love for our enemies looks like.
Paul comes to what we call a "rapid fire" section of his letter. A series of commands and instructions that come quickly and pointedly in Romans 12:9-21. Though it is rapid fire, they aren't entirely disconnected. Verse 9 serves as a proper header for these verses around the theme of genuine love. This week we look at what genuine love for one another in the body of Christ looks like. Next week we will tackle what genuine love for our enemies looks like.
Lord, keep me low. Lord, build your church. Lord, use me.
As Paul moves to his instructions for what a life shaped by the gospel looks like, he begins with an appeal. His appeal is that his readers would live as sacrifices to God. What kind of sacrifices are we to be? How does this define for us what true worship is? What would prevent us from becoming these sacrifices? What is the catalyst that leads us to this kind of gospel-shaped sacrifice? All this is answered in two really important verses of this book.
As Paul moves to his instructions for what a life shaped by the gospel looks like, he begins with an appeal. His appeal is that his readers would live as sacrifices to God. What kind of sacrifices are we to be? How does this define for us what true worship is? What would prevent us from becoming these sacrifices? What is the catalyst that leads us to this kind of gospel-shaped sacrifice? All this is answered in two really important verses of this book.
In Romans 11:25-36, Paul reveals the fuller picture of God’s plan of salvation by explaining the “mystery” that in the end, “all Israel will be saved.” He goes on to focus on the centrality of God’s mercy in the salvation of all the elect, both Jew and Gentile. Finally, in concluding this section of his letter to the Romans, Paul writes a doxology in which we are reminded that this entire plan of salvation is designed specifically for God’s glory. Our salvation isn’t the ultimate goal; God’s glory is.
God's ways are not our ways. We see this throughout this section of Romans. God is doing a great work for maximum redemption of both Jew and Gentile, and he is carrying that out in a way he knows is best. Paul says a remnant of Israel has been chosen by grace, the rest have been hardened, but we see in this week's passage how God is using even that hardening for greater salvation for Jew and Gentile alike.
Romans 10 ends a bit heavy with these words Paul quotes describing Israel's heart, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people." This leads him to begin chapter 11 with a really important question: Has God rejected his people? The answer to that is an emphatic no. God is redeeming a remnant of grace from within Israel while he is hardening the rest. But even God's hardening has redemptive purposes of which we will uncover as we make our way through Romans 11. This Sunday we sit in the glorious realities of grace and, Lord willing, will leave with deeper gratitude for the grace of God.
Romans 10:14-21 | Romans 10:14-21 helps us learn our next step in rightly responding to the good news. This passage is pivotal in shaping our understanding of what must take place in order for lost sinners to be saved by God. It is also a crucial text for supplying believers with passion and urgency to share the gospel. Through this passage, we see how God graciously breaks down the excuses we tend to make to neglect our next steps of obedience. He does this to lead us into the delight of obedience so that He may be glorified. God, be magnified through our obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The anthem over all of Romans is that the gospel is the power of God to save all who believe, both Jew and Gentile. As we come to Romans 9, we see Paul's burden for the Jewish people who are still lost and have not believed the gospel. He raises an important question: Has God's word somehow failed? Is God's promise to save not powerful enough to save so many Jews still lost? Paul's answer to this is massive as it teaches us in some of the clearest language in all the Bible of the power and beauty of God's providence to save those he is calling to himself.
The anthem over all of Romans is that the gospel is the power of God to save all who believe, both Jew and Gentile. As we come to Romans 9, we see Paul's burden for the Jewish people who are still lost and have not believed the gospel. He raises an important question: Has God's word somehow failed? Is God's promise to save not powerful enough to save so many Jews still lost? Paul's answer to this is massive as it teaches us in some of the clearest language in all the Bible of the power and beauty of God's providence to save those he is calling to himself.
The anthem over all of Romans is that the gospel is the power of God to save all who believe, both Jew and Gentile. As we come to Romans 9, we see Paul's burden for the Jewish people who are still lost and have not believed the gospel. He raises an important question: Has God's word somehow failed? Is God's promise to save not powerful enough to save so many Jews still lost? Paul's answer to this is massive as it teaches us in some of the clearest language in all the Bible of the power and beauty of God's providence to save those he is calling to himself.
Romans 8:31-39 | In Christ, we are more than conquerors. But how? As we find in Romans 8:31-39, we are more than conquerors because of God, and four specific things he has done for us.
There is no denying that this world is filled with heartaches that give us a heavenly homesickness. Last week we saw that in the groaning of our heartaches, the Lord lifts our eyes to the splendor of future glory. This week we see that not only does the Lord lift our eyes to future glory in our present groanings, but he is also so kind and good to give us very tangible help in our present sufferings. What are these helps and assurances that the Lord gives his people in the present groaning of life? Let's look at these together in Romans 8:26-30.
How do believers press on in the midst of suffering? Romans 8:18-25 provides us with great insight on this question. This text fills us as hope as we long together for God to make all things right in glory. As believers, we can allow our suffering to fuel our hope in the future glory that is to be revealed. God, we want to behold more of your glory. Show us your glory, Lord.
Faith in Jesus and His Gospel
Romans 1:8-15
More from this series:
Ok, here we are. The final words of Paul's letter to the Romans. The letter closes with a worshipful doxology, declaring that God is worthy of all glory forever. As Paul glorifies God, he reminds us of an important reality that we must cling to as we close this book: the gospel is not only the power to save us, it is the power to strengthen us as well. So as we close our series in the book of Romans, we do so with the strong reminder that God, who strengthens us in the gospel, is worthy of all glory forever.
The end of Romans has many features customary of how Paul closes a letter, but there are two unique features. One of these uniquenesses is that he interrupts his greeting section for some final exhortations and encouragements to the church. Today we look at what was so important to Paul that he interrupts his greetings to make sure he says these final words to the Romans. In this, he highlights a problem for us to watch out for, a promise for us to believe, and a prayer for us to live by.
You open to Romans 16, and what do you find dominating the first 16 verses?
Names.
27 of them to be exact.
It's easy to come to sections like this of Paul's letters and speed read through them. But we need to slow down here. What do all these names and descriptions tell us about a congregation and people known and loved by Paul? How does this section help us understand that all the gospel doctrine and ethics Paul has laid down in this letter are rooted in a deep love for the people on the other side of the letter? We have much to see here for how gospel doctrine gets lived out in the context of personal relationships within a congregation.
Paul had an ambition to preach the gospel where Christ had not yet been named. In other words, Paul lived with a passion for the gospel frontiers. He wanted to go to the places where the gospel had yet to go and announce the good news of Christ there. In this week's passage, we see Paul's eyes fixed on a new gospel frontier of Spain. As we walk through this together we want to pull out four factors for forward movement to gospel frontiers. Let's let God's word fill us with a greater zeal for the gospel frontiers in our day where the gospel must go forward!
Why witness? How should we witness? This morning we unpack the heart of witness—We witness to the glory of God, so the lost can experience our glorious God.
In the church at Rome there were some conscience controversies:
"Should we eat that or not?
"Should we drink that or not?
"Should we celebrate that day or not?"
In our congregation today there are unique matters of conscience as well. Last week we looked at Five Gospel Unifiers for us on matters of conscience. Those Five Gospel Unifiers from last week lay a foundation for us to build on as to how we practically live with one another in these matters. Today we tackle this by looking at Romans 14:13-15:13 and from this passage will make 3 resolutions to love my neighbor in matters of conscience.
It is evident how much Paul wants to drive home the reality that people who have come to believe the gospel will now live lives marked by gospel-empowered love. In this passage, Paul summarizes that to love is to fulfill the law. He also helps us see that walking in love and walking in the light go hand-in-hand. Let's look together at what a gospel-empowered life of love and light looks like.
It is evident how much Paul wants to drive home the reality that people who have come to believe the gospel will now live lives marked by gospel-empowered love. In this passage, Paul summarizes that to love is to fulfill the law. He also helps us see that walking in love and walking in the light go hand-in-hand. Let's look together at what a gospel-empowered life of love and light looks like.
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities..."
Crickets.
Really? But Paul, do you have any idea what our governing authorities are doing? Certainly this doesn't apply to us in the political climate we are in, right? Well, let's take a look at what this passage says. It is very clear. The Word here has important truth for us to understand in the political climate we live in and this election season we find ourselves in the throes of. There is no better passage for us to understand what it looks like for us to live as gospel citizens as it relates to how we live subject to our governing authorities. Buckle up...here we go.
Paul comes to what we call a "rapid fire" section of his letter. A series of commands and instructions that come quickly and pointedly in Romans 12:9-21. Though it is rapid fire, they aren't entirely disconnected. Verse 9 serves as a proper header for these verses around the theme of genuine love. Last week we looked at what genuine love for one another in the body of Christ looks like. This week we tackle what genuine love for our enemies looks like.
Paul comes to what we call a "rapid fire" section of his letter. A series of commands and instructions that come quickly and pointedly in Romans 12:9-21. Though it is rapid fire, they aren't entirely disconnected. Verse 9 serves as a proper header for these verses around the theme of genuine love. This week we look at what genuine love for one another in the body of Christ looks like. Next week we will tackle what genuine love for our enemies looks like.
Lord, keep me low. Lord, build your church. Lord, use me.
