Servants of God
Luke 17:7-10 | Our current cultural context can partially be summarized by the phrase “the exaltation of self”. And this week, we see Jesus speak a parable that runs counter to this current cultural moment as well as our fleshly instincts. Specifically, Jesus teaches us that the position of disciple requires the posture of a servant. And as a servant of God, we are to do whatever is commanded; we are to focus on our duties and not on ourselves; we are to serve because this is our duty, and we are to find our worth, not in our accomplishments, but instead in our relationship to our Master who is God. What a privilege that God, our Heavenly Father, invites us to be His servants. There is no greater honor than to serve Him.
Luke 17:7-10 | Our current cultural context can partially be summarized by the phrase “the exaltation of self”. And this week, we see Jesus speak a parable that runs counter to this current cultural moment as well as our fleshly instincts. Specifically, Jesus teaches us that the position of disciple requires the posture of a servant. And as a servant of God, we are to do whatever is commanded; we are to focus on our duties and not on ourselves; we are to serve because this is our duty, and we are to find our worth, not in our accomplishments, but instead in our relationship to our Master who is God. What a privilege that God, our Heavenly Father, invites us to be His servants. There is no greater honor than to serve Him.
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Relentless Faith
Mark 2:1-12 | For the past month or more, you’ve been inundated with Christmas movies, Christmas music, Christmas parties, gifts, and the celebration of the Advent of Jesus Christ. And what a tremendous celebration it is! But once the calendar flips from December 25thto December 26th, routine sets back in. The gifts are all open. The wrapping paper has been stuffed into trash bags. Things get back to “normal” and you start thinking about Monday or next week.
We’ve rightly spent most of December focused on the birth of Jesus Christ, but what comes next? In this sermon, we’ll go from the first weeks of Jesus' birth to the first weeks of Jesus’ ministry. What happens when Jesus makes an impact, not just on Christmas morning, but every morning? We’ll look at the faith of 5 unnamed men who met Jesus and walked away changed forever.
Mark 2:1-12 | For the past month or more, you’ve been inundated with Christmas movies, Christmas music, Christmas parties, gifts, and the celebration of the Advent of Jesus Christ. And what a tremendous celebration it is! But once the calendar flips from December 25thto December 26th, routine sets back in. The gifts are all open. The wrapping paper has been stuffed into trash bags. Things get back to “normal” and you start thinking about Monday or next week.
We’ve rightly spent most of December focused on the birth of Jesus Christ, but what comes next? In this sermon, we’ll go from the first weeks of Jesus' birth to the first weeks of Jesus’ ministry. What happens when Jesus makes an impact, not just on Christmas morning, but every morning? We’ll look at the faith of 5 unnamed men who met Jesus and walked away changed forever.
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The Advent of Joy
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.
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.
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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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He Is Our Peace
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?
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?
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The Advent of Hope
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?
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?
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This Is War
Ephesians 6:10–24 | We are in a war. When God's people seek to live the way Ephesians calls us to live, we will be confronted and affronted by the schemes of the enemy. There is a spiritual realm and there is a spiritual war. God has given us His armor for this war and has equipped us to know what battlefield to drag these spiritual wars onto.
Ephesians 6:10–24 | We are in a war. When God's people seek to live the way Ephesians calls us to live, we will be confronted and affronted by the schemes of the enemy. There is a spiritual realm and there is a spiritual war. God has given us His armor for this war and has equipped us to know what battlefield to drag these spiritual wars onto.
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The Gospel at Work
Ephesians 6:5–9 | How does the gospel come to bear on your work? I don't just mean that you are looking to share the gospel at work, I mean how does an understanding of the finished work of Christ inform the way you work? The gospel shapes how you come under the authority of others in the workplace. The gospel shapes how you lead with authority over others in the workplace. This week's passage shapes what it looks like to bring the gospel to work.
Ephesians 6:5–9 | How does the gospel come to bear on your work? I don't just mean that you are looking to share the gospel at work, I mean how does an understanding of the finished work of Christ inform the way you work? The gospel shapes how you come under the authority of others in the workplace. The gospel shapes how you lead with authority over others in the workplace. This week's passage shapes what it looks like to bring the gospel to work.
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The Healthy Home
Ephesians 6:1–4 | As we continue in our verse-by-verse series through Ephesians, we’ve entered a section dealing with relationships dynamics in the home. And this week, the parent/child relationship is up!
Let’s be honest – parenting is hard! Sleepless nights caring for the physical needs of infant babies turn into sleepless nights waiting up for teenagers to come home by curfew. So much of parenting is difficult, but it is so, so good. Every second you invest and every effort you make is worthy of the time and energy.
