Crossroads Sermons: Recent Episodes
Crossroads
Crossroads Baptist Church has been pursuing God’s greater and we’ve grown from a handful, to a houseful, to now impacting thousands of lives in our city and around the world. We’ve seen God do greater than we could ever do on our own. Join us each week as we dig deeper into God’s word.
One of the narratives that most people believe is that when we sin we have to do something to appease God's wrath and anger. We try to be good people, we do certain things so that God will be "pleased" with us because if not, He will destroy us. That narrative is not true. If we are really going to know the God of the Bible, we need to know that He is a forgiving God and therefore we can be forgiven and extend forgiveness to others.
Giving is not just a part of worship. Giving is worship and honoring God. Worship and honoring God has to do with what you offer to God. God's glory is tied to our giving. A clear barometer of our worship is our generosity.
Have you given God your everything? If not, why not? Maybe you've just been playing at Christianity. But it's time to make a decision in your life to stop living as a shallow Christian and give your whole life to know God more. We honor Him through how we worship Him, serve Him, what we give of our resources, through what others see of us, and when we help others to know God.
We firmly believe that God wants to do something wonderful in our lives and use our church for His glory by taking His message to others. God in His love and mercy wants to help us understand certain truths that will improve our relationship with Him.
If I were to ask you what your life has been or is like, what image would come to mind? That image is the metaphor for your life. It is your description of how your life works and what you expect from it. It determines your expectations, your values, your relationships, your goals and your priorities. If we focus too much on what we did wrong or didn't do, on the bad decision we made or didn't make, our life will be stuck in the past and will not let us run towards the goal God has for us.
How do you keep the pain and problems of the past from poisoning the present and darkening the future? How do you find the hope to carry on? We must deal with bitterness or it will affect our relationships with others. For every time you bring up the past and blame others, you are stagnating in bitterness.
Many Christians have chosen to remain slaves to the same strongholds that have dominated them for a long time. Old thought patterns and habits have stagnated them, but God wants you to let go of strongholds so that you can experience the life God desires for you.
Whether you are married, are thinking of getting married or have been married. My hope is that you can learn and practice these principles because the attitudes, actions and behaviors that contribute to a healthy, strong and happy marriage are also applicable and relevant to good relationships with our family members and friends.
One of the areas in which many Christians are stagnant is their prayer life. Prayer is the means of communication with God, it is one of the means to know God better, to know God's will and to be transformed. God expects us to pray and 1 Thessalonians 5 teaches us that God expects us to reach a point where we learn to talk to Him with all kinds of prayer, in all times and places.
Spiritual growth means growing to know how God wants us to live so that we seek to please Him in all things. Stagnation comes when we have stopped seeking, desiring more of God, of knowing Him, or perhaps we have doubted. We have settled where we are spiritually.
We are all worshippers by nature. We are always worshipping something or someone. We worship that which we have identified that is greater than us, that fills us with admiration and is where we will deposit the best of us from our time, resources, our life, and devotion. What or who are we worshipping?
We cannot run away or hide from God. Once we give up our desires, dreams, will and let ourselves be found by that wonderful God, we discover that His intention is not to harm us but to bless us. He formed us even in our mother's womb for His purpose and ordained all our days before we saw the light of day.
Whether you are facing some circumstance or problem, in the midst of a storm, or are experiencing His mercies every day, we must learn to have a thankful heart for God, be filled with joy for His goodness and tell others about God.
Sometimes it doesn't seem worth doing the right thing! When the bad prosper and the good suffer, you may be tempted to doubt God, especially if you are trying to do the right thing! If we are not careful to have the right perspective, we may be tempted to stop doing what is right and try to do what is wrong. When the wicked seem to win, let us submit to God, be content in Him and do what is right, trusting that the Lord will judge righteously.
None of us are really safe until we take refuge in God. Need help? Then Psalm 121 is for you, it is a good psalm to remember and keep in mind and heart as we go through life's journey. It is our prayer that this psalm will help us to put our trust in God's providence and care for our lives.