As Paul moves to his instructions for what a life shaped by the gospel looks like, he begins with an appeal. His appeal is that his readers would live as sacrifices to God. What kind of sacrifices are we to be? How does this define for us what true worship is? What would prevent us from becoming these sacrifices? What is the catalyst that leads us to this kind of gospel-shaped sacrifice? All this is answered in two really important verses of this book.
As Paul moves to his instructions for what a life shaped by the gospel looks like, he begins with an appeal. His appeal is that his readers would live as sacrifices to God. What kind of sacrifices are we to be? How does this define for us what true worship is? What would prevent us from becoming these sacrifices? What is the catalyst that leads us to this kind of gospel-shaped sacrifice? All this is answered in two really important verses of this book.
In Romans 11:25-36, Paul reveals the fuller picture of God’s plan of salvation by explaining the “mystery” that in the end, “all Israel will be saved.” He goes on to focus on the centrality of God’s mercy in the salvation of all the elect, both Jew and Gentile. Finally, in concluding this section of his letter to the Romans, Paul writes a doxology in which we are reminded that this entire plan of salvation is designed specifically for God’s glory. Our salvation isn’t the ultimate goal; God’s glory is.
God's ways are not our ways. We see this throughout this section of Romans. God is doing a great work for maximum redemption of both Jew and Gentile, and he is carrying that out in a way he knows is best. Paul says a remnant of Israel has been chosen by grace, the rest have been hardened, but we see in this week's passage how God is using even that hardening for greater salvation for Jew and Gentile alike.
Romans 10 ends a bit heavy with these words Paul quotes describing Israel's heart, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people." This leads him to begin chapter 11 with a really important question: Has God rejected his people? The answer to that is an emphatic no. God is redeeming a remnant of grace from within Israel while he is hardening the rest. But even God's hardening has redemptive purposes of which we will uncover as we make our way through Romans 11. This Sunday we sit in the glorious realities of grace and, Lord willing, will leave with deeper gratitude for the grace of God.
Romans 10:14-21 | Romans 10:14-21 helps us learn our next step in rightly responding to the good news. This passage is pivotal in shaping our understanding of what must take place in order for lost sinners to be saved by God. It is also a crucial text for supplying believers with passion and urgency to share the gospel. Through this passage, we see how God graciously breaks down the excuses we tend to make to neglect our next steps of obedience. He does this to lead us into the delight of obedience so that He may be glorified. God, be magnified through our obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The anthem over all of Romans is that the gospel is the power of God to save all who believe, both Jew and Gentile. As we come to Romans 9, we see Paul's burden for the Jewish people who are still lost and have not believed the gospel. He raises an important question: Has God's word somehow failed? Is God's promise to save not powerful enough to save so many Jews still lost? Paul's answer to this is massive as it teaches us in some of the clearest language in all the Bible of the power and beauty of God's providence to save those he is calling to himself.
The anthem over all of Romans is that the gospel is the power of God to save all who believe, both Jew and Gentile. As we come to Romans 9, we see Paul's burden for the Jewish people who are still lost and have not believed the gospel. He raises an important question: Has God's word somehow failed? Is God's promise to save not powerful enough to save so many Jews still lost? Paul's answer to this is massive as it teaches us in some of the clearest language in all the Bible of the power and beauty of God's providence to save those he is calling to himself.
The anthem over all of Romans is that the gospel is the power of God to save all who believe, both Jew and Gentile. As we come to Romans 9, we see Paul's burden for the Jewish people who are still lost and have not believed the gospel. He raises an important question: Has God's word somehow failed? Is God's promise to save not powerful enough to save so many Jews still lost? Paul's answer to this is massive as it teaches us in some of the clearest language in all the Bible of the power and beauty of God's providence to save those he is calling to himself.
Romans 8:31-39 | In Christ, we are more than conquerors. But how? As we find in Romans 8:31-39, we are more than conquerors because of God, and four specific things he has done for us.
There is no denying that this world is filled with heartaches that give us a heavenly homesickness. Last week we saw that in the groaning of our heartaches, the Lord lifts our eyes to the splendor of future glory. This week we see that not only does the Lord lift our eyes to future glory in our present groanings, but he is also so kind and good to give us very tangible help in our present sufferings. What are these helps and assurances that the Lord gives his people in the present groaning of life? Let's look at these together in Romans 8:26-30.
How do believers press on in the midst of suffering? Romans 8:18-25 provides us with great insight on this question. This text fills us as hope as we long together for God to make all things right in glory. As believers, we can allow our suffering to fuel our hope in the future glory that is to be revealed. God, we want to behold more of your glory. Show us your glory, Lord.
The God-ness of God: The Holiness of God
Isaiah 6:1–13 | God is holy. Those three words have weight. In the words of AW Tozer, "God’s holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural [person] is blind to it. They may fear God’s power and admire His wisdom, but His holiness they cannot even imagine. Only the Spirit of the Holy One can impart to the human spirit the knowledge of the holy.” Throw the book of Isaiah, let's approach the unapproachable, attempt to comprehend the incomprehensible and attain the unattainable.
Isaiah 6:1–13 | God is holy. Those three words have weight. In the words of AW Tozer, "God’s holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural [person] is blind to it. They may fear God’s power and admire His wisdom, but His holiness they cannot even imagine. Only the Spirit of the Holy One can impart to the human spirit the knowledge of the holy.” Throw the book of Isaiah, let's approach the unapproachable, attempt to comprehend the incomprehensible and attain the unattainable.
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Isaiah 6:1–13 | God is holy. Those three words have weight. In the words of AW Tozer, "God’s holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural [person] is blind to it. They may fear God’s power and admire His wisdom, but His holiness they cannot even imagine. Only the Spirit of the Holy One can impart to the human spirit the knowledge of the holy.” Throw the book of Isaiah, let's approach the unapproachable, attempt to comprehend the incomprehensible and attain the unattainable.
Psalm 93:1-5 | We know that God is king, but what does that mean? If we could see God in his majesty, how would that change our lives? This Sunday we look to Psalm 93 to understand more deeply the majesty of God and the impact understanding his greatness has on our lives.
Genesis 37:1–50:26 | God guides his creation in ways that are both seen and unseen. He is kindly directing and perfectly working his plan for both his glory and for our good. Because of God’s sovereignty, we look ahead, trusting wholeheartedly and humbly accepting that God is skillfully carrying out His plan in His own manner and timing. We worship as we look forward, holding fast to God’s promises and His character, knowing that He’s working all things for His glory and our good.The sovereignty of God also compels us to reflect in awe and worship at how God, through His wisdom and kindness, made good on His promises and managed to knit everything together for His glory and our good. This divine sovereignty pushes us to reflect on God’s character and accomplished work.
1 John 4:7-12 | In the classic book Knowing God, J.I. Packer writes, "No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind than thoughts of God...But while the subject humbles the mind, it also expands it." We begin our God-ness of God Series with our eyes pointed squarely on the attributes of our God. We start with a look at his love. As we sit under the love of God, may our hearts be both humbled by his great love for us and expanded to sit in wonder of what a loving God we have.
Jesus: The Door and The Good Shepherd
John 10:1–21 | Jesus is both the door we enter for abundant life and the good shepherd we follow for abundant life.
John 10:1–21 | Jesus is both the door we enter for abundant life and the good shepherd we follow for abundant life.
APPLICATION GUIDE | SERMON SLIDES | SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES
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John 17:1–26 | In John 17, we see Jesus praying. Through his prayer, we get to see his heart displayed. Christ is intending for his ministry to bring God glory, he is desiring that his people keep his Word, and he requests that God make us all one. This week we learn about the unity that comes with being in Christ.
John 15:1–17 | Jesus repeatedly tells His disciples to abide in Him. Today, Jesus continually invites us to abide in Him. But how do we practically abide? What does an abiding walk with Christ look like? What does an abiding walk with Christ produce? These are questions we dive into this week as we seek to grow at loving God and loving others. The key element to this love is that we would abide in Christ.
John 14:1–31 | For roughly three years the disciples followed Jesus wherever He went. Now Jesus tells them He is going somewhere they cannot go. This is troubling to them, and we can understand why. They left everything to follow Him, now He is leaving? Knowing their hearts were troubled, Jesus brings before their eyes five truths that can untrouble the most troubled hearts. We dive into these this week as anchors to cling to when our hearts are troubled, as well.
John 13:1–17 | Jesus did something absolutely shocking at a dinner with His disciples. It was a radical act of love, but one that He called them to make normal in their lives as followers of Him. Jesus took the place as the lowest servant, and He calls our lives to the same thing. This is counterintuitive to the wisdom of the world and grates against the way of the flesh, and yet Jesus says blessed are we if we follow Him in this.
John 11:1–54 | Jesus does something surprising. He waits for a beloved friend to die so that all can see that He is the resurrection and the life. What we see in John 11 is the most powerful spiritual reality we must come to terms with, culminating in a question we all have to answer, "Do you believe this?" So we look to hear what Jesus has to say and see what he has to display as The Resurrection and the Life.
John 10:1–21 | Jesus is both the door we enter for abundant life and the good shepherd we follow for abundant life.