In talking with parents, most feel like they’re doing a bad job. It’s like baking a cake that you have to wait 25 years to see if you put in the right ingredients and the cake keeps deciding stuff for itself. If you open the oven and look today, of course, it’s still gooey in the middle! It’s not fully baked yet.
So let’s start with this question: how do you honestly evaluate your parenting? What is it that makes you feel like you’re doing a good job? Or a bad job? More importantly, what do you really want for your children? And what environment is going to cultivate it?
What makes the home spiritually healthy?
Ephesians 6:1–4 | As we continue in our verse-by-verse series through Ephesians, we’ve entered a section dealing with relationships dynamics in the home. And this week, the parent/child relationship is up!
Let’s be honest – parenting is hard! Sleepless nights caring for the physical needs of infant babies turn into sleepless nights waiting up for teenagers to come home by curfew. So much of parenting is difficult, but it is so, so good. Every second you invest and every effort you make is worthy of the time and energy.
In talking with parents, most feel like they’re doing a bad job. It’s like baking a cake that you have to wait 25 years to see if you put in the right ingredients and the cake keeps deciding stuff for itself. If you open the oven and look today, of course, it’s still gooey in the middle! It’s not fully baked yet.
So let’s start with this question: how do you honestly evaluate your parenting? What is it that makes you feel like you’re doing a good job? Or a bad job? More importantly, what do you really want for your children? And what environment is going to cultivate it?
What makes the home spiritually healthy?
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Husbands and Wives
Ephesians 5:31–33 | Marriage is a beautiful representation of the relationship between Christ and his bride, the church. It was intended by God to be awesome and beautiful, and it's worth the work we put in to pursue the vision God has laid out for our marriage. Ephesians 5 lays a foundation for us to elevate the wonderful calling God gives husbands and wives and also gives us a roadmap for our marriages to be all God desires them to be.
Ephesians 5:31–33 | Marriage is a beautiful representation of the relationship between Christ and his bride, the church. It was intended by God to be awesome and beautiful, and it's worth the work we put in to pursue the vision God has laid out for our marriage. Ephesians 5 lays a foundation for us to elevate the wonderful calling God gives husbands and wives and also gives us a roadmap for our marriages to be all God desires them to be.
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Walking Rightly - Pt. 2
Ephesians 5:15–21 | All of us have heard the repeated refrain, "Time just goes so fast." The longer we live, the more and more we know that to be true. As imitators of God, we are to walk in wisdom, making the best use of the time. So what does that look like? How do we make the best use of time as people walking in wisdom? This week God's word will guide us into evaluating how we are doing at this.
Ephesians 5:15–21 | All of us have heard the repeated refrain, "Time just goes so fast." The longer we live, the more and more we know that to be true. As imitators of God, we are to walk in wisdom, making the best use of the time. So what does that look like? How do we make the best use of time as people walking in wisdom? This week God's word will guide us into evaluating how we are doing at this.
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Walking Rightly - Pt. 1
Ephesians 5:1–14 | We're talking about our walk with Jesus. Practically, what does the walk, or life, of a Jesus follower look like? This week we unpack 3 pretty clear characteristics of our walk with Christ. We are to walk in love, in the light, and in wisdom. Let's let God's word guide us into what that looks like in our daily life.
Ephesians 5:1–14 | We're talking about our walk with Jesus. Practically, what does the walk, or life, of a Jesus follower look like? This week we unpack 3 pretty clear characteristics of our walk with Christ. We are to walk in love, in the light, and in wisdom. Let's let God's word guide us into what that looks like in our daily life.
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The Process of Progress
Ephesians 4:17–32 | They say a tiger can't change his stripes. That a leopard can't change his spots. These sayings (actually derived from an Old Testament passage) are used to mean that one cannot change his or her essential nature.
Tigers are always tigers and will always act like tigers. Leopards are always leopards and will always act like leopards.
We think this about ourselves and other people sometimes. "I'll always be like this." "This is just who I am." "He'll never change."
In many ways, it's probably true...but what if a tiger was no longer a tiger? What if a tiger became something entirely different? What would it do then?
And what if WE became something totally different, what would we do then?
Open up to Ephesians 4 this week and find out.
Ephesians 4:17–32 | They say a tiger can't change his stripes. That a leopard can't change his spots. These sayings (actually derived from an Old Testament passage) are used to mean that one cannot change his or her essential nature.
Tigers are always tigers and will always act like tigers. Leopards are always leopards and will always act like leopards.
We think this about ourselves and other people sometimes. "I'll always be like this." "This is just who I am." "He'll never change."
In many ways, it's probably true...but what if a tiger was no longer a tiger? What if a tiger became something entirely different? What would it do then?