John 8:12–59 | Have a spiritual conversation with someone and ask them questions like this:
"What does it mean to seek the light?"
"What is eternal life?"
"What is truth?"
Answers will range wildly with all sorts of ideas, opinions, and theories. The beauty is, though, if we want to know what light, life, and truth look like, we need only to look to Christ. In this teaching, Jesus shows us that He is the light, life, truth, and then definitively declares He is God! To know these truths and live in light of these truths has massive implications in our lives.
John 7:53–8:11 | What really is so amazing about grace? When we see our sin for what it is, and we see His love for us in the face of our sin, we truly will be amazed by grace. This week, we look at a story of Jesus's grace lavished on a woman caught in her sin. What does the grace of God look like personally applied to us in the face of our fallenness? We find out together in this passage.
John 6:1-71 | Talk about the best object lesson in the history of the world, Jesus fed over 5,000 people and then used it to teach us who He is as the bread of life. In His teaching, we find five truths that apply to us when we believe in Him as the bread of life. These truths will lead you to be saved if you don't know Christ, can lead you to know that you are saved if you are wrestling with that, or will simply drive your rest in Jesus and worship of Jesus to an even deeper place.
John 5:1-24 | In John 5, we see another sign that points to the authority and divinity of Jesus as He heals a man on the Sabbath. According to Jewish law, though, a mere man did not have the authority to do this work on the Lord’s day. But Jesus isn’t just any man… He is the Lord Himself. This week, we learn about a miracle Jesus performed that shows that He is one with His Father, the Giver of eternal life.
John 4:43-54 | When was the last time you came to Jesus with a desperate request? I mean desperate ... when there was no hope unless Jesus was to intervene. This is where we find a dad before Jesus in this story. Jesus is going to do something miraculous in this man's son to accomplish something even more miraculous in the whole family's hearts. We, in full faith, are believing Jesus to do the same in us through this story this week.
John 4:1-42 | How does someone known in their town as a sinful social outcast get transformed in one day to be used by God as a catalyst for revival? Answer: She met Jesus. Our look at the story of the woman at the well will bring our hearts to deeper worship of Jesus, which will overflow in a life of passionately witnessing to others about Him.
John 3:1-21 | You must be born again to see the Kingdom of God. That's it. There is no more important truth in your life than this. You must be born again. So how do we know if we are born again? And if we aren't, how is one born again? This is the most important truth to have settled in your soul.
John 2:1-11 | John tells us his purpose for writing his gospel: that we would see Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, we would have life in His name. We look this week at the first of these signs Jesus performed at a wedding in Cana. The sign itself is amazing enough, but then when we see why Jesus performed this first, it will lead our hearts to a deeper place of faith and worship.
The Advent of Love
1 John 4:7-12 | The love of God can be one of those things that we overlook or get too close to and not see the power and beauty behind it. Like visiting the Grand Canyon over and over again, after a while, it can lose its draw. We grow calloused with God's love. But let us not let a knowledge familiarity keep us from experiencing the depth and height and width and length of the amazing, awe-inspiring, life-transforming love of God.
1 John 4:7-12 | The love of God can be one of those things that we overlook or get too close to and not see the power and beauty behind it. Like visiting the Grand Canyon over and over again, after a while, it can lose its draw. We grow calloused with God's love. But let us not let a knowledge familiarity keep us from experiencing the depth and height and width and length of the amazing, awe-inspiring, life-transforming love of God.
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Luke 2:8-11 | At Christmas time we sing about joy, we decorate with the word joy, but do we stop and really meditate on why the birth of Christ is so paramount to joy in the human heart. When the angel burst on the scene announcing the birth of Christ, he announced good news of great...? Joy! So let's look at this announcement together and understand fully how the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem allows joy to abound in the human heart.
1 John 4:7-12 | The love of God can be one of those things that we overlook or get too close to and not see the power and beauty behind it. Like visiting the Grand Canyon over and over again, after a while, it can lose its draw. We grow calloused with God's love. But let us not let a knowledge familiarity keep us from experiencing the depth and height and width and length of the amazing, awe-inspiring, life-transforming love of God.
Micah 5:1-5 | Peace. A longing of every human heart, and yet found to be so elusive by so many. Anxiety is skyrocketing, the headlines are the antithesis of peace, accomplishments pursued yet peace not found. Where do we look for peace? In a place? A position? A posture? Or in a person? The Advent season reminds us to truly take to heart the fact that Jesus is our peace but practically what does this mean?
Luke 2:22-38 | This time of year gets busy. All of the normal rhythms to our year can get thrown around as the calendar flips to December. There are extended school breaks on the horizon, Christmas parties to attend, annual traditions to look forward to. This is great fun and yet can mean life gets pretty busy. In the midst of that busyness, we long to keep Jesus at the center of our worship this Christmas. Together we will seek to do that very thing this Advent season. As we begin the advent series, we look to the hope that came to us in Christ coming to earth. How does the coming of Christ inform how we hope and who we hope in?
Contend to Trust
Genesis 40 | In the deepest valleys of life, we hold on to the truth that God is with us. But it's important for us to ask... So what? Why is it good news that God is with us in the deep valleys of life?
As we continue in our study through the life of Joseph, we see that he is still in the valley. He's still in the prison. And it gets worse for him in Genesis 40. Through it all, we know that God is still with him. And we're going to study today why it's good news that God is still with Joseph... and still with us in the deepest valleys of life.
Genesis 40 | In the deepest valleys of life, we hold on to the truth that God is with us. But it's important for us to ask... So what? Why is it good news that God is with us in the deep valleys of life?
As we continue in our study through the life of Joseph, we see that he is still in the valley. He's still in the prison. And it gets worse for him in Genesis 40. Through it all, we know that God is still with him. And we're going to study today why it's good news that God is still with Joseph... and still with us in the deepest valleys of life.
More from this series:
Genesis 41:1–50:26 | As Jacob comes face-to-face with his brothers, what will his reaction be? I mean these are the guys who sold him and sent him on a 13-year journey as a household servant and prison sufferer. If you were coming face-to-face with people who led you into over a decade worth of pain and heartache, what would you say? What would you do?
Joseph's response is shocking. Really shocking. What we see from him is the response of someone who was able to maintain a soft heart through many decades of pain. How did he do that?
It has to do with his understanding of the providence of God. What did he understand? What do we need to understand so we too can preserve soft hearts through life's pain?
Genesis 40 | In the deepest valleys of life, we hold on to the truth that God is with us. But it's important for us to ask... So what? Why is it good news that God is with us in the deep valleys of life?
As we continue in our study through the life of Joseph, we see that he is still in the valley. He's still in the prison. And it gets worse for him in Genesis 40. Through it all, we know that God is still with him. And we're going to study today why it's good news that God is still with Joseph... and still with us in the deepest valleys of life.
Genesis 38:1-30 | Join Pastor Brock as he walks through Genesis 38.
Genesis 37:1-39:23 | Question: Where is God when life is at its worst?
Answer: Right. With. Us.
I know that is easier to know in our head than it is to know in our heart when life is at its absolute worst. When the deep valleys come it's easy to ask: God where are you? Why so silent? Why aren't you moving in this?
This week we watch as Joseph goes from the position of a prized son to a prison sufferer. In this decline, where is the Lord? Well, there are a few reassuring statements that tell us where God is in the valleys and that God is at work through the valleys.
In The Waiting...
Genesis 17:15-18:15 | Waiting.... waiting.... waiting....
Even just seeing the word might stress some of us out. Waiting! I don't know many people who would say they really love to wait. Think about being put on hold during a phone call. Think about the days of dial-up. Think about traffic or waiting in long lines at the store. I'm guessing most (if not all) of these things don't bring happy and pleasant emotions.
But what do we do when God says wait? How are we to respond when we're waiting on the fulfillment of God's promises in our life? And what if it's in the waiting that God wants to do some deep work on our hearts? How would that change the way we view the waiting?
Join us as we dive deeper into the life of Abraham and see together how God used the waiting in Abraham's life.
Genesis 17:15-18:15 | Waiting.... waiting.... waiting....
Even just seeing the word might stress some of us out. Waiting! I don't know many people who would say they really love to wait. Think about being put on hold during a phone call. Think about the days of dial-up. Think about traffic or waiting in long lines at the store. I'm guessing most (if not all) of these things don't bring happy and pleasant emotions.
But what do we do when God says wait? How are we to respond when we're waiting on the fulfillment of God's promises in our life? And what if it's in the waiting that God wants to do some deep work on our hearts? How would that change the way we view the waiting?
Join us as we dive deeper into the life of Abraham and see together how God used the waiting in Abraham's life.
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Genesis 24 | The promised son has come, the promised family is growing, the promised nation is on the rise. This week we watch as God unites Isaac with his wife, Rebekah. What is especially interesting is how God does it and who He uses to find a wife for Isaac.
We are going to watch a faithful, unnamed servant of Abraham fulfill one of the most important roles a dad could ever entrust to another. As we watch this faithful, unnamed servant in action, we are going to learn 6 facts of faithful servants that we can live out in our own lives as well. In God's economy, faithfulness is much more important than "famousness".
Genesis 22 | We hate uncertainty. Uncertainty can be disorienting, confusing, and discouraging. We long for clarity! We long for certainty!But where then, if everything is clear, easy, and certain, is faith?
Sometimes God takes us down a path where we know the destination, but we have no idea how we're going to get there. Even worse, it can sometimes feel like obeying God will take us further from the blessings He promised.
If you've ever experienced that, you're in good company. After finally giving him the child of the promise in Isaac, God is going to test Abraham's faith. We'll see how he responds this week as we continue our study in the book of Genesis.
Genesis 21:1-7 | At times believing what God has promised can be hard. What's often even harder, though, is trusting Him for when that promise will come to pass.
For Abraham and Sarah, they have been waiting on a promise. And waiting...
And waiting...
But sure enough, this week we see that God will always do what He says when He says it is best.
So how about you? What promises are you waiting on from the Lord? How are you doing in the waiting?
Genesis 20:1-18 | Ever done something you shouldn’t have done? And then ever done it again? We all know those things we should have handled differently, and then we know the feeling when we make that same mistake twice. This week we watch as Abraham repeats a mistake he made in the past. What’s so interesting to see is how God meets Abraham’s sin with total unmerited favor. What do we have to learn about how to avoid making the same mistakes twice? And what do we see of how God lavishes unmerited favor even in these mess-ups?
Genesis 19:1-38 | Genesis 19 could come with a warning like "This message is rated R for violent and sexual content." There are a few chapters of the Bible that bring out the complete and utter depravity of the human condition apart from a Savior and this is one of them. In this chapter, we see four important things we must understand: Wickedness, Wrath, Mercy, and Judgment.
We will watch as God's wrath is poured out in judgment on the wickedness of Sodom, but we will also see His deep mercy to spare Lot from that wrath.
We'll learn how these 4 things work in our lives as well (Wickedness, Wrath, Mercy, and Judgment), and rejoice in the greatest news of how God has made a way for us to escape His wrath and embrace His mercy.
Genesis 17:15-18:15 | Waiting.... waiting.... waiting....
Even just seeing the word might stress some of us out. Waiting! I don't know many people who would say they really love to wait. Think about being put on hold during a phone call. Think about the days of dial-up. Think about traffic or waiting in long lines at the store. I'm guessing most (if not all) of these things don't bring happy and pleasant emotions.
But what do we do when God says wait? How are we to respond when we're waiting on the fulfillment of God's promises in our life? And what if it's in the waiting that God wants to do some deep work on our hearts? How would that change the way we view the waiting?
Join us as we dive deeper into the life of Abraham and see together how God used the waiting in Abraham's life.
Genesis 16:1-17:14 | There is a saying we use when we feel the time has come for us to get something done ourselves: "I'm taking matters into my own hands."
Often, we say this when someone else who was responsible isn't doing things as quickly as we would like, but what happens if we do this with God? Are there times we take things into our own hands that God never asked us to take? And what tends to be the outcome when we do this in life? On the heels of an unforgettable, faith-building covenant ceremony, Abram is going to have an epic faith-fail. What can we learn from Abram and Sarai taking matters into their own hands that might help us from making the same mistake?
Genesis 15:1-21 | For the fourth time God will promise Abram that his descendants will be too many to count. Four times God has been saying it without Abram seeing it. Finally, Abram basically says, "Can you prove it? How do I know this?"
God delivers. In Genesis 15, God delivers with what we can look at as a really bizarre and bloody scene, and yet what God is communicating is one of the most powerful pictures of His commitment of faithfulness to a faithless people.
What is this bloody massacre? What does it mean? And how is it one of the most powerful pictures of God's gospel commitment to His people?
Genesis 13:1-14:24 | Genesis 14 introduces a rather mysterious yet important character throughout the Bible. His name is Melchizedek, and well, we really don't know that much about him.
But he's mentioned again in Psalm 110, and then again in Hebrews 7 where he is connected to Jesus.
In fact, we are told that Jesus is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. So who is this mysterious figure introduced to us in Genesis 14? And how does he give us a glimpse into a greater picture of who Jesus is?
Genesis 12:1-20 | It's hard to leave places you know to go to places you don't know. It's even harder to leave the people you know to go to people you don't know.
And yet this week, we walk with the father of the faith as he trades the known for the unknown and obeys God by faith. In our walkthrough of Genesis 12, we are going to find "4 Ways to Be Equipped to Live a Life of Faith". Without faith it is impossible to please God, so let's gather Sunday and let God's Word equip us for a life of living by faith.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
Luke 15:11–32 | The Prodigal Son...
Many of us are familiar with the story. And oftentimes as we read or recount this story, a lot of attention is put on the younger brother. His wasteful living. His lostness. His rebellion. His reckless and wild decisions. But what if the older brother is just as lost and rebellious as the younger brother? And what if the story of the prodigal son is not even primarily about the sons? What does this story have to do with my life today?
Let's get ready to hear from the Lord together through one of the most amazing stories Jesus told.
Luke 15:11–32 | The Prodigal Son...
Many of us are familiar with the story. And oftentimes as we read or recount this story, a lot of attention is put on the younger brother. His wasteful living. His lostness. His rebellion. His reckless and wild decisions. But what if the older brother is just as lost and rebellious as the younger brother? And what if the story of the prodigal son is not even primarily about the sons?
What does this story have to do with my life today?
Let's get ready to hear from the Lord together through one of the most amazing stories Jesus told.
More from this series:
Luke 10:25–37 | Have you ever used the phrase “where the rubber meets the road?” It’s a fascinating idiom. It’s first credited to Firestone Tires in the 1950s, though it’s possible it was used earlier than that. It couldn’t have been too much earlier though, because the automobile manufacturers hadn’t been too concerned about traction or tires until around this point. Cars were getting bigger. Faster. More powerful. More maneuverable. Yet, all that power and engineering came to a single (or four) point(s) of contact - the tires. Literally everything about a car is channeled to where the rubber meets the road. If there’s a failure there - no amount of horsepower matters. In our final parable of this series, Jesus encounters a brilliant expert in the law. He knows everything that he’s supposed to know - and can parse it out at a moment’s notice. What Jesus will ask him next, however, will reveal whether he’s got it where it counts. He’s got the knowledge. But what happens when the rubber meets the road?
Luke 15:11–32 | The Prodigal Son...
Many of us are familiar with the story. And oftentimes as we read or recount this story, a lot of attention is put on the younger brother. His wasteful living. His lostness. His rebellion. His reckless and wild decisions. But what if the older brother is just as lost and rebellious as the younger brother? And what if the story of the prodigal son is not even primarily about the sons? What does this story have to do with my life today?
Let's get ready to hear from the Lord together through one of the most amazing stories Jesus told.
Luke 14:15–24 | This week we are in Luke 14:15-24. We'll focus on the Parable of the Great Banquet and how the banquet is an invitation from Christ. This invitation is not to be ignored but acted upon. Christ calls us to say "yes" as well as share the invitation with others so that they may come to experience this great banquet with Christ.
May we all be full with more of Him.
Matthew 25:14–30 | Imagine you’re a teenager. Your mom has just left you at home alone for the weekend and you’re in charge of the house. You can’t believe you finally get to decide for yourself what to do. The possibilities are endless! Mom has just a few chores for you. Of course, you can decide when to do them, but they will obviously need to be done before she gets back. What’s your first move? Do you get right to the chores? Do you go off and have a good time and hopefully remember in time? Or do you just decide to forget about it and hope you don’t get into too much trouble? We’d all probably agree which of those is the most responsible choice. We’d probably also agree that we wouldn’t all have chosen that one! But what do you think you would choose today? And what does that have to do with your faith in Jesus? Join us this week as we continue our study in the parables with “The Parable of the Talents” from Matthew 25.
Luke 16:1–13 | This week we will begin a 6-week journey into the parables of Jesus by digging into the Parable of the Dishonest Manager found in Luke 16:1-13. This parable may be one that you have read several times and yet still don’t fully grasp. But when we are finished, it is our prayer that the way we view the money and possessions that God has entrusted to us will be forever and eternally changed.
Marked By Love
1 John 3:11–18 | Marked: clearly noticeable. Evident. As the family of God, we are to be marked by certain things. We’ve seen consistently throughout the book of 1st John that we are to be marked by faith in the true Jesus. We’ve looked recently at the reality that we are to be marked by a pattern of righteousness and not one of continual sin. Now our attention shifts to love. Christians are to be marked by love. Jesus tells us that the world will know that we are part of the family of God by our love for each other.
1 John 3:11–18 | Marked: clearly noticeable. Evident.
As the family of God, we are to be marked by certain things. We’ve seen consistently throughout the book of 1st John that we are to be marked by faith in the true Jesus. We’ve looked recently at the reality that we are to be marked by a pattern of righteousness and not one of continual sin. Now our attention shifts to love.
Christians are to be marked by love. Jesus tells us that the world will know that we are part of the family of God by our love for each other.
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1 John 5:13–21 | John has written an entire letter for believers to rest assured in their faith. This week, we bring the letter to a close, and as we do we should be asking: So what should I be walking away with from this study of 1 John?
John answers this in his closing verses with five restful assurances for the one who has believed in Jesus. Let's finish this book strong together.
1 John 5:6–12 | The most important decision of your life is whether you will believe Jesus is the Son of God who can save you from your sin. There it is, as direct as I can write it. This week's passage states this fact as simply, loving, and pointedly as God can state it.
So the question is: Have you believed Jesus is the Son of God and experienced life in Christ?
1 John 5:1–5 | Breakthrough (noun): a sudden and important development or an instance of achieving success in a particular activity.
I'm sure you've noticed that one of the recurring themes in the book of 1 John is love. Truthfully, it’s nearly impossible to study a chapter in 1 John without hearing about the love of God and a love for others. We’ve seen this beautiful picture of love presented throughout this series - a deep, selfless, unshakeable love that God commands and exemplifies. But how do we get to the place where we love like that?
1 John 4:13–21 | One of the key themes of 1 John is that true believers love one another. John has continued to make this point throughout the letter. And last week, as we studied verses 4:7-12, we saw the simple command to love one another in light of the audaciously gracious love of God. And while we can say “Amen” to that with our mouths and understand it in our heads, the reality is that many of us can struggle with this in one of two ways. The first struggle is that we can doubt that God can truly love us like that. And the second struggle is that we can despair that we are failing at loving others as God loves us. But John does not want us to despair or to question God’s love for us. He desperately wants to assure us of God’s love for us and His abiding in us which is evidenced by a confidence before God and a love for others.
1 John 4:7–12 | We know we are called as followers of Jesus to love one another, and we know that can be hard at times. This week, John tells us the source of the power of loving one another. And his explanation might surprise us.
1 John 4:1–6 | We learn this pretty early on in life: "Don't believe everything you hear!" We grow up learning to use discernment to separate truth from lies, right from wrong, real from fake.
This same simple saying needs to be applied to who we listen to and who we don't listen to on spiritual matters. This week's passage teaches us how to discern spiritual truths from spiritual errors. This week is an investment in our spiritual health to ensure we are getting our information about Jesus and what it means to follow Jesus from reliable sources.
1 John 3:19–24 | The battle to rest assured is won and lost in our hearts. We all know the loud megaphone a condemning heart can have, and how our internal wrestlings can mess with the assurance of our faith.
In this message, we look at a beautiful passage that helps a follower of Jesus quiet a condemning heart. Let's take the megaphone away from that loud internal voice of condemnation and enjoy the restful assurance of those who are in Christ.
1 John 3:11–18 | Marked: clearly noticeable. Evident. As the family of God, we are to be marked by certain things. We’ve seen consistently throughout the book of 1st John that we are to be marked by faith in the true Jesus. We’ve looked recently at the reality that we are to be marked by a pattern of righteousness and not one of continual sin. Now our attention shifts to love. Christians are to be marked by love. Jesus tells us that the world will know that we are part of the family of God by our love for each other.
1 John 3:4–10 | "No one who abides in him keeps on sinning..."Whoa. I read that soberly. I know of my sin struggles and where I see sin rear its ugly head in my life. I know I know Christ, but I also know I "keep sinning." But what does John mean here? What does he want us to understand about the person who persists in sin, makes a practice of it, keeps on sinning? What will John boldly tell us is true of this person's eternal reality? And how is this different from the sin struggles of the true Christian?
1 John 3:1–3 | Do you know...like really know...like deep down in the fabric of your being know...how much Jesus loves you!
This week we will see what Jesus has done that allows us to know how much he loves us. This week we will see what he is doing that shows how much he loves us. This week we will see what he will do that shows us how much he loves us.
Need a fresh drink from the well of the Father's love for you?
1 John 2:18–29 | Read the headlines. Watch the news. Follow global events. Just look around. Everything seems heavy, sad, broken, and not getting any better. We are living in the last hour. But what does that mean? What does “last hour living” look like for the believer? How do we navigate so many against Christ in these days in a way that, well, models the peace and rest of Christ.
In this message, we'll talk about four restful reminders for last hour living.
1 John 2:15–17 | 1 John 2:15 says, "Do not love the world or the things in the world." And from there it goes on to identify a very dire reality for anyone who does love the world.
But I'm confused... doesn't the most well-known verse of all time tell us that "God so loved the world?" So should we love the world or not love the world?
What is John saying here? What does it mean to not love the world in the way John means it? How do I even know if I do love the world in this way? And what's at stake if I am a lover of the world?
1 John 2:7–14 | I always enjoy hearing the stories of how people have come to know Jesus as their Lord. The stories usually have similar undertones as everyone comes to Jesus broken, crushed by the weight of their sin. Some people are more wrecked than others, some have an acute awareness of their condition before a holy God that causes alarm, but we all come to Jesus broken. My favorite part of the story is when they get to the place where Jesus transfers them from darkness to light, from broken to whole. There is always this moment of, "hallelujah" that erupts in my heart when I hear this part of the story. This is how it should be for God's children. God's children have a unique privilege to enjoy God in a way that no other creature in all of creation can. And this enjoying of God ought to have a revolutionary effect on our lives.
1 John 2:3–6 | When we were young, it was much easier to know that we know things. The confidence that comes from simple knowledge is undeniable. As a child, you didn’t say, “I think my daddy is a doctor.” You were confident, “My daddy is a doctor.” But as we age, it’s much harder to have that same confidence. We move from “I know I know.” to “I think I know.” to simply, “I think.” This happens as our world gets more complex and the explanations get harder to understand. And, unfortunately, this also happens with our faith.
I know that I know God. I think that I know God. I think about God.
This week as we continue our study in 1 John, we’re going to look at the marks of a true believer. What should be true of all of us, if we are truly in Jesus Christ? And most importantly, we’ll answer the question: How can you know that you know God?
1 John 2:1–2 | 1 John 2:2 made me look like a fool on a beach one time. Seriously. The revelation God gave as to what it meant for Christ to be the propitiation for my sin had me on my feet, jumping around, celebrating the MASSIVE implications it had for my life and for all who call on Christ to be saved.
So...what does it mean that Christ is the propitiation for our sins? Why does it matter? And how might the revelation of this sink into your heart in such a way that you too will look like a "worshipping fool" in your joyful response to it?
1 John 1:8–10 | We often run from the idea of confessing our sin. The lies build up in our head as to why concealing it is better than confessing it. We might offer up to God in generalities some broad sin struggle, but fight the notion of naming the specifics of our sin, and we really shudder at the thought of telling others about it.
This week we look at God's goodness and grace to us in giving us the means of confessing our sin. We're going to debunk a lie that tells us we don't need to confess. We're going to define what healthy confession looks like. We're going to destroy the hurdles that keep us from confessing. And we are going to determine to trust the character of God and promises of God for those who confess sin.
1 John 1:5–7 | God is light. We are told this in the word. This means that God's people are to walk in the light and their relationship with the Lord should be seen in their life. There is a scary possibility brought up in what we will study this week in that it's possible for people to say they have fellowship with God, to possibly even think they have fellowship with God, and yet still be walking in darkness.
So... what does it mean that God is light? What does it look like to walk in the light? How do we know if we are still walking in darkness? And the most important question for us to answer: How do we cross over from darkness to light?
1 John 1:1–4 | John wastes no time as he opens this letter. Page open. Pen in hand. Let’s talk about Jesus! He will tell us that it’s this Jesus and our right understanding of Jesus that will lead to fellowship with God and with each other. And this fellowship leads to our joy!
1 John | Assurance brings peace. Assurance brings joy. Assurance brings rest. We are about to embark on a journey through a letter in our Bible with this stated purpose: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” This letter seeks to provide corporate assurance to a group of believers and personal assurance to individual believers of what it looks like to be in Christ. Let’s go on the journey together and experience all of the blessings of knowing this rest-giving assurance of our standing in Christ.
God's Plan To Change The World
Mark 4:26-28 | What is the natural result of disciples making disciples? What happens when disciples of Jesus are committed to reproducing other disciples? Reproducing disciples will result in reproducing churches! When disciples multiply, churches multiply.
As we come to the end of our Vitals series, we begin to shift our attention not just on the health of the individual Jesus follower but the health of the gathering of Jesus followers- The Church. Part of being a healthy Jesus follower is participating in a local expression of the body of Christ. And part of what makes a healthy church is a multiplying church.
Mark 4:26-28 | What is the natural result of disciples making disciples? What happens when disciples of Jesus are committed to reproducing other disciples? Reproducing disciples will result in reproducing churches! When disciples multiply, churches multiply.
As we come to the end of our Vitals series, we begin to shift our attention not just on the health of the individual Jesus follower but the health of the gathering of Jesus followers- The Church. Part of being a healthy Jesus follower is participating in a local expression of the body of Christ. And part of what makes a healthy church is a multiplying church.
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Mark 4:26-28 | What is the natural result of disciples making disciples? What happens when disciples of Jesus are committed to reproducing other disciples? Reproducing disciples will result in reproducing churches! When disciples multiply, churches multiply.
As we come to the end of our Vitals series, we begin to shift our attention not just on the health of the individual Jesus follower but the health of the gathering of Jesus followers- The Church. Part of being a healthy Jesus follower is participating in a local expression of the body of Christ. And part of what makes a healthy church is a multiplying church.
Matthew 28:16-20 | At the end of the book of Matthew, we find what every Christian knows to be called “The Great Commission”. It’s this commission from Jesus that is life-shaping! When we see what Christ has invited us into—disciples made all over the globe—it changes the way we do everything. The vital sign of vital signs for disciples of Jesus is our joyful faithfulness to make more disciples of Jesus!
Romans 10:13-15 | We talk about what we love. We share what has thrilled our heart. We pass on to others things that have changed our life.
If we have a red-hot walk with Christ we have to tell others about it. In this message we look at the vital sign of gospel witness. Someone walking intimately with the Savior can't NOT tell other people about Him.
Let's stoke the fire for Jesus, our love for the lost, and our urgency to share the good news of what He has done.
1 Corinthians 12:1–31 | We love to watch when multiple people work together to accomplish something great. We watch teams, orchestras, choirs, and plays where every individual is doing their part, using their gifts, and fulfilling their role to be a piece of something much bigger than themselves.
The church is the most beautiful picture on the face of the earth in this regard. Each person in the church has gifts and roles given to them that must be used for the good of the whole. And what makes this more amazing than a sport or choir or orchestra or play? Each of our roles is given to us directly by the Spirit of God AND it means we get a role in building up the church which is taking the gospel to the ends of the earth to the glory of God. What could be more exciting to be a part of?
A healthy walk in Christ is one in which we are using the gifts given to us by God. This week, we look at the vital sign of spiritual gifts and ask: Do I know my gifts? Am I using my gifts? Have I experienced the joy and fulfillment of playing my part so that the church as a whole can thrive?
Ephesians 4:17–32 | The moment we are in Christ we are a new creation. We have a new identity, a new heart, and a brand new nature. And yet, scripture tells us that we also grow in our new life. The longer we follow Jesus, the more we are to be growing into looking more and more like Him.
So some questions: Are you growing in Christ? What does this growth look like? And maybe most importantly, how do you grow spiritually?
In this message we look at the broad, but crucial, vital sign of spiritual growth and seek to gain a better understanding of how spiritual growth happens in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17–18 | The beginning of a Doctor's visit usually looks the same.
Thermometer...
Blood pressure cuff...
Stethoscope...
A doctor starts nearly every appointment the same way. They check your vitals. They can tell a lot about our basic health by quickly checking just a few things on us physically.
This is the beginning of a series where we'll ask, "What are the vital signs of a healthy walk with Jesus?" For 6 weeks we will discover some vital signs scripture would identify as indicators of health in our walk with Christ.
The Glory of the Suffering Priest
John 17:1–26 | Heart Check... This phrase can bring both positive and negative thoughts to our mind. Heart checks may not be the most fun in the moment but we know that in the long run, they're good for us. They help us see the state of things as they actually are and not as we necessarily thought they were.
Our passage this week is going to be a great heart check for us. We're going to walk through Jesus' High Priestly prayer in John 17. This is one of the greatest prayers in all of Scripture. It's one of the only times we actually see the content of what Jesus prays. And as we walk through this text together, God is going to give us some heart checks to evaluate our lives.
John 17:1–26 | Heart Check... This phrase can bring both positive and negative thoughts to our mind. Heart checks may not be the most fun in the moment but we know that in the long run, they're good for us. They help us see the state of things as they actually are and not as we necessarily thought they were.
Our passage this week is going to be a great heart check for us. We're going to walk through Jesus' High Priestly prayer in John 17. This is one of the greatest prayers in all of Scripture. It's one of the only times we actually see the content of what Jesus prays. And as we walk through this text together, God is going to give us some heart checks to evaluate our lives.
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John 20:1–31 | "For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins." 1 Corinthians 15:16-17
Our faith rests on a resurrected Jesus. If there was no resurrection, there is no Christianity. But Easter Sunday is the celebration of celebrations. We gaze on the glory of the resurrected Christ. We will recount the story of the resurrection, a story that never gets old, and then we will look at how the story of the resurrection has the power to change our life.
John 17:1–26 | Heart Check... This phrase can bring both positive and negative thoughts to our mind. Heart checks may not be the most fun in the moment but we know that in the long run, they're good for us. They help us see the state of things as they actually are and not as we necessarily thought they were.
Our passage this week is going to be a great heart check for us. We're going to walk through Jesus' High Priestly prayer in John 17. This is one of the greatest prayers in all of Scripture. It's one of the only times we actually see the content of what Jesus prays. And as we walk through this text together, God is going to give us some heart checks to evaluate our lives.
John 13:1–17 | When was the last time you were impressed by something or someone? Impression is a funny thing, isn't it? The actual meaning comes from the action of pressing something in. So when we say, "I am impressed by so and so's ability to play basketball." what we are actually saying is, "I can't get this person's talent out of my mind." They made an impression on your mind.
Well in this passage, we will be joining Jesus and His disciples around the dinner table for their very last meal together. And it was around this dinner table that Jesus desired deeply to impress on their hearts a lesson that would change the way they would live the rest of their lives.
John 12:1–26 | What comes to mind when you think of a king? The grandiose living. The servant's waiting on him at every turn. The beautiful palace with no expenses spared.
Whatever you think of when you think of a king...Jesus was the opposite. We follow a King, but He was servant King. He was a suffering King. And He was establishing a kingdom, unlike any other kingdom.
We are beginning a series leading up to Easter looking at the Glory of the Suffering Christ. This week, we worship as we study our Suffering King. What kind of impact does understanding Jesus as Suffering King have on the way we go about living the life of following Him?
Rejoicing in Suffering
Acts 16:16-40 | "But why? Why mom? Why dad? Why? Why? Why?" Have you ever experienced this question asked over and over and over again? While this can start as endearing, it can eventually become tiring. However, with God’s Word, we should constantly be asking the question “why”. It can lead us to know more about our awesome God. It can help us understand more about how He has created us and the world around us. This Sunday, we’re going to study an amazing story together in the book of Acts and ask a big "why" question. We’re going to wrestle with why we suffer for following Jesus, and how that suffering should actually cause us to rejoice!
Acts 16:16-40 | "But why? Why mom? Why dad? Why? Why? Why?"
Have you ever experienced this question asked over and over and over again? While this can start as endearing, it can eventually become tiring. However, with God’s Word, we should constantly be asking the question “why”. It can lead us to know more about our awesome God. It can help us understand more about how He has created us and the world around us.
This Sunday, we’re going to study an amazing story together in the book of Acts and ask a big "why" question. We’re going to wrestle with why we suffer for following Jesus, and how that suffering should actually cause us to rejoice!
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Acts 16:16-40 | "But why? Why mom? Why dad? Why? Why? Why?" Have you ever experienced this question asked over and over and over again? While this can start as endearing, it can eventually become tiring. However, with God’s Word, we should constantly be asking the question “why”. It can lead us to know more about our awesome God. It can help us understand more about how He has created us and the world around us. This Sunday, we’re going to study an amazing story together in the book of Acts and ask a big "why" question. We’re going to wrestle with why we suffer for following Jesus, and how that suffering should actually cause us to rejoice!
Acts 16:6-15 | Have you ever been traveling on the road and suddenly find yourself staring at a construction sign that reads “Road Closed Ahead”? This seems to happen a lot for those of us living in Greenwood, IN. It’s in moments like this, that we can truly learn a lot about ourselves. Do you ignore the sign and keep on driving hoping to not get caught? Do you turn around and head back in the direction you came from and lose precious time? Or does your creative ingenuity kick in and you try to figure out the quickest route around the construction? Either way, we can learn much about our hearts when something or someone frustrates our plans. In this week’s passage, we get the opportunity to see how Paul reacts when God is the One frustrating his plans. From this experience, we are able to discover how to live a missional life when God’s plans don’t seem to make sense.
Acts 15:36–16:5 | We often, rightly, talk about agreeing in the Lord. It is important that we stay lock-step, unified on the mission Christ has left us with and the core doctrines God has left us with in His Word. But what about disagreement in the Lord? Is there room for us to disagree on some things and remain a unified family? We believe the answer to that question is yes! This week we are going to see where we can disagree on methods, but (here's the important part) remain in missional and relational unity. This week's passage leads us to the most famous ministry partnership breakup in history, but let's be careful we don't quickly assume this to be a completely sad or bad thing. What do we mean by that? Let's find out.
Acts 15:1-35 | This week we study a church meeting. Sounds riveting right? Except this is probably the most important meeting in the history of the church. There were two types of Christians in the early church, those Christians that came from a Jewish background and those that came from a Gentile background. These were groups of people from very different walks of life. As more and more Gentiles became Christians, a big topic of conversation was how they fit into the family of God. Could they become Christians without becoming Jews? Could they truly be saved without taking part in circumcision and adhering to the Law? These types of questions led to a really important meeting called the Jerusalem Council, in which the church walks out with a clear plan, a unified body, and no distinction between Jew and Gentile. What were the convictions and commitments that were made between Jew and Gentile? And how can we continue these convictions and commitments to forever stay unified as a church?
God on the Move
Acts 13:1-12 | Last we heard about Saul and Barnabas, they were down in Jerusalem serving the church. This week, we’re going to see them back with the church in Antioch worshipping, praying, and fasting. We see in this church an insatiable desire to be with God. To pursue Him. They're hungry for the presence and power of God in their lives and in their church. And this hunger to be with God sets off a series of events that will change not just an island and the people on it, but literally the course of human history.
Acts 13:1-12 | Last we heard about Saul and Barnabas, they were down in Jerusalem serving the church. This week, we’re going to see them back with the church in Antioch worshipping, praying, and fasting. We see in this church an insatiable desire to be with God. To pursue Him. They're hungry for the presence and power of God in their lives and in their church.
And this hunger to be with God sets off a series of events that will change not just an island and the people on it, but literally the course of human history.
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Acts 14:1-28 | Did you know that the Bible talks about suffering, hardship, persecution, trials, and tribulations as normal for the Christian life? And it talks about these things a lot. As you read what scripture has to say about tribulation as normal for those who follow Christ, it seems so different from the many titles you see as you stroll the "Christian Living" section of the bookstore. This week, we come across this statement, "...through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." This week we seek to unpack this idea. Why do we enter the Kingdom through many tribulations? Why is this worth it? Why should I expect this as more of the norm in my life of following hard after Christ?
Acts 14:1-28 | "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now am found T'was blind but now I see" Grace is amazing...but sometimes as we begin to walk with Christ for awhile, we can lose the awe and forget how amazing grace really is. As Paul makes his way to Pisidian, Antioch this week, he is going to preach a message laced in grace. And this message is a message we need. The Spirit of God is going to renew the awe and amaze us again with the greatness of the grace of God.
Acts 13:1-12 | Last we heard about Saul and Barnabas, they were down in Jerusalem serving the church. This week, we’re going to see them back with the church in Antioch worshipping, praying, and fasting. We see in this church an insatiable desire to be with God. To pursue Him. They're hungry for the presence and power of God in their lives and in their church. And this hunger to be with God sets off a series of events that will change not just an island and the people on it, but literally the course of human history.
Acts 12:20-25 | We were made for glory. We were made to give glory. Our lives exist for the purpose of God getting more glory. Sometimes, though, we want glory for ourselves, but God tells us He will share His glory with no one. This week's passage reveals to us an attempted glory robbery. Herod wants glory due only to God, and God deals with Herod in a startling way. In this message we will learn more of God's glory and receive a powerful reminder of the dangers of attempting to rob God of glory that is due only to Him.
Acts 12:1-19 | In every great movie, there is always an unexpected plot twist. In fact, would you agree, that the more inconspicuous the twist is, the better the movie? Isn't it interesting that we think completely different when it comes to real life? Most of us would rather things be smooth, calm, and even slightly predictable. Perhaps we might prefer an occasional lapse of judgment just for fun, but nothing too "out of control".
But what do you do when everything goes awry? When your plans go up in smoke and you find yourself in a genuine crisis? An unexpected trial that renders you completely confused?
That’s what we find happening in this passage in Acts. But, what God does in the middle of a crisis is sure to leave you amazed, breathless, and filled with faith.
Acts 11:1-30 | This past Fall Amazon announced it would be building a second headquarters somewhere in North America. They outlined the criteria they would use in making this decision. With the release of this criteria, cities were immediately unleashed into a fierce competition to land this HQ2 of one of the world's most influential companies. In Acts 11, we will see God establish an HQ2 of His own. This HQ2 that is established will be the sending base hub of the missional advance of the gospel to the Gentile world. What can get lost in this, though, is God's simple plan for the building blocks of this HQ2 missionary hub: People. But what kind of people? As we seek to be a sending base church, we will see this week "How God Builds a Sending Base". As we study this, we will know the key building blocks God uses to build a church that will be greatly used to build The Church.
Acts 10:1-48 | One thing that cannot be denied is that the early church lived with a consuming passion to see the message of the gospel of Christ spread across the world. This mission defined everything about how they lived. The moment a heart had embraced the gospel for themselves, they were launched on a missional life of taking the gospel to others. This week we will see that no matter what sacrifice God may call us, taking the gospel message to the lost will always be worth it. What would it look like for us to re-arrange the priorities of life around living as a missionary in our everyday life? How do we grow in an all-consuming desire to see the gospel go to everyone, everywhere? We believe that Acts 10 will be an instrument in God's hands to ignite a passion to live a missional life for the spread of the gospel and the glory of God.
The Brand New Life
Acts 9:19-31 | Jesus makes dead people come to life. To know Christ is to have a complete resurrection and transformation from dead in sin to a made new in Him... But now what? This is what we’re going to see in the story of Saul. In part 2 of Saul’s radical conversion, we’ll witness the effects of this transformation overflowing out of his life.
Acts 9:19-31 | Jesus makes dead people come to life. To know Christ is to have a complete resurrection and transformation from dead in sin to a made new in Him... But now what?
This is what we’re going to see in the story of Saul. In part 2 of Saul’s radical conversion, we’ll witness the effects of this transformation overflowing out of his life.
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More from this series:
Acts 9:32-43 | "I know God has done miracles. I read about them in my Bible. But do I really believe God still can? Yeah, I guess I do, but do I really believe He will?" We can often have a right doctrine of the omnipotence of God (God is all powerful and able to do anything), but does our doctrine translate to street-theology? Meaning, do we really believe practically, in how we live our life, that God can still do anything? This week we study two miracle stories. These two miracle stories come back to back in the book of Acts and share the same story structure. It seems in their shared structure, God wants to teach us something about the fact that He was, is, and always will be a God of miraculous power. It also seems these stories can shed some light on God's purposes in why He does the supernatural miracles He does.
Acts 9:19-31 | Jesus makes dead people come to life. To know Christ is to have a complete resurrection and transformation from dead in sin to a made new in Him... But now what? This is what we’re going to see in the story of Saul. In part 2 of Saul’s radical conversion, we’ll witness the effects of this transformation overflowing out of his life.
Acts 9:1-19 | Jesus doesn't just make bad people good, dirty people clean, or average people better; Jesus makes dead people come to life. To know Christ is to have a complete resurrection and transformation from an old life dead in sin to a brand new life in Him. This is seen powerfully in the story of a radical conversion we see in this passage in Acts.
Acts 8:26–40 | There is a family that teaches their kids what it means to obey by saying this, "Obedience means right away, all the way, with a happy heart." But this isn't just a statement for kids, this is a statement for every Christ follower. When God says "go", do we obey right away, all the way, with a happy heart? When God says "do", do we obey right away, all the way, with a happy heart? This week we see a picture of immediate obedience, and in studying this passage, we will be better equipped to obey God--right away, all the way, with a happy heart--in everything He calls us to obey Him in!
Acts 8:9–25 | "Why?" is an important question. "Why?" is a heart searching question. We do a lot of things in life, we make a lot of decisions in life, but there is something that stops us and makes us think when we ask the question "Why?" We know we should follow Jesus, but have you ever asked why you are following Jesus? "Why?" gets at the motives for your following of Christ. What if our motives in following Jesus may not be as pure as we may have thought? Confused yet? In this sermon, we are introduced to a man who 'believed' in Jesus but whose heart in following Jesus was exposed. This man displayed a heart more interested in the perks of Jesus than the person of Jesus. We will let God's Word expose our hearts and show us the motives that lie within for why we are following Jesus.
Acts 8:1-8 | “I could never do that!"
Has this thought ever crossed your mind? Maybe it was watching someone walk up to a complete stranger and share the gospel. Maybe it was seeing a friend walk through a difficult season of life and still love Jesus and love others. Maybe it was someone who has moved to a place you would never go and lived on mission for the Lord. We’ve all had times we’ve looked at others and thought “I could never do that.” But what if God is inviting you into some “I could never do that” situations for the spread of His gospel? That’s exactly what happens in Acts 8 as the story of the early church continues.
I Could Never Do That...
Acts 8:1-8 | “I could never do that!"
Has this thought ever crossed your mind? Maybe it was watching someone walk up to a complete stranger and share the gospel. Maybe it was seeing a friend walk through a difficult season of life and still love Jesus and love others. Maybe it was someone who has moved to a place you would never go and lived on mission for the Lord. We’ve all had times we’ve looked at others and thought “I could never do that.” But what if God is inviting you into some “I could never do that” situations for the spread of His gospel? That’s exactly what happens in Acts 8 as the story of the early church continues.
Acts 8:1-8 | “I could never do that!"
Has this thought ever crossed your mind? Maybe it was watching someone walk up to a complete stranger and share the gospel. Maybe it was seeing a friend walk through a difficult season of life and still love Jesus and love others. Maybe it was someone who has moved to a place you would never go and lived on mission for the Lord. We’ve all had times we’ve looked at others and thought “I could never do that.”
But what if God is inviting you into some “I could never do that” situations for the spread of His gospel? That’s exactly what happens in Acts 8 as the story of the early church continues.
APPLICATION GUIDE | SERMON SLIDES | SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES
More from this series:
Acts 9:32-43 | "I know God has done miracles. I read about them in my Bible. But do I really believe God still can? Yeah, I guess I do, but do I really believe He will?" We can often have a right doctrine of the omnipotence of God (God is all powerful and able to do anything), but does our doctrine translate to street-theology? Meaning, do we really believe practically, in how we live our life, that God can still do anything? This week we study two miracle stories. These two miracle stories come back to back in the book of Acts and share the same story structure. It seems in their shared structure, God wants to teach us something about the fact that He was, is, and always will be a God of miraculous power. It also seems these stories can shed some light on God's purposes in why He does the supernatural miracles He does.
Acts 9:19-31 | Jesus makes dead people come to life. To know Christ is to have a complete resurrection and transformation from dead in sin to a made new in Him... But now what? This is what we’re going to see in the story of Saul. In part 2 of Saul’s radical conversion, we’ll witness the effects of this transformation overflowing out of his life.
Acts 9:1-19 | Jesus doesn't just make bad people good, dirty people clean, or average people better; Jesus makes dead people come to life. To know Christ is to have a complete resurrection and transformation from an old life dead in sin to a brand new life in Him. This is seen powerfully in the story of a radical conversion we see in this passage in Acts.
Acts 8:26–40 | There is a family that teaches their kids what it means to obey by saying this, "Obedience means right away, all the way, with a happy heart." But this isn't just a statement for kids, this is a statement for every Christ follower. When God says "go", do we obey right away, all the way, with a happy heart? When God says "do", do we obey right away, all the way, with a happy heart? This week we see a picture of immediate obedience, and in studying this passage, we will be better equipped to obey God--right away, all the way, with a happy heart--in everything He calls us to obey Him in!
Acts 8:9–25 | "Why?" is an important question. "Why?" is a heart searching question. We do a lot of things in life, we make a lot of decisions in life, but there is something that stops us and makes us think when we ask the question "Why?" We know we should follow Jesus, but have you ever asked why you are following Jesus? "Why?" gets at the motives for your following of Christ. What if our motives in following Jesus may not be as pure as we may have thought? Confused yet? In this sermon, we are introduced to a man who 'believed' in Jesus but whose heart in following Jesus was exposed. This man displayed a heart more interested in the perks of Jesus than the person of Jesus. We will let God's Word expose our hearts and show us the motives that lie within for why we are following Jesus.
Acts 8:1-8 | “I could never do that!"
Has this thought ever crossed your mind? Maybe it was watching someone walk up to a complete stranger and share the gospel. Maybe it was seeing a friend walk through a difficult season of life and still love Jesus and love others. Maybe it was someone who has moved to a place you would never go and lived on mission for the Lord. We’ve all had times we’ve looked at others and thought “I could never do that.” But what if God is inviting you into some “I could never do that” situations for the spread of His gospel? That’s exactly what happens in Acts 8 as the story of the early church continues.
Don't Waste Your Suffering
Waste… It literally means a bad use of something valuable that you only have a limited amount of. I don't know many people who would say, "sign me up for that." None of us like to waste something. If we're going to do something, we want to get all that we can out of it. We've seen that the Thessalonian church has gone through affliction. Following Jesus has been difficult, to say the least, in their context. They've suffered for the decision to follow Jesus. In the midst of all this, Paul wants to make sure they don't waste their suffering. It's possible for them to walk through all these difficult things… and it be a waste. However, we're going to see that they're not just making it through their suffering…they're thriving in their suffering. It's possible for us to do the same. Listen for 3 ways to make sure we're suffering well and not wasting it.
Waste… It literally means a bad use of something valuable that you only have a limited amount of. I don't know many people who would say, "sign me up for that." None of us like to waste something. If we're going to do something, we want to get all that we can out of it. We've seen that the Thessalonian church has gone through affliction. Following Jesus has been difficult, to say the least, in their context. They've suffered for the decision to follow Jesus. In the midst of all this, Paul wants to make sure they don't waste their suffering. It's possible for them to walk through all these difficult things… and it be a waste. However, we're going to see that they're not just making it through their suffering…they're thriving in their suffering. It's possible for us to do the same. Listen for 3 ways to make sure we're suffering well and not wasting it.
More from this series:
Have you ever walked away from a dinner with a family you recently met and said, "Wow, they have something special going on"? You could sense a close bond between them. You could feel a respect the kids had for their parents, and a deep love from the parents to their kids. It was evident that their marriage was in a place of thriving. Your time with them made an imprint on your heart of what you longed your family to one day be.
All of us want to be a part of a flourishing family. And all of us want to be a part of a flourishing faith family. But what defines or characterizes a church, or faith family, that is flourishing together? This week, we close our study in the book of 1 Thessalonians by learning five signs of a flourishing faith family.
May these traits define our church, and may we seek these things amongst our family of faith for the rest of our days.
Do you remember watching the Left Behind movie as a kid, and as the movie finished and the credits scrolled, all you could do was sit there wide-eyed and paralyzed in fear. This is a common reaction for Christians when faced with the topic of the rapture and the second coming of Christ. Many believers associate the rapture with fear.
But what if this beautiful doctrine and truth of Jesus returning for His people is meant to produce comfort and encouragement, not fear and trembling for the believer? This week, we talk about Jesus coming back and the hope, joy, and encouragement that this brings to those who believe.
But what if you are still fearful about this? What if it produces more uneasiness than comfort? We talk about how you can walk away from this message more excited than ever for the reality that Jesus is coming back. This can be the day your fear over this topic subsides.
Jesus said something pretty astounding in regards to how His followers would show the world that they were truly his followers. He said, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Our love for each other communicates our following of Jesus. This week, we study a passage that spurs us on to greater love for each other in the family of God. And in it we find 3 ways we can exercise a deep love for each other. Here's the thing, these 3 ways to show love to your brother aren't things we often think about. So let's grow in our love for each other as we study some practical ways for us to extend the love of Christ that we have so generously received.
Is it God's will for me to go to that college? Is it God's will for me to marry that person? Is it the will of God for me to make that career change? One of the leading questions for Christians centers around the will of God for our lives. We pray for clarity for it. We sometimes do funny things looking for "signs" of it. It can paralyze us from doing anything for fear that we are doing something outside the will of God. But what if there are passages of scripture that tell us flat out what God's will for our life is, how we pursue it, and why we should pursue it? What if God's word is that clear about? Good news: It is! And this week's passage is one of those "God's will clarifying" passages. But what if God's will is way different than we often think about it? Let's study this together.
Waste… It literally means a bad use of something valuable that you only have a limited amount of. I don't know many people who would say, "sign me up for that." None of us like to waste something. If we're going to do something, we want to get all that we can out of it. We've seen that the Thessalonian church has gone through affliction. Following Jesus has been difficult, to say the least, in their context. They've suffered for the decision to follow Jesus. In the midst of all this, Paul wants to make sure they don't waste their suffering. It's possible for them to walk through all these difficult things… and it be a waste. However, we're going to see that they're not just making it through their suffering…they're thriving in their suffering. It's possible for us to do the same. Listen for 3 ways to make sure we're suffering well and not wasting it.
Imagine the Apostle Paul standing before Jesus, and Jesus asking him to point to the greatest accomplishment in his life. Imagine all the ways Paul could answer:
The missionary journeys he could point to. Some extremely productive sermon he preached. A visit to a city that brought many to the Lord. A resume of accomplishments with his life.
And yet, in the passage this week, Paul tells us what his crowning accomplishment before Jesus is…It's people. What if our greatest joy in life will come not from ultimately pouring into projects and products, but what if it will come from pouring into people? And how do we become someone who makes the people in our lives one of our greatest priorities? This week we will see 3 principles from 1 Thessalonians of what our lives will look like when we make people one of our greatest priorities.
If God spoke, would you listen? So often I hear people say, "I just wish God would speak to me…" Good news…He has! He has spoken His very word to us, and we have it at our fingertips. We can carry it around with us, we can turn to it whenever we need. In fact, God says His word has everything we need to live this life. Now we turn to four verses that will give us a greater passion to study, meditate, memorize, and become people of the word. We will see His word for what it is, and we will leave with a greater passion to build our lives on the foundation of His word.
"So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us." In this verse you can literally feel the love of the Apostle for these Jesus followers in Thessalonica. He shared with them the message of love that saved them and he showed them that message of love in how he lived with them. We have a message to share. If we have been saved by the gospel we are called to spread that gospel. In this scripture, we will see 5 "must-knows" of showing and telling the gospel. May we equip ourselves this weekend to tell the gospel with our mouths and show the gospel with our lives. You are loved.
We live in a day when a picture or song or video can be posted online and within 24 hours be viewed by hundreds of thousands of people. When something like this catches and spreads, we have a saying for it…it has "gone viral". This week we will see that the faith of the Thessalonians and what God is doing in their midst has "gone viral" in a world where the saying didn't yet exist. People are talking about the faith of these people all over the region, and all over the world. What was it about the Thessalonians' faith that led to a viral impact for the Lord? And what would a vibrant and viral walk with the Lord look like for us today? Don't miss this message and the 3 elements to a virally contagious life that will lead to impact for the Lord far beyond what we could imagine.
Hope is a powerful force. When you hear the stories of someone fighting for survival, what often keeps them alive and moving forward is a finish line of hope. They hope to see their family again. They hope to be able to hug their wife and hold their kids. When there is a finish line of hope, we will endure much to taste the goodness of that finish line because the hope of the future outweighs the troubles of the present. This week we begin a letter of hope. This is a warm letter from Paul to Christians in a city called Thessalonica. These Jesus followers are joyfully enduring much because of a coming hope they are confident in. Do you need some hope in life? Need to know that the hope of the future outweighs the weight of the present? Join us for the next 12 weeks as together we go on a journey of hope! You are loved.