And what if WE became something totally different, what would we do then?
Open up to Ephesians 4 this week and find out.
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Let's Steward This
1 Corinthians 4:2 | Here we are. After six years of meeting in a school, we gather together in the place God has given us to use as a sending base for the mission he has called us to. How should we think about this place? How do we live stewarding what is ultimately His in the ways he ultimately wants. We take this first Sunday in the sending base and cast a vision for a common understanding of how we faithfully steward this wonderful Kingdom tool God has given us.
1 Corinthians 4:2 | Here we are. After six years of meeting in a school, we gather together in the place God has given us to use as a sending base for the mission he has called us to. How should we think about this place? How do we live stewarding what is ultimately His in the ways he ultimately wants. We take this first Sunday in the sending base and cast a vision for a common understanding of how we faithfully steward this wonderful Kingdom tool God has given us.
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Unified Body, Diversified Gift - Pt. 2
Ephesians 4:7–16 | We are unified as a body of Christ by the seven "ones" we looked at last week, and yet we are made up as a diverse community with diverse gifts that are to be used and stewarded for the building up of the body. Together let's step into an understanding of how this unified body we call the church thrives when we all bring a diversity of our giftedness to it.
Ephesians 4:7–16 | We are unified as a body of Christ by the seven "ones" we looked at last week, and yet we are made up as a diverse community with diverse gifts that are to be used and stewarded for the building up of the body. Together let's step into an understanding of how this unified body we call the church thrives when we all bring a diversity of our giftedness to it.
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Unified Body, Diversified Gift - Pt. 1
Ephesians 4:1–6 | The body of Christ is beautifully unified with a diversity of gifts. When we understand what unites us and how the diversity of our gifts are to operate in that unity, we experience all God intended us to experience as a member of his body. Over the next two weeks, we will dive deeply into this unity of body and diversity of gifts.
Ephesians 4:1–6 | The body of Christ is beautifully unified with a diversity of gifts. When we understand what unites us and how the diversity of our gifts are to operate in that unity, we experience all God intended us to experience as a member of his body. Over the next two weeks, we will dive deeply into this unity of body and diversity of gifts.
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His Power, His Glory
Ephesians 3:14–21 | We all need spiritual power, and where else can we turn for spiritual power other than the God of all power. As Paul moves us from the doctrinal rich first part of the letter to the wonderfully practical second part, he prays for spiritual power for Jesus followers who will read this. We join in the petitions and praise of this prayer as we walk through it this Sunday.
Ephesians 3:14–21 | We all need spiritual power, and where else can we turn for spiritual power other than the God of all power. As Paul moves us from the doctrinal rich first part of the letter to the wonderfully practical second part, he prays for spiritual power for Jesus followers who will read this. We join in the petitions and praise of this prayer as we walk through it this Sunday.
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Mystery Made Known
Ephesians 3:1–13 | Paul unpacks the ministry God had given him to steward to make the mystery known that Jews and Gentiles are fellow heirs together through the gospel. In doing so, he helps us understand 2 things that are worth it for us today in making the gospel known.
Ephesians 3:1–13 | Paul unpacks the ministry God had given him to steward to make the mystery known that Jews and Gentiles are fellow heirs together through the gospel. In doing so, he helps us understand 2 things that are worth it for us today in making the gospel known.
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One In Christ
Ephesians 2:11–22 | Ephesians 2 began with this beautiful paragraph of how God has taken us who we were in our spiritual deadness and given us life in Christ. This paragraph is so beautiful that it can overshadow the beauty of this next paragraph connected to it. Christ has not only demolished the dividing wall between us and God, Christ has demolished the dividing wall between believers as well. Let's rejoice together at how Christ, by his blood, has truly made us one in Christ.
Ephesians 2:11–22 | Ephesians 2 began with this beautiful paragraph of how God has taken us who we were in our spiritual deadness and given us life in Christ. This paragraph is so beautiful that it can overshadow the beauty of this next paragraph connected to it. Christ has not only demolished the dividing wall between us and God, Christ has demolished the dividing wall between believers as well. Let's rejoice together at how Christ, by his blood, has truly made us one in Christ.
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The Gospel in a Paragraph
Ephesians 2:1–10 | When we remember where we were before Christ we rejoice all the more in where we are now in Christ. The bad news of who we were pre-Jesus makes us worship over who we are now in Jesus. Let's walk through and worship together seeing this as we walk through the gospel in a paragraph.
Ephesians 2:1–10 | When we remember where we were before Christ we rejoice all the more in where we are now in Christ. The bad news of who we were pre-Jesus makes us worship over who we are now in Jesus. Let's walk through and worship together seeing this as we walk through the gospel in a paragraph.